Playlist: Emile Doucette

What’s the best music video you’ve seen recently and why?

I really enjoyed Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild music video, directed by Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia, and edited by Heymann, Muggia, and Nick Rondeau. 

It had such a fun outpouring of creative visuals, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a bit jealous since I edited Sabrina’s last music video for Taste, directed by Dave Meyers.

What’s the first music video you remember being impressed by?

I was seven when Michael Jackson - Black or White music video, directed by John Landis, premiered as a television event broadcast in 27 countries. The crazy face morphing technique? Macaulay Culkin and George Wendt in the opening? And the prolonged ending where Michael smashes cars in silence and debuts the infamous crotch-grab? How could it not be burned into my brain?

And what’s your all-time favourite music video?

So hard to pick. The Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight from Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity from Jonathan Glazer with the moving floor. Beastie Boys - Sabotage by Spike Jonze. I gotta go for that mid-90s-MTV-in-its-heyday stuff.

What other directors/artists do you look to for inspiration?

Love anything the Safdie Brothers touch, they have a really unique twist on creating tension. Just watched Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal, really fresh storytelling with the way Nathan fuses comedy and drama in a new form. How To With John Wilson also blew me away with its originality, stupidity, and tenderness. I love how Jordan Peele has changed the landscape of horror.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I'm on a huge Ween kick right now. Ween’s Chocolate and Cheese is a masterpiece. The way Deaner sings through his guitar is like a warm blanket for me. I have also been loving Larry June, 2 Chainz, and The Alchemist’s Life is Beautiful album from last year. I worked with Larry on a film for Honda this year and got to remix one of his songs. What a dream. Oh, and this time of year, my playlist of weird reggae covers comes out.

Ernest Ranglin’s cover of Everybody’s Talkin by Harry Nilsson could play on repeat all summer.

What’s your favourite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use?

I have an app that tracks my route when I’m out in the woods with my dog, and then I can watch it back as the route draws out on a satellite map. It’s a simple, kinda silly thing, but it motivates me to get my ass out the door.

What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why?

So hard to name just a few. Overall, I’m most inspired by those artists who are putting something truly new out into the world, an original creative vision will get me on board real fast.

How do you feel the promo industry has changed since you started in it?

Overall things seem to move faster, with fewer layers, and as the industry has gone remote, I feel like I’m given a lot more freedom to do my thing.