Walter Stern (director)

Walter Stern
Birth nameWalter Adrian Stern
Born (1965-11-16) 16 November 1965 (age 59)
Marylebone, London, England
OriginChelsea, London
OccupationFilm maker
Years active1991–present

Walter Adrian Stern (born 16 November 1965 in Marylebone, London) is an English music video film director.[1]

Biography

Walter Stern was born in 1965 to an Austrian-Jewish father and an English mother.

Music videos

Stern began his career directing music videos at Control, a small production company based in London.

In 1993, he moved to production company Stigma Films where he first directed a promo for the band The Prodigy. Their collaboration continued throughout the mid to late 1990s, including two critically acclaimed and award-winning promos in 1996: "Firestarter",[2] which won Best Video in the NME People's Choice Award 1996, and "Breathe", which won Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards 1997.[3][4]

Stern joined Academy Films in 1997, introducing himself with the video for The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony".[5] That same year, he began another successful collaboration, this time with the band Massive Attack. This relationship produced promos for "Risingson" (1997), "Teardrop"[6] and "Angel" (both 1998). "Teardrop" won the award for Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards 1998[7] and was nominated for Brit[8] and D&AD awards.[9] He has also worked with artists as diverse as Madonna, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails and Stereo MCs.

In 2006, he directed a music video for Bloc Party's "The Prayer"[10] and in 2009, he returned to the collaboration with The Prodigy directing a new promo "Take Me to the Hospital".

Awards

At the 2003 Creative & Design Awards, Stern pick up the award for Best Video of the Year and Best Dance Video for Audio Bullys' "We Don't Care".[11]

In 2007, he won the CADS Outstanding Achievement award.[12]

Advertisements

Stern entered the advertising arena in 1997 with an ad for Volkswagen Golf. His commercial career has been as successful as his music video career, collecting a Golden Lion for Volkswagen "Heaven" at Cannes 2000.[13] He has completed two advertisements for Coca-Cola, and other clients include Caffreys, BBC, Orange, Adidas and Diet Coke.

Stern's "Lucky", for the Department for Transport, won him an arrow at BTAA Craft for Best Video Post Production.

His other advertising work includes "Bubbles" for Vodafone, a Transport for London spot for M&C Saatchi and a Johnnie Walker film for BBH.[14][15]

Videography

References

  1. ^ Watts, Jenny (July 1999). "CAMPAIGN CRAFT: PORTFOLIO WALTER STERN". Brand Republic.
  2. ^ "100 Greatest Music Videos: #38 The Prodigy - Firestarter". NME.COM.
  3. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards | Highlights, Winners, Performers and Photos from the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards". MTV.com. 1997-09-04. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
  4. ^ "1997 MTV Video Music Awards". Rock On The Net. 1997-09-04. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
  5. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (23 August 2010). "The Top 50 Music Videos of the 1990s". Pitchfork.
  6. ^ Iqbal, Nosheen (5 February 2010). "Massive Attack's art of darkness". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "Massive Attack's Teardrop Wins Best Video At The MTV Europe Awards 1998". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  8. ^ "Nominations for 1999 Brit awards". BBC News. January 1999.
  9. ^ "The 200 best design moments in our lifetime". Creative Bloq. January 2013.
  10. ^ "Zane Lowe - Bloc Party video". BBC 1 Xtra.
  11. ^ "Bullys promo wins double in EMI's night of Cads success". Music Week. May 2003.
  12. ^ "Partizan and Polydor win big at Cads 2007". Music Week. June 2007.
  13. ^ Woodward, Sarah (July 2000). "In Off Year, Cannes Jury Went Back To The Basics: Judges Honored Work That "Makes Sense For Client And Consumer."". Shoot.
  14. ^ Macleod, Duncan (February 2009). "Johnnie Walker at The Crossroads". The Inspiration Room.
  15. ^ "Hitching a ride is always weirder with booze". Ad Week. February 2009.