Ep. 61 - Nabil Elderkin on Gully, The People and Kendrick Lamar

Director Nabil Elderkin shoots music videos and films governed by vision, collaboration and diversity. While thematic similarities connect the dots between his projects, each video is different and a product of the stellar combination of the right artist, the right lighting, and maybe most importantly - the right feel. Growing up in a multi-cultural sphere, dictated by several international moves, led to an open-mindedness and an adaptability which did not hurt his transition into film. Surfing was the context which facilitated his portal in, and although he spent more time on the beach than in the water, the education he received, through direct exposure shooting his friends, was invaluable. His photography interest and experience developed further when he settled in Chicago, and came into Kanye West’s orbit. Soon after, he started shooting music videos for a dossier for artists which continues to expand, and includes The Black Eyed Peas, Common, Seal, Bruno Mars, Foals, J. Cole, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa and Kendrick Lamar. For his work on Swim Good and Mercy, which feature Frank Ocean and Kanye West, respectively, Nabil received 3 VMA nominations, including Best Direction in a Video and Best Hip Hop Video for the latter. Among his feature films are the Ugandan breakdancing documentary, Bouncing Cats, and the gut-wrenching exploration of trauma - Gully - which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019 and stars Charlie Plummer, Amber Heard, Jacob Latimore, Terrence Howard and John Corbett. In our conversation, we discussed the kernels of his film beginnings; working with actors like Willem Dafoe and Don Cheadle; collaborating with friends like John Legend; upcoming music video and narrative concepts he is developing; and a memorable encounter with Snoop Dogg.

Opening Credits: HoliznaPATREON - Green Again ( LoFi) I CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; Anitek - Gnats I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US. Closing Credits: snoozy beats - stylish days I CC BY 4.0.