dom&nic | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Film makers |
| Years active | 1994–present |
dom&nic is the working name of directorsNic Goffey andDominic Hawley. They have been directing music videos and commercials since 1994.[1]
They have won numerous awards for their work, including the Gold Lion at the 1999 CannesInternational Advertising Festival for theirNikeWhat Are You Getting Ready For commercials and also won the MTV Best Video Award forThe Chemical Brothers' "Believe".[2]
After meeting at School inOxfordshire dom&nic began their directing career with a music video for "Mansize Rooster" by British bandSupergrass (whose drummerDanny Goffey is Nic's younger brother).[3][4] Parlophone's then video commissioner Dilly Gent introduced dom&nic to music video production company Oil Factory, initially for the purposes of producing this one off video. Following the video's success Oil Factory began representing dom&nic for music video work and it was here they met John Madsen their long term producer and third member of the team. They began making videos for a number of bands associated with theBrit Pop movement includingThe Bluetones,Sleeper andLush.[4][5] In July 1995 their video for Supergrass'sAlright was released. Filmed inPortmeirion, Wales it was a tongue in cheek romp, mixing the band's British sense of humour with cult 1960s TV show influences such asThe Monkees andThe Prisoner. The video was parodied bySpitting Image, the satirical television comedy show, which placed Labour Party politiciansTony Blair,John Prescott andMargaret Beckett onRaleigh Chopper bikes with Prescot singing "shut my mouth...zip it tight...while e talks shite".[6] The Alright video caught the attention of film director and producerSteven Spielberg who met with dom&nic and Supergrass to discuss making a pilot for a TV show with the band. Supergrass subsequently decided they wanted to concentrate on songwriting and declined to go ahead with the project.[7] They continued to work with Supergrass making a total of 13 videos over the band's career, receiving a Brit Award nomination in 1998 for Best Music Video for "Late in the Day".[8]
In 1996 they began another long standing working relationship with British electronic music duoThe Chemical Brothers, making the video for "Setting Sun" the first single from theirDig Your Own Hole album.[9] The track featured vocals fromNoel Gallagher who was not available to appear in the video. Dom&nic's subsequent film was atypical of other dance music videos of the time. Taking the form of a narrative film which paid reverent attention to the music, it moved away from more abstract trends in the genre. The "Setting Sun" video "spies rave culture's flip from underground to overground through the eyes of a bewildered teenage girl"[10] as it follows her nightmarish out of body experience at an all night free party. It mixes unsettling psychological confusion with moments of humorous imagery, for example the terrified girl sees break dancing policemen.Tom Rowlands andEd Simons played a cameo role as themselves leaving the party with their record cases. The cameo has become a tradition which continues in many of the Chemical Brothers' videos to date. "Setting Sun" received a number of award nominations including the MTV Breakthrough Video Award.[11] When MTV announced a format shift away from alternative rock to electronica they cited the "Setting Sun" video as an inspiration.[12] Dom&nic continued the narrative format for The Chemical Brothers with follow up videos for "Block Rockin' Beats" (1997) (nominated for the Brit Awards Best Music Video[13] and the MTV Awards Best Dance Video),[11] "Hey Boy Hey Girl" (1999) and "The Test" featuring vocals fromThe Verve'sRichard Ashcroft (2002). In 2006 their video for "Believe" (released 2005) a track featuring vocals byBloc Party'sKele Okereke won Best Music Video in both MTV Europe's Awards[14] and the CAD's Music video awards.[15]
In 2007 they worked with Framestore again to create a cast of singing and dancing fish for the Chemical Brothers single "The Salmon Dance" featuring Vocals byPharcyde rapperFatlip. The Salmon Dance was nominated for MTV Europe's 2007 Video Star Award[16] (which replaced the previous years' Best Video category). They have continued to work closely with the Chemical Brothers, creating videos for the songs "Midnight Madness", "Wide Open", "Free Yourself" and "Live Again".
The directors have also collaborated twice with UK Dance music actFaithless making videos for "We Come 1" (2001) and "Mass Destruction" (2004). Other music video work includesOasis's "D'You Know What I Mean?" (1997) nominated for Brit Awards Best Group Video,Smashing Pumpkins' "Ava Adore" (1998) nominated for MVPA Best Video Award and winning the MTV Fashion Award andDavid Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans" featuringTrent Reznor which won the MVPA Best Alternative Video Award and was nominated for MTV's Best Male Video Award 1997. They have also worked with the reinstatedTake That singerRobbie Williams for his cover version ofWorld Party's song "She's the One". The video won the Brit Awards for Best British Video 2000.
In 1998 dom&nic directed their first television commercials,Rehab andRestaurant for theWieden+KennedyWhat Are You Getting Ready For campaign forNike. The campaign won a Gold lion at Cannes in the 1999International Advertising Festival.[17] The films were produced through Oil Factory Inc where dom&nic were represented for US commercials. On returning to the UK the directors signed with Outsider Films for UK representation. They have since made commercials in both North America and Europe. In addition to their commercials work for large international clients they have also made films for a number of British charities includingBarnardos,The Princes Trust and the housing charityShelter.TheirHouse of Cards film made for Shelter and advertising agencyLeo Burnett was listed as the Joint Second most awarded commercial in the 2009 Gunn Report.[18]