Hiro Murai is a Tokyo-born filmmaker based out of Los Angeles. He is the lead director, and a producer, on Atlanta. In addition to that, Murai has directed music videos for a number of diverse artists such as Childish Gambino (Donald Glover), David Guetta, Earl Sweatshirt, Queens of the Stone Age, Chet Faker, The Shins, and Flying Lotus.
Career[]
Murai is a first-generation Japanese immigrant who moved to Los Angles when he was nine years old and later graduated with a degree from USC film school. During his youth, Murai gravitated towards his native Japanese culture and was fond of drawing and manga. In a 2014 interview, Murai stated that his initial interest in film came from watching animated movies from Disney and Japanese film director Hayao Miyazaki.[1] In high school, Murai began to make short films which were heavily inspired by the likes of the Coen brothers and Takeshi Kitano. Kitano's minimalist style, in particular, is a major influence on Murai. Also, the sequencing of manga panels influenced the way Murai composites the shots in his projects.
Murai has directed many music videos for several artists. He has described the process of shooting music videos as "reverse scoring," meaning, "[He creates] visuals in support of the song, and not the other way around." His most frequent collaborator is Donald Glover's rappers alter ego Childish Gambino. Murai directed every video for Gambino's Because The Internet, and the short film Clapping For The Wrong Reasons that precluded the album.
Atlanta marks Murai's first foray into scripted television.
Episode credits[]
- 101. "The Big Bang"
- 102. "Streets on Lock"
- 103. "Go for Broke"
- 104. "The Streisand Effect"
- 105. "Nobody Beats the Biebs"
- 108. "The Club"
- 110. "The Jacket"
- 201. "Alligator Man"
- 202. "Sportin' Waves"
- 203. "Money Bag Shawty"
Selected other credits[]
Television work[]
- Legion (director)
Filmography[]
Videography[]
- Chet Faker - "Gold"
- Childish Gambino - "3005", "Sweatpants", "Telegraph Ave.", "Sober"
- Earl Sweatshirt - "Chum", "Hive", "Grief"
- Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar - "Never Catch Me"
External links[]
- Official website
- Hiro Murai @Twitter
- Hiro Murai at the Internet Movie Database
References[]
- ↑ Hamada, Jeff. (19-11-14) "An Interview with Director Hiro Murai". www.booooooom.com. Retrieved 24-03-18.