Director & Cinematographer Jonathan Bensimon
When it comes to creating music videos, there’s a fine line between playing it way too seriously and offering up a parody. Director and cinematographer Jonathan Bensimon has struck the perfect match.
In all of his work, Bensimon shows an appreciation for nostalgia, with an almost space-age lightheartedness that helps us exhale—or even, at times, laugh.
His music videos for Canadian jazz sensation Jill Barber—“Oh My My,” “All My Dreams,” and “Tell Me”—hint that maybe there was a time capsule on set. But it is just a director and cinematographer daring enough and yet with the wisdom of a true craftsman to pull off otherworldly, old-fashioned class, and some fun too.
All of this play with style and tone does not for a split second or frame, however, take away from Bensimon using the tools of his trade remarkably well. Jonathan says he uses whatever equipment it takes to fit the job.
He contends, “The most important lesson I’ve learned is that cameras should not matter to a cinematographer. They are just a box that captures the image.”
That’s not to say that he takes his job lightly.
“The cinematographer is more than a technician,” adds Bensimon. “He needs to know his tools, but it is what he does with them that is important.”
As a cinematographer, his shots are gorgeous. Bensimon presented Nelly Furtado in her “Spirit Indestructible” video by relying on his background in fashion photography.
“This video required a mixture of cinematography styles,” recalls Bensimon. “The first was one that focused on landscapes and sweeping shots. The second was beauty photography.”
Furtado would stand out anywhere, but with Bensimon’s angles and lighting, she seems to transcend the screen in this particular video.
We’ve seen he shoots like a hero when it revolves around a gorgeous center like Nelly Furtado in “Spirit Indestructible,” but how does Bensimon capture, let’s call them, Canadian music’s spirit indescribable? Radio Radio.
They’re sensational, to say the least. Their genre is officially defined as electro hip hop, and what is even more intriguing about this musical sensation is that the duo rap in Chiac, an English-influenced variety of French. And when Saturday Night Live Quebec premiered last February ’14, Radio Radio was the invited musical guest—which is significant because musical talent and Canada are synonymous.
But all of that still doesn’t quite sum up these guys.
Montreal fine artist Guillaume Grenier-Fontaine nailed it when he said of Radio Radio:
“Who knew New Brunswick had their own Beastie Boys?”
And that’s perfect.
Not since the Beastie Boys does watching their videos make us feel that we’re both laughing at and with these oddly average yet, hot guys of Radio Radio– Gabriel Louis Bernard Malenfant (formerly known as “Tex” from New Brunswick) and Jacques Alphonse Doucet (from Nova Scotia).
Success meets with and equals success, and Bensimon and Radio Radio take this relationship to the next level, as we’ve seen from the videos Bensimon has directed and cinematographed for Radio Radio, this collaboration is obviously a good fit.
Back when they first collaborated with Bensimon, who directed and shot Radio Radio’s (2010) “Guess What?” video, their greatness was obvious even to one of the best radars on the map, The Indies ™, where the chemistry of Radio Radio and Bensimon is fabulously summed up:
This act sounds like something out of the middle of Europe, but it turns out it’s Canadian. The beat at the beginning of this first track bored me from the get go and was just about clicked to another song. But then the lyrics start: “She makes more money than me, she drives a better car than me… I eye … just wanna cry eye”. This song made me laugh many times. It was a much needed morning laugh therapy. As I heard more of this unique and interesting project, the music really grew on me as well as the seriously excellent film making.
– Greg Chamberlain, writer, The Indies ™
“Excellent filmmaking” indeed.
Bensimon humbly puts it, “I have a particular signature to my work, and I get called to apply that style to a variety of projects.”
Bensimon has acted as director and cinematographer not only for “Guess What?” but also Radio Radio’s 2014 “Tcheindre Together” and “Ej Feel Zoo” videos.
Gabriel Malenfant of Radio Radio says Jonathan has a combination “rarely seen simultaneously with most creators.”
Malenfant explains, “Not only does he have the sensitivity to seize the ideas that our band is trying to communicate, but he also has the skills and extensive technical know-how to develop content that is beautiful and impactful.”
Malenfant adds, “It is for these two main reasons, on top of the fact that he is just a great guy to work with…. We have since worked with him on numerous other projects, all of which have won industry awards… Another music video that we have done lately is set to be coming out soon.”
Prolific, to say the least, in addition to numerous commercials he completes each year, Jonathan Bensimon has directed and/or shot around 25 music videos in the last seven years. Here’s looking forward to more of Bensimon’s “signature” work, which we can predict will be excellent as always—and, sure to bring a good laugh.