Beyoncé and Jay Z: Bang Bang, Part One on Nowness.com
Two American outlaws speed through the Californian desert in a dusty 1960s Pontiac GTO with a manifest poise and stylish swagger that could only be embodied by the world’s foremost musical couple: Beyoncé and Jay Z. Directed by the New York-based filmmaker and photographer Dikayl Rimmasch, Bang Bang is a trilogy of short films starring Mr and Mrs Carter’s filmic alter egos, appearing throughout their two-and-a-half month long tour, On the Run, which celebrated its finale on Saturday at Stade de France in Paris. Rimmasch was introduced to Beyoncé and Jay Z via Mark Romanek, and with a creative cohort in the war photojournalist William Kaner put together a filmmaking approach and aesthetic inspired by French new wave cinema and the powerful intimacy of legendary independent director and mentor, Les Blank. Rimmasch’s stripped-back process paid dividends, allowing an incredibly fast, shoot-from-the-hip style using custom camera rigs that he had designed, 50-year-old Russian lenses and lighting effects by Archie Ciotti and Scott Spencer. Below, we’re in conversation with the steadfast director—also known for his black-and-white campaigns for RRL by Ralph Lauren—about Bang Bang’s conception and what it’s like to direct contemporary music’s most iconic performers.
Check back tomorrow for Bang Bang Part Two. On The Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay Z premieres on HBO September 20 with an exhibition and screening at Clic Gallery New York on September 19.
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