Auteur Theory: Saam Farahmand

"Music videos are often spoken of as "low culture" because of their accessibility, so it's great when a song is given a lease of life through the video." Saam Farahmand

I'm pretty much obsessed with Partizan. They are a production company specialising in many branches of multimedia including animation, documentary, online innovative digital and interactive work, films (including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Be Kind Rewind (2008)), commercials and of course music videos. So when we were asked to write a post analysing music videos using the auteur theory, I immediately knew I would choose one of their previous directors known cooly in the business as SAAM or slightly less cooly as Iranian ex-would-be-scientist Saam Farahmand. After attending a Bruce Nauman show at the Hayward Gallery Saam abandoned plans of academia and studied fine arts at Goldsmiths before moving into directing. He gained notoriety after creating online viral videos including a mash up of Bush and Blair to 'Gay Bar' by Electric Six and 'Viral Insanity' a parody of the Jamiroquai video which gained him work for MTV2, in turn leading to directing stints for artists such as Klaxons, Janet Jackson and Simian Mobile Disco. NME included him on a list of 'people pushing music forward' and in 2007 he won Best Director at the CAD Music Video Awards.

"It’s always different, but I guess in its purest form it’s the reverse of what a composer like Giorgio Moroder would do when he creates a soundtrack to a film. It sounds cheesy, but making a music video is like creating a visual score to a piece of music."

As Saam's background is in art, his videos tend to be highly conceptualised, visually dynamic and often with interesting contemporary choreography. The band or artist tend to be less the focal point of the video but serve more as a cast member to a visual piece concerning a wider issue than the song's subject, though perhaps derived from its lyrics. I have chosen three of my favourite video's of his to analyse below:

The xx- Islands (2010)






Personally I think this is a work of pure genius! On first viewing, I immediately watched it over again and again playing a sort of 'spot the difference' with myself from scene to scene. Risky as it may be to shoot the whole video in one repetitive backwards track, coupled with the song and the subtle differences in choreography each time, Saam cleverly manages to tell the story of several couples through movement. The xx logo is littered all over the screen, serving as a constant reminder of brand identity targeting the audience immediately and incredibly apt for a debut single. The mis en scene, bluey hues and repetition create a hypnotic quality which accompanies the song brilliantly and the indifferent, slightly subdued expression of the band portray them as cool and laid back. The climax of the video illustrates the breaking down of a relationship as the routine is interrupted, dancers leave and the set catches alight. I can't quite decide whether the video illustrates, amplifies or contradicts the lyrics as the song on the surface seems to be about someone finding their love therefore stopping them from exploring other 'islands'. Personally however, I believe the video beautifully displays how the characters are just going through motions habitually, lacking the passion they once did. The song and video, like a piece of artwork can be interpreted in a variety of different ways and that for me is the beauty of it.
Cheryl Cole Featuring Wil.I.Am- 3 Words (2009)

The split screen effect in this video is so effective for a duet and Saam, challenging music video conventions uses a long fluid shot, making the video appear as one long take. Although the dancers are not wearing many clothes, the choreography is not sexualised but adds interest to the scene.Visually the video matches the song in pace, the slower parts are accompanied by slow pans of the dancers on the floor whereas the faster drum beat parts feature them dancing. Saam has used interesting editing techniques to make all the shots match up and bringing the shots of the artists together and apart again, warping the viewers ideas of time and space.
Tom Vek- Aroused

“It’s a nod to the way in which smoking is used heavily and quite innocently in art and fashion … In the video, it represents feelings of being overwhelmed and extremities — both of which tie in with the sentiment of the album.”-Tom Vek

Saam has managed to capture the style of an fashion ad campaign, the models, the random text, the sultry poses, soft lighting and the black and white grading in this video. The smoke works aesthetically to create patterns in the shots and contribute to the slick and stylish cinematography. Saam gets a great performance out of all of the actors and once again uses choreography to create interesting and unique compositions in each frame, particularly towards the end. The subject matter of this video is controversial, what with the obvious health risks associated with smoking, however with reference to the idea Vek explains above is almost a tongue in cheek parody of a fashion editorial and suggests it is not to be taken too seriously.


No two of Saam's videos are alike. Infact, he even made two different videos for the same Klaxons song, rendering him as possibly the only director to remake his own work. His strength lies in the creative and he is constantly pushing the boundaries with every project he undertakes, understandably making him one of the most sought after directors currently and definitely one of my favourites. All that and he's only 30! There are a few conventions however that seemed to crop up in most of his videos...so, to summarise:

• SAAM: the go-to guy for a cool, replayable interesting video
• Often Controversial
• Strong use of Slow Motion and interesting post-production
• Challenging and breaking Music Video Conventions- Risky
• Echoes and amplifies image of artist
• Unique visual style
• Interesting choreography- not sexualised but contemporary
• Long fluid shots
• Repetition