Hiro Murai
{{short description|Japanese-American filmmaker}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hiro Murai
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = {{birth year and age|1983}}
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Tokyo, Japan
| alma_mater = University of Southern California
| occupation = Filmmaker
| years_active = 2005–present
| website = {{URL|hiromurai.com}}
}}
Hiro Murai (born 1983){{cite web |title=Music video by Tokyo-born filmmaker wins Grammy |work=Japan News |date=February 11, 2019 |url=http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005537649 |access-date=February 11, 2019 |archive-date=February 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213213949/http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005537649 |url-status=dead }} is a Japanese-born American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He is best-known for music videos for Childish Gambino, Earl Sweatshirt, Chet Faker and others.{{cite web|url=http://hiromurai.com/music-videos/|title=Music Videos|publisher=www.hiromurai.com|access-date=2016-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728124253/http://hiromurai.com/music-videos/|archive-date=2016-07-28|url-status=dead}} His music video and television work has received widespread acclaim, and garnered him a Primetime Emmy Award (for his work as an executive producer on the Hulu series The Bear) and a Grammy Award (for his work on "This Is America").
He rose to prominence with his work on the FX series Atlanta (2016–2022), created by and starring frequent collaborator Donald Glover, on which he served as a director and producer. For his work on the series, he received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He would also serve as a director on four episodes on the HBO comedy-drama series Barry (2018–2023), and as a director and executive producer on the HBO limited series Station Eleven (2021–2022), the latter of which also garnered him a further Primetime Emmy Award nomination.{{cite web|url= https://www.emmys.com/bios/hiro-murai|title= Hiro Murai - Emmy Awards, Nominations, and Wins|website= Emmy Awards|accessdate= July 13, 2022}}
Early life and education
Murai was born to Japanese popular music composer Kunihiko Murai. He moved to Los Angeles when he was nine years old. He graduated with a degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.{{cite web|url=http://www.booooooom.com/2014/11/19/interview-director-hiro-murai/|title=An Interview with Director Hiro Murai|publisher=www.booooooom.com}}
After graduation, Murai turned to freelance work as the director of photography for numerous music videos, as well as VFX and storyboarding, most notably for Ace Norton. After some time Murai began to direct low budget films.
Career
In 2013, he directed the short film Clapping for the Wrong Reasons,{{cite web|url=http://hiromurai.com/commercials/|title=Other Films|publisher=www.hiromurai.com}}{{cite web|title=Music Video Director Hiro Murai Is Donald Glover's Secret Weapon - DJBooth Article|url=http://djbooth.net/news/entry/2016-08-24-hiro-murai-donald-glover-secret-weapon|publisher=Djbooth.net|access-date=31 August 2016}} a companion piece for Childish Gambino's second studio album, Because the Internet, and its attached screenplay. In the same year, he created a multi-panel video set for Frank Ocean's performance at the Grammys.{{Citation|last=Murai|first=Hiro|title=Frank Ocean "Forrest Gump" Grammy Visuals|date=2013-02-27|url=https://vimeo.com/60699138|access-date=2018-11-26}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thefader.com/2013/02/12/behind-the-scenes-of-frank-oceans-grammys-performance-with-director-hiro-murai/|title=Behind the Scenes of Frank Ocean's Grammys Performance with Director Hiro Murai|work=The FADER|access-date=2018-11-26|language=en}}
Since 2016, Murai has directed several episodes of the comedy-drama Atlanta, collaborating again with Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino).{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/09/atlanta-hiro-murai-fx-donald-glover-1201726188/|title='Atlanta': Hiro Murai Directs FX's Beautiful and Baffling Series {{!}} IndieWire|last=Nguyen|first=Hanh|website=www.indiewire.com|date=13 September 2016|access-date=2016-09-29}}{{cite web | title=Atlanta (TV Series 2016–2023): Full credits: Series directed by | website=IMDb | date=7 May 2022 | url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt4288182/fullcredits/director?ref_=m_ttfc_1 | access-date=7 May 2022}} For his work on the show, he has received three nominations for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/bios/hiro-murai|title=Hiro Murai|website=emmys.com|publisher=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|access-date=September 12, 2018}}
In 2016 he directed a Nike campaign starring Chance The Rapper.{{Citation|last=Murai|first=Hiro|title=Nike x Chance The Rapper - We The People|date=2016-08-06|url=https://vimeo.com/177833573|access-date=2018-11-26}}
He directed the music video for Childish Gambino's "This Is America", released on May 5, 2018, which was described as "the most talked-about music video of recent memory",{{Cite web|last=Kornhaber|first=Spencer|date=2018-05-07|title=Donald Glover Is Watching You Watch Him|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/05/donald-glover-this-is-america-childish-gambino/559805/|access-date=2021-01-10|website=The Atlantic|language=en-US}} and which Billboard critics ranked 10th among the "greatest music videos of the 21st century."{{Cite magazine|title=The 100 Greatest Music Videos of the 21st Century: Critics' Picks|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/8466543/100-greatest-music-videos-of-the-21st-century|access-date=2021-01-10|magazine=Billboard|language=en}} In 2019, Murai won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video for directing the video.{{Citation|title='This Is America' Best Music Video 2019 Grammy Award Dedicated to Childish Gambino's Late Father|date=2019-02-11|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1013173/this-is-america-best-music-video-2019-grammy-award-dedicated-to-childish-gambino-s-late-father|access-date=2023-11-27}}
In June 2018, it was announced that he would direct a science fiction feature film, Man Alive, written by David Robert Mitchell.{{Cite web|last= Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|date=2018-06-13|title='This Is America' Director Hiro Murai In Talks For Fox Sci-Fi Thriller 'Man Alive'|url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/hiro-murai-this-is-america-director-man-alive-science-fiction-movie-david-robert-mitchell-fox-1202409019/|access-date=2021-01-10|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}
In November 2018, the trailer for his debut feature film Guava Island, starring Donald Glover and Rihanna, premiered at the Pharos Festival in New Zealand.{{Cite news|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2023724/rihanna-childish-gambino-guava-island-trailer-pharos/video/|title='Guava Island' Trailer: Watch Donald Glover & Rihanna's New Movie Trailer|date=2018-11-25|work=Stereogum|access-date=2018-11-26}} Guava Island was released on April 13, 2019, by Amazon Studios through Amazon Prime Video. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 74% based on reviews from 43 critics, with an average rating of 6.60/10.{{cite web |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/guava_island |title= Guava Island (2019)|website= Rotten Tomatoes |access-date= 14 April 2019 }} On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web |url= https://www.metacritic.com/tv/guava-island/ |title=Guava Island|publisher= CBS Interactive | website = Metacritic |access-date= 14 April 2019 }}
In 2021, Murai directed the first and third episodes of the science fiction miniseries Station Eleven for HBO Max.{{Cite web|last=Greene|first=Steve|date=2019-06-25|title='Station Eleven': Hiro Murai's Next TV Directing Gig Is Adapting a Post-Apocalyptic Novel| url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/06/station-eleven-hiro-murai-warnermedia-tv-show-1202153050/|access-date=2021-01-10|website=IndieWire|language=en}}
Murai directed the first two episodes of the 2024 action comedy drama Mr. & Mrs. Smith starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.{{Cite web|last=Kholsa|first=Proma|date=February 6, 2024|title='Mr. and Mrs. Smith' Showrunner Francesca Sloane Explains Those Amazing Guest Stars| url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/mr-and-mrs-smith-showrunner-francesca-sloane-guest-stars-1234951443/|access-date=February 7, 2024|website=IndieWire|language=en}}
Filmography
Short film
Feature film
- Guava Island{{Citation|title=Guava Island|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8858104/|access-date=2018-11-26}}{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/donald-glover-and-rihanna-to-star-in-new-movie-watch-the-trailer/|title=Donald Glover and Rihanna to Star in New Movie: Watch the Trailer {{!}} Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|date=November 25, 2018 |language=en|access-date=2018-11-26}} (2019)
- Bushido (2025)
= Television =
= Music video =
Director
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col"|Year
! scope="col"|Title ! scope="col"|Artist ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |
|---|
| 2005
| "Small Apartment Party Epiphany" | Co-directed with Steve Drypolcher and | |
| rowspan=5|2009
|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kyq0cA8fPE "Signs (Armand Van Helden Remix)"] | | |
| "Me-Time"
| | |
| "Heartless"
| The Fray | | |
| "Unbalanced Pieces"
| | |
| "Staying In Love"
| | |
| rowspan="3" | 2010
| "Airplanes" | B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams | | |
| "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"
| | |
| "The Show Goes On"
| | |
| 2011
| "Stereo Hearts" | Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine | | |
| rowspan="6" | 2012
| "Shady Love" | Scissor Sisters vs. Krystal Pepsy | | |
| "Mind Control"
| Friends | | |
| "It's Only Life"
| | |
| "She Wolf (Falling to Pieces)"
| David Guetta featuring Sia | | |
| "Chum"
| | |
| "Cheerleader"
| | |
| rowspan="3" | 2013
| "Hive" | | |
| "High Road"
| Cults | | |
| "3005"
| | |
| rowspan="7" | 2014
| "Smooth Sailing" | | |
|
| "Sweatpants" | | |
|
| "Do You" | Spoon | | |
|
| "Gold" | | |
|
| "#CAKE" | | |
|
| "Never Catch Me" | | |
|
| "Telegraph Ave" |rowspan=2|Childish Gambino | | |
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| "Sober" | | |
|
| "Grief" | | |
| rowspan="3" | 2016
| "Take It There" | | |
|
| "Day Ones" | Baauer | | |
|
| "Black Man in a White World" | | |
| 2017
| "Dis Generation" | | {{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-a-tribe-called-quests-gorgeous-dis-generation-video-w474268 |title=Watch A Tribe Called Quest's Gorgeous 'Dis Generation' Video |last=Blistein |first=Jon |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=March 30, 2017 |access-date=March 8, 2018 }} |
| 2018
| "This Is America" | |{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/childish-gambino-shares-new-song-this-is-america-listen/ |title=Watch Childish Gambino's Video for New Song "This Is America" |last=Kim |first=Michelle |website=Pitchfork |date=March 6, 2018 |access-date=March 8, 2018 }} |
| 2020
| "sad day" | |
| 2024
| "Little Foot Big Foot" | | |
Director of photography
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col"|Year
! scope="col"|Title ! scope="col"|Artist |
|---|
| rowspan="3" | 2006
| "Crooked Teeth" |rowspan=2|Death Cab for Cutie |
| "Someday You Will Be Loved" |
| "Cobrastyle" |
| 2007
| "Living a Lie" | Aqueduct |
| 2009
| "Submarine Symphonika" |
Awards and nominations
- (2009) MVPA Award for Best Video under $25K. The Fray "Heartless"
- (2012) Best Music Video Lists: Pitchfork / BuzzFeed / Consequence of Sound / Video Static / Co.Create / NPR Music - for St. Vincent "Cheerleader" and Earl Sweatshirt "Chum"
- (2013) MVPA Best Electronic Video: David Guetta - "She Wolf"{{cite web|title=NEWS: 2013 MVPA Award Nominees|url=http://www.videostatic.com/news/2013/05/13/2013-mvpa-award-nominees|publisher=VideoStatic|access-date=31 August 2016}}
- (2014) UKMVA Director of the Year / Best Rock / Indie Video International QOTSA for Smooth Sailing.{{cite web|title=UK Music Video Awards 2014: Hiro Murai wins Best Director, DANIELS take Video Of The Year, Joseph Kahn accepts Icon Award on Promo News|url=http://www.promonews.tv/news/2014/11/11/uk-music-video-awards-2014-hiro-murai-wins-best-director-daniels-take-video-year|publisher=PromoNews|access-date=31 August 2016}}
- (2014) Best Music Videos Lists: The Verge, Pitchfork, IMVDB, Stereogum
References
{{Reflist|}}
External links
- [http://hiromurai.com/ Official website]
- {{IMDb name|2033604}}
- [http://imvdb.com/n/hiro-murai Hiro Murai] at the Internet Music Video Database
{{MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murai, Hiro}}
Category:American film directors of Japanese descent
Category:Film people from Tokyo
Category:Filmmakers from California
Category:Japanese emigrants to the United States