The Work That Made Me: Giovanni Bucci
Giovanni Bucci is a Dutch-Italian award-winning director with 15 years of industry experience.
Gio’s understanding of the entire production process enables him to brainstorm different innovative ideas with the most successful outcome in mind. Gio directed two Korn music videos 'Never Never' and 'Love & Meth' which have won several awards.
He has worked for many high-end clients including Netflix, Nike, Warner Bros., and Sony. His expertise and mastery of animation is evident in the work he’s done designing and directing Idents for MTV and Red Bull, as well as being a motion designer on film titles including 'Star Trek: Beyond', 'Pacific Rim Uprising', 'RoboCop' (2014), and many others.
Giovanni’s work has been featured in industry magazines and websites including Rolling Stone, Computer Arts and Stash. As a musician, sound is a crucial element to his approach to work, and he dedicates considerable attention to the seamless integration of dynamic sound and visuals.
Here, Gio talks through the work that has stayed with him throughout his career and his own favourite works.
The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Billy Idol - 'Shock To The System' (1993). This video sticks out to me because it was just so…shocking? It was one of the first songs I heard that had that bit of an aggressive edge to it, and it spoke to me immediately. And then the visuals, with that cyberpunk style - that was all new to me and appealed to me on a visceral level. Looking back on it, I think when you grow up as a bit of a weird kid, this kind of aesthetic is appealing, because you see yourself as an oddity that would fit into that kind of world.
The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
'All is Full of Love' - Bjork (1997 Directed by Chris Cunningham). Chris Cunningham is one of my favourite directors. And this video is stylish, slick, and minimalist while displaying incredible attention to detail. Even now, 23 years later, it still looks cutting-edge and exciting. A timeless classic, really - you could show it to anyone right now and I don't think they would be able to guess in what decade it was made. And that is the biggest trick about making truly original work; when you follow trends, you can easily tell what time period it was from, and it will quickly look dated.
The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…
The Matrix. It’s my favourite movie of all time. It has everything: the stunning visuals and incredible VFX, a fascinating, deep, and layered story that makes you reflect on the nature of reality and society. The fact that it balances action, visuals, and a mind-bending story, when so many movies often have either exciting visuals or a good plot is truly a testament to the talent of the Wachowskis.
My first professional project…
My first job fresh out of school was at Leo Burnett in Rome in 2006 my first assignment was motion design for a Pirelli ad. My first professional job as a director was in 2007 for a silly music video called 'Svampato Rap' with comedians Marzocca and Bisio, from the popular Italian comedy show on canale 5, Zelig. It was fun, but not the kind of style I was striving for.
The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Hm... I don’t really have an answer to this. I am so focused on doing the next good thing that I tend to forget what gave me trouble. I just put it behind me and keep on going. I don’t think much about the past in terms of what I would never do again, instead, I take my lessons into doing the next thing I’m really passionate about.
The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…
L'Odyssée de Cartier - Epic Cartier Commercial. It’s magical! It looks like a movie rather than an ad. It tells a little story, and the way the VFX and cinematography are done is absolutely perfect. There is constant motion, grace, and elegance, so many small details that stand out. I would love to have that kind of budget, so I could make something so sophisticated and detailed.
The creative project that changed my career…
Korn – 'Never Never'. I was a huge fan of Korn as a teen, and since I started making videos, I wanted to make a music video for them. So, getting to work with them was exhilarating, and together we created a video that managed to be sleek and minimalist, while still complementing the intense music, and we won a slew of awards for it.
The work that I’m proudest of…
This video is everything I ever wanted to do. I wrote and played the music, and I created a music video entirely according to my own vision, with the help of Paola Rocchetti and our production company Void N’ Disorder. The video went on to win a bunch of awards, including a Silver and Bronze Telly, and two LA Music Video Awards.
I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
In general, I’m not a fan of plain corporate work. I don’t particularly want to call any single project out, but I like to flex my creative muscle and have projects where you can add some personality and style.
The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
ODDKO – 'D4TM' is another music video I created for my own music with ODDKO, and so I had all the artistic freedom I could ever want. I got to involve both my production company, Void N’Disorder, as well as some of my favourite artists while shooting in interesting locations. It was a ton of fun, and we even got to play with custom-made RC 1/10 scale miniature cars and race them through sand!
