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.
Read more of the interview with the director here
