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Beyoncé & JAY Z – Bang Bang pt. 1 (Short Film)

blame it on JES7 September 15, 2014

As previously shown in the trailer to their soon approaching HBO special On The Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay Z, the two will be starring in Bang Bang, a trilogy of short films directed by Dikayl Rimmasch. A quick look at his Vimeo account shows some of his work, which have strong film-noir influences.

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 an interview with the director here.]

Part two of the short film will be premiered at Nowness on Tuesday, while the HBO special On The Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay Z premieres Sept. 20th.

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