Interview With Allen Cordell

Beach House, Tobacco, Dan Deacon, Cloud Nothings all have a common point. They made the choice to work with a director who multiplies feelings tenfold. Allen Cordell is a brilliant cinematographer with a propensity to create eccentric, narrative and experimental videos. Reviews are laudatory, everybody fails for the eerie world of Allen. And you will too.

(Interview made on Thursday, 14th, 2010 at 4.38pm in the not so fictional town of Winter River, Connecticut)

Hi Allen, what's the story of your life?
I was born in Seoul, South Korea and came to the United States when I was 4. I grew up in the south where my dad took me to see tons of movies. I remember watching everything from E.T. to A Nightmare on Elm Street to Beverly Hills Cop to Pee Wee's Big Adventure to Aliens to Robocop to Beetlejuice to The Thing to Big Trouble in Little China to The Fly to The Gate and on and on. Nothing was censored. This endless barrage of movies was a constant complaint that my mother had: "Always, movies movies movies!", she would yell. Once my dad rented The Stuff and it really freaked me out. He would tease me about it while we were at the dinner table and it made me sick. But now I really appreciate that movie.

Beach House - Walk in the Park (Official Video)

Can you pick a movie scene to explain me your current state of mind?
Since you got me in a nostalgic mood, here is a scene from The Stuff to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

What's your best childhood memory?
Watching Robocop in a movie theater when I was 9. That movie blew my mind in so many ways. I remember walking out of the theater feeling exhilarated, but also kind of confused by what I had just experienced. Also, the one time my parents really put the effort into tricking me that Santa Claus existed when I was 5.

Tobacco - Grape Aerosmith (feat. Beck) Official Video

What's the music video that marked you the most?
I always liked Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction. Also Michael Jackson's video for Beat It is my earliest music video memory, so I hold it in high esteem. 

Which cinematographers made you be who you are today?
That's a tough question, but I really love the films of John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Werner Herzog. I aspire to be half as good as any of them.

Dan Deacon - Big Big Big Big Big (2006)

What are you next projects?
Next I will be working on a music video for my friend Benny Boeldt (aka Adventure on Carpark Records) and possibly one for Gentlemen Drivers on Because Music. I'm also writing a screenplay for an insane feature film that I hope someone will give me the money to make.

You will find more about Allen on allencordell.com