As a music-video director, his best work conveyed a dense intimacy.

Mr. Puryear, a former advertising and music-video director, had written a script about a Federal marshal who unmasks a conspiracy.

You won't find the increasingly common path from music-video director to Hollywood feature-film maker here.

The number of musicians in the project is a reminder of Mr. Aitken's own history as a music-video director.

Many music-video directors came from advertising.

"Leslie's moves are explosive," says Millicent Shelton, a music-video director in New York.

Mr. Sednaoui, like many successful music-video directors, has had no formal film training.

He's 37 and was a music-video director for about 10 years.

Dale Pascual marked a turning point and the end of M-B's career as a music-video director.

Some sources additionally cite son Oley Sassone, a music-video director who spells his last name slightly differently, but this appears to be uncertain.