Min Dai Behind Music Video for Daddy's "Gentle But You Weren't" Remix ft. Martin van Etten

LOS ANGELES - May 6, 2018 - PRLog -- Prominent film and television producer Min Dai produced and directed the upcoming music video for the song "Gentle But You Weren't (Martin van Etten Remix)" by Daddy, an indie rock band formed by James Franco and multi-instrumentalist Tim O'Keefe in 2011.

Franco earned the Golden Globe Award for his work in "The Disaster Artist," and O'Keefe who, along with composing the music for Franco's Faulkner adaptations "As I Lay Dying" and "The Sound and the Fury," has composed several episodes of HBO's "Vice" series and is known for his work as a DJ.

About working with Min Dai on the music video, O'Keefe says, "[She] is a talented, thoughtful filmmaker. She is strong enough to see her own vision through in her work, while also being humble enough to work with a team and help create a shared vision."

The song is off Daddy's 2017 album "Let Me Get What I Want (Remixes)," the remixed version of their 2016 debut album "Let Me Get What I Want," which is inspired by Brit New Wave icons The Smiths and features the band's bassist Andy Rourke on every song on the album.

"We shot for two days on Pickle Highway in Texas… The lyrics are more focused on the romantic dynamics and the changes over the course of time.  I made my own interpretation of the song and it triggered me to create visuals that are unique to my personal background," explains Dai About the music video for "Gentle But You Weren't' (Remix ft. Martin van Etten)."

Compared to the original release, the remix version of the song brings more of a dancey rhythm with a quicker pace and added atmospheric synth elements. Dai, who's known for her work as the producer behind a long list of award-winning films such as "400 Miles" and "Eggman," created her own organic vision for the upcoming music video.

"I fused together various videos I shot in China and parts of the U.S., documenting the changes I've experienced over the years. I wanted to generate the feeling that the world is not the same anymore, we have not been gentle to it," says Dai. "The end product is experimental with heavy visual effects, I decided to give it a colorful-dreamy look since Daddy is a visual music band."

Daddy created a music video for every track on their 10-song debut album, as well as an hour-long art film created from portions of each of those music videos, which was also released in 2016.

O'Keefe adds, "[Min Dai] is versatile and able to conceptualize a narrative work while also being able to think abstractly and create a stunning visual work. She brings her sense of passion and her deep love of film to every project she works on."

Earlier in her career Dai produced and directed the film "Meeting Gary" starring Carl Gilliard ("The Mansfield 12," "24"), which earned numerous nominations and screened at film festivals across North America. Taking place in a low-income neighborhood, the film follows a young boy whose dreams of becoming a professional dancer are largely ignored by the adults around him, as they're too busy dealing with their own life struggles.

"I am very interested in projects that open a dialogue, whether it's on a personal level or on the cultural level," explains Dai about the stories she chooses to produce. "I thinking bringing new things to the audience is always a good thing... I'm always interested in socially concerned topics and I'm always ready to contribute to projects that raise questions."

Dai's experience as a producer in China and the U.S. has led her to be a sought after force in the film industry, especially when it comes to collaborations between the two countries. In 2016 she was a lead producer on the family fantasy feature film "The Great Guys" directed by Jin Zhang. Produced by Win China Group and KINGSFILM, "The Great Guys" earned the San Francisco Film Festival's Best New Director and Best New Screenwriter Awards, and was nominated at the San Diego International Kids' Film Festival.

"I was in charge of the overall course of the production including script development, budgeting, filming and post-production. The concept began to evolve in 2014," recalls Dai. "It is a movie made to encourage children to appreciate their inner beauty... We filmed 80 percent of the film in Los Angeles."

Featuring award winning actor Robert Factor from "Lost in China" and actress Leann Lei from "A Children's Song," the Chinese-language film tells the story of a fairy who descends to earth in search of the planet's most gifted child to rescue her fairy tale world from destruction.

"Min Dai has a lot of experience running productions in the U.S., I couldn't have done it without her help," says "The Great Guys" director Jin Zhang. "I have always considered Min a rare talent and a wonderful professional partner. Her talent is a true gem in this industry."

Dai's cultural prowess and skill as a producer also came in handy on the Chinese comedy feature "Detective Chinatown 2," which soared to the top of the box office becoming the third highest grossing film in Chinese film history.

Over the years she has worked as a producer for CCTV China, Zhejiang TV, Mano a Mano Productions, Footprint Worldwide, Weizhen International LLC, Intermix Productions and more. Dai is currently working on several projects for Rollin Studios and Alice Millar's Time Pieces.