This is the sea of Jules Verne as conceived by a visual artist: vibrant blue paper cut-out waves ripple and crash. Vultures keep an ominous eye on the artist as he tumbles in the sea and floats on his red striped bed. Men in diving bells guide the singer. They take up ancient instruments: a rickety piano, a snare drum, a slide guitar, a big marching band bass drum, and play along with the music. Bringing together his old friends from college and a new team of filmmakers from USC, Raúl and his crew create a stirring dream perfectly captured.

This beautiful vision is one of many reasons why The Masses is honored to welcome Raúl B Fernández into our world as a director. His appreciation of narrative, coupled with his eye for cinematography, will add yet another sparkle into our kaleidoscopic world.

Raúl, who was born in Buenos Aires and grew up somewhere between Chicago, Costa Rica and Florida, got his Bachelor of Arts from Florida State University, then relocated to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, where he completed an MFA in Film Production. He has received the Charles B Lang Award for Merit in Cinematography and has been honored for his commercial work by Coca-Cola and Nestle, among others.

But we’re drawn to Raúl’s work not because of its pedigree, but for his vision. Take his wildly popular video for Kate Micucci’s “Dear Deer.” With humor, grace and a lot of cuteness, the short follows the singer, perhaps best known as part of the comedy/musical duo Garfunkel and Oates, as she (too) wanders in the woods, where she comes across a deer – in actuality a little boy dressed in a deer costume. We follow the action as the singer tries to protect the critter from being shot by a hunter, to a tragic – and, yes, adorable – end.

Raúl’s first video for The Masses is for San Francisco band Port O’Brien, and it illustrates why we’re so excited to have him on board. Shot in a Los Angeles gymnasium with a girls’ double-dutch squad, the video moves around the space with images of faces, feet, jump rope and Port O’Brien watching from the bleachers, playing music while the girls bounce and play. The piece captures joy, energy and rhythm in shot after magnificently crafted shot.

Watch his videos and you’ll better understand why we invited Raúl into our world: We want to be around that joy, energy and rhythm all the time.

Click here to view Raúl’s work

The director’s current project, an interactive video for New York band Au Revoir Simone, is his most ambitious, and maybe best illustrates Stonberg’s vision. It’s for the gorgeous song, “Knight of Wands,” and, when completed, the video will allow viewers to create a handmade, personal clip from the tools that Stonberg and crew have designedHe met Au Revoir Simone after they cut him off in traffic on Hollywood Boulevard. The women smiled and said “Sorry, We’re not from here!” Stonberg waved them in and forgave them — how could he not? Coincidentally (or fatefully), fifteen minutes later they all found themselves at the same party, and soon they were talking videos.

He mentioned a few projects he’d done for Passion Pit and Rio En Medio, and the behind-the-scenes footage he’d shot during the filming of Bjork’s landmark “Wanderlust” video. The resulting short from the Bjork project premiered at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles in the spring of 2008, and his footage was also used in a front page New York Times video story. Stonberg’s unreleased video for Passion Pit’s “Sleepyhead” was shot during the band’s infancy and may just be the best video that you’ll never get to see.

Stonberg moved to Los Angeles last year, and has become enmeshed in the spirit of the Masses. He recently made the intro title sequence for our friends at Dublab, a short about astral projection that features an ascending, free floating spirit, multi-colored cloud bursts and the hot sounds of Dan Deacon. The video was the intro to Dublab’s Labrat Matinee VI screening at the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles. He’s also recently released a kaleidoscopic clip for L.A.-based electronic composer Daedalus. That one includes monocles, binoculars, eyeglasses, telescopes, pretty swirling colors, and the always engaging Daedalus poking away on his monome.

The clip for Rio en Medio’s “The Umbrella,” which premiered on Pitchfork.tv in the fall of 2008, is notable for, among many things, what we believe to be the only video ever to be told from the point of view of a moth. We follow the alien creature as is drifts through desert landscapes while Danielle Stech-Homsy sings her song.

Combined, Eli’s work offers a glimpse inside the imagination of someone who seems tailor-made to enter the Masses. We can’t wait to see where this leads.

View Eli’s work HERE