Connor Pritchard, award-winning Auckland-based music video director, stops by for a run through of his greatest hits.
While our previous editions of Clips spanned a diversity of fields, 22-year-old Connor Pritchard’s work remains fixed on his own niche. A decorated music video director hailing from New Zealand, Connor’s long list of credits seem more suited to someone 20 years his senior. “I’ve been doing this for about 5 years full time now. I started when I would’ve been about 17 or 18 years-old. My first camera when going into music videos would’ve been the Sony A7,” he says.
Within that time, Connor’s worked with some of New Zealand’s best emerging artists, collaborating with hip-hop acts like Raiza Biza and Melodownz. It’s within the gritty aesthetics of hip-hop that Connor’s work flourishes, and he cites the genre as one of his biggest inspirations. “My favourite genre of music is hip hop, so I enjoy directing videos for rap mainly. Urban locations are always my go-to,” Connor says.
‘High Again’ – Rory Noble (dir. Connor Pritchard).
Connor’s showreel, which spotlights his mostly-rapper clients in a variety of inner-city locales, has all the trappings of hip-hop greatness. From graffitied back alleys to the passenger seat of a speedy convertible, Connor’s high-energy shoots makes him somewhat of a hype-man in executing an artists’ vision. “[I enjoy] connecting with fellow creatives, and listening to all sorts of amazing music…I just vibe to the song and see whatever comes from it,” Connor says.
Connor’s work as a music video director has traced him from all corners of the globe, travelling on the road with his touring clients for shows in China and Europe. While he admits that he’s “very quick to say yes” to touring, Connor is equally inspired by his own backyard. “Just driving around and looking out the window, I always see cool locations that would work in videos,” he says.
‘Really Like That’ – WHOSHOTSCOTT (dir. Connor Pritchard).
With such an extensive filmography, Connor has ample choices for his favourite-ever video, but his work with musicians Rory Noble and WHOSHOTSCOTT are two highlights of his career. Connor’s work on Rory’s 2021 track ‘High Again’ saw him traverse the South island in hired van, while his WHOSHOTSCOTT shoot arose during lockdown and was inspired by his experiences on music sets. “[For Rory’s shoot], we drove from Dunedin to Queenstown stopping on the way to capture some of the unreal scenery. The fact that it was all shot on film made it even more exciting,” he says.
“In the lockdown I created a brand called ‘THATS A FKN WRAP’, it basically came from all the video sets I’ve been on. My good mate Zee AKA WHOSHOTSCOTT is a dope artist who I do a lot of creative work with, we met up and shot a quick video as the sun went down.”
For all those highlights and more, peep Connor’s full showreel below, and head here to follow him on Instagram.
