Frank Ocean Has Started Filming His Directorial Debut.

      If the four-year interval between Frank Ocean’s first studio album, Channel Orange, and his subsequent releases Endless and Blonde seemed lengthy, it has now been over twice as long since fans have awaited news of another album from the talented artist. We have an important update regarding Ocean's creative endeavors, but instead of a new album, he has commenced work on his directorial debut.

      According to Variety, David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus, Rye Lane) has secured the leading role in Ocean's directorial venture, which Ocean also authored and is currently filming in Mexico City. Although specific plot details remain absent, further investigation indicates that the working title is Philly, and filming actually began in mid-December. Additionally, Ocean was seen shooting footage in Mexico City during the summer. Earlier speculations pointed to A24 and Taylor Russell's involvement in the project, but this has yet to be verified.

      This isn't Ocean's first experience with filmmaking; cinematographer Sam Levy shared with us in 2017, “I was hired by Spike Jonze to tour with him and Frank and produce the live show video. Spike and I both operated on stage with Frank, each using four different cameras. One was an ALEXA, another an Ikonoskop, a discontinued Swedish camera, a MiniDV camera that Spike used for his skate videos and I used for experimental art films, and an infrared camera. For each song, we switched cameras, and everything was mixed live to be displayed on stadium IMAG screens. There was an incredible person mixing it all together. So that tour and live video happened, and I believe Frank and Spike are using the footage for another project. Honestly, I’m not privy to the details of what they are doing. I’m just waiting to learn more myself.”

      While that particular project was never completed, Ocean previously shared a list of his favorite films around the release of Blonde, featuring works by filmmakers such as Andrei Tarkovsky, David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Orson Welles, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jean Cocteau, Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola, Fritz Lang, Werner Herzog, Akira Kurosawa, Ridley Scott, Bernardo Bertolucci, Sergei Eisenstein, F. W. Murnau, Luis Buñuel, and many others. We eagerly anticipate what his debut will bring.

      FRANK OCEAN SHOT A MUSIC VIDEO AT A SCHOOL IN MEXICO CITY YESTERDAY pic.twitter.com/cwqxw6lVaS— you’re listening to blonde (@blondedhomer) August 21, 2024