Bradley Beesley

Bradley Beesley is an American independent film and video director, producer and cinematographer. He has long been associated with the alternative music band, The Flaming Lips.

Beesley first worked with The Flaming Lips filming some promotional videos for the band's album Hit to Death in the Future Head [ [http://www.fearlessfreaks.com/history.htm Wayne Coyne gives a brief history of Brad Beesley's work with The Flaming Lips] ] . Most of Beesley's video work with the band is included on the VOID video retrospective.

Aside from his work with The Flaming Lips, Beesley has directed a number of award-winning documentaries. His first was 1999's "Hill Stomp Hollar", a one-hour film about the Fat Possum record label and many of the blues artists, particularly R. L. Burnside.

Beesley's next film focused on the unusual practice of catching catfish using only the bare hand as bait. The 2001 film, "Okie Noodling" featured an original soundtrack by The Flaming Lips, and won many awards, including the Audience Choice Award and was runner-up for Best Documentary at the 2001 South by Southwest film festival. [ [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A81138 Austin Chronicle review of "Okie Noodling" from the South by Southwest festival] ] .

In 2005, Beesley released , a documentary about The Flaming Lips. The film was lauded by critics for offering an unusually personal and intimate view into the band. [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/2005/05/25/movies/25frea.html?_r=1&oref=slogin New York Times review of "The Fearless Freaks"] ] [ [http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0521,lim,64229,20.html Village Voice review of "The Fearless Freaks"] ]

The Flaming Lips also provided the soundtrack for the documentary that Beesley produced and co-directed, "Summercamp!", which opened on July 18 2007. [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/44229-flaming-lips-scored-isummercampi-film-hits-theaters Pitchfork article on "Summercamp!" that focuses on The Flaming Lips' involvement] ]

Filmography

* "Christmas on Mars" (2008) - Cinematographer and narrator
* "Summercamp!" (2007) - Producer and co-director (with Sarah Price)
* "" - Co-director
* "Roller Girls" (2006) - Co-director (with Dan Brown, Tina Gazzerro, and Mark Miks
* "The Fearless Freaks" (2005) - Director
* "Okie Noodling" (2001) - Producer and director
* "Hill Stomp Hollar" (1999) - Director

Videography

* The Flaming Lips: "Frogs" (1992) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Turn It On" (1993) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "She Don't Use Jelly" (1993) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Be My Head" (1994) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Christmas at the Zoo" (1995) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Bad Days" (1995) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "When You Smile" (1995) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Waitin' for a Superman" (1999) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Race for the Prize" (1999) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Do You Realize??" (2002) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, pt. 1" (2002) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Fight Test" (2002) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* Biffy Clyro: "My Recovery Injection" (2003)
* Biffy Clyro: "Questions and Answers" (2004)
* The Flaming Lips: "SpongeBob & Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" (2004) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "Mr. Ambulance Driver" (2004) - Co-directed with Wayne Coyne
* The Flaming Lips: "The W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat)" (2006)
* Mojave 3: "Breaking the Ice" (2006)

References

External links

* [http://econoculture.com/m/index.php?Itemid=1&id=38&option=com_content&task=view Interview with Brad Beesley in EconoCulture]
* [http://www.bradleybeesley.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/summer2001/features/25_faces11-15.php Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film"]
* [http://www.fearlessfreaks.com/ Official website for "The Fearless Freaks"]