In a crusty desert roadhouse, men and women including L.A.’s Haim sisters do a seductive, choreographed dance, vying for attention. A synth-pop melody by the Montreal-based electro-funk duo Chromeo sets the tone. A love fest seems imminent. Then in walks Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite fame, and a raucous bar fight ensues.
The music video for Chromeo’s “Old 45’s” off their 2014 White Women album has gotten strong play online, and was directed by Carmel Valley’s own Dugan O’Neal. O’Neal has been making a name for himself in Los Angeles as a writer, director and actor in recent years, having directed music videos for the likes of TV on the Radio, Haim and Duck Sauce, among other groups worth checking out.
O’Neal’s family touts some major players in the local – and national – art scene. His grandfather Frank O’Neal was the cartoonist who made “Short Ribs,” a nationally syndicated comic strip, from 1958-73. His mother, Mollie O’Neal, is a dancer and owns a photography business; his father, Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal, is a photographer who came to fame in the 1960s shooting album covers and concerts for the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Steppenwolf.
O’Neal, 32, was the emcee at a black-tie fundraiser on Dec. 5 for the Chartwell School, which he attended from 1990-92. The Weekly met up with O’Neal while he was in town to talk about his inspiration and ambitions.
Weekly: How did you get into film?
O’Neal: I didn’t go to school for film. I dropped out of Arizona State after a couple years and moved to L.A. and started working on film sets. That’s where I learned everything about how a set works. I started a blog where I was making a new short film every week, just to force myself to make stuff and try new ideas. An agent saw a few of my videos and brought me on board.
MTV hasn’t played a music video for a decade or so. Is the age of the music video over?
Definitely not. The Internet brought it back. It’s become more of a fun and creative platform for directors. I think music videos are the best way for a director to do something creative and get it seen, and there’s a lot of great stuff being made.
Which directors inspired you to get into the business?
Spike Jonze, Jonathan Glazer and Michel Gondry. The 1990s was the height of the music video, and they had tons of money to work with. I’ve always wanted to make movies and I saw those guys were able to do all this creative stuff, and they eventually went on to do movies. Those guys were definitely an influence, big time.
Do you have plans to tackle feature-length projects?
Definitely. I’m working on a TV idea that’s almost ready. I’m also collaborating with a few different writers to get a movie off the ground. Nowadays there are just too many platforms to only do one thing.
I really like short films because they give instant gratification. I can wake up with an idea, go shoot it, then edit it. With a movie, you have to dedicate years of your life to one thing.
You incorporate a lot of camp appeal in your work with 1990s-era talk shows and infomercials. What’s that aesthetic about for you?
I think it’s personal taste. I think it’s important to make what you’re most excited about, what you think is funny and beautiful. I love taking really absurd worlds and giving them a grounded emotion. Taking something campy like an ’80s Road House thing, then giving it a different spin. For the Haim video, I used a talkshow.
What brings you back to help raise money for Chartwell?
It was a big part of my development. When I was in third grade, I was one of the only kids who couldn’t read at my public school in Carmel Valley. My parents took me out of school and sent me to Chartwell for two years. I think I would have had a much different trajectory if I didn’t have a school like Chartwell. It would have changed things in a big way, even just having confidence. When you’re a kid, you just want to blend in with everyone. When you’re the only one in your whole class of 30 kids who can’t read, it’s tough.