We were lucky to catch up with Clément Oberto recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Clément, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve had the chance to work on so far is a music video for Gary Clark Jr. named ‘Pearl Cadillac’.

The song is about saying thank you for all the love he received from his mother and finding a way to make her proud. It especially resonnated with me because at the time I received the song I was journaling about the exact same topic. So the timing of it combined with the chance to expend that desire into a project was really impactful.

On top of that the song was great and all the people involved too. Gary of course, but also Devin Sarno who commissioned the video, the production team Boris Labourguigne and Roger Mayer and our incredible cinematographer Ernesto Lomeli who helped us shoot the video on 35mm black and white film.

It was also the first time I could experiment the old technique of rear-projecting plates of the road next to the picture car in studio. That was a lot of fun and the project came together really nicely.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Clément Oberto, I’m a French film, music video and commercial director who lives in Los Angeles. I write, direct, edit and sometimes produce – mostly short forms.

I came to this after realizing how this job allows to creatively explore different topics for your entire life. While working closely with many different sides of the art – such as writing and music – you can gather passionated people to create about whatever your mind is obsessed with. It seemed like the perfect path for me. Never boring + team work + creative = let’s go.

So I went to school for it in south of France, then to another one in Paris and quickly started to work in the fashion world. Directing commercials and editorials for brands and magazines, along with doing my firsts shorts films, art films and music videos. It was pretty fascinating to learn and grow. After 8 years I produced and directed a visual short film called ‘Matin Lunaire’, which got good press and a few awards. That project helped me to be signed with a production company in Paris and a few months later with RSA Films in Los Angeles. I then packed my suitcase for a new adventure.

In Los Angeles I worked for incredible artists and brands – such as Chanel Group, Chaumet, Lancôme, Christina Aguilera and Gary Clark Jr – directed art films for both public and prive exhibitions and co-created a film festival called ‘Creative Film Awards’ which awards some of the best projects in terms of music videos, commercials and short films. I’m also in the early stages of developping my first feature film, which is about sounds, my dearest passion.

Over the years my style has been described as metaphorical, with a special sense of colors and beauty. I think I care about the aesthetic, and to convey meaning without being too upfront. I think this is where resides poetry. To leave room for the audience, for them to project their own thoughts, while guiding them through the journey.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Like everyone, I had to face a woldwide pandemic. When it happened I was having my momentum, booking cool jobs left and right and getting excited about new perspectives. Then it started, and I lost everything I was building. My savings, my new jobs to come, my momentum and my mental health…

As a director there was no job whatsoever, and as a foreigner on a visa, there was no financial help available. Plus I couldn’t leave the country without then being stuck in France, without the possibility to come back. It was a tough situation.

I wondered about going back to be with my family. Maybe give up on the dream of succeeding in LA. Why stay when I have no work and no clear timeline of how long this will go on?

In the end, I decided to stay and see it through. I moved a few times to find cheap places to live… ended in a warehouse in the art district where I could stay for 2 month for $250 / months. Took small jobs as a photographer, which was something I always refused before then (thinking a proper photographer would do a better job than me). Then in the middle of it all I booked a job for Christina Aguilera, for Good Morning America and Disney. It was the biggest star I worked with and all happened over the course of 5 days, from the moment I heard about it, to the moment it was on Time Square and on TV.

It felt rewarding. Almost as if I received a message saying: no matter how hard it is, never give up.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I’m obsessed with sounds and the way they connect us all. This is the main topic of my feature film script in development. Generally speaking I like the idea that art can bring down barriers and pave the way to a more universal world. When someone resonnates with something I do and it brings that person a sense of belonging, or make them feel less alone, then I feel like I suceeded. I know deep down that if you listen you’re not alone anymore and that’s something I care to share with as many people as I can. We are all connected at all time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.clementoberto.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/clement_oberto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/helloclement/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/clementoberto
• Twitter: twitter.com/clementoberto
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@clementoberto1244/featured
• Other: www.imdb.com/name/nm2826099/

Image Credits
Roch Armando, Pierre Ae