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The Daniels
(aka: Daniel Scheinert)

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The Daniels (Creator)
Scheinert on the left, Kwan on the right.

Daniel Kwan (關家永; born February 10, 1988) and Daniel Scheinert (born June 7, 1987), known collectively as "Daniels" (or "the Daniels"), are a duo of American filmmakers.

The two met as film students at Emerson College. While both had worked individually in making short films, they began making shorts together in 2009, and later started directing music videos in 2010. They found their niche directing for Indie Rock artists such as Foster the People, Tenacious D, The Shins and Battles, but many point to the massive viral success of their 2014 video for DJ Snake and Lil' Jon's "Turn Down For What" (viewed over 1 billion times) as their mainstream breakthrough.

The Daniels transitioned into film and television in 2016, making their feature film debut as writers and directors with Swiss Army Man. They went on to direct episodes for various shows, including Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, Legion (2017), and On Becoming a God in Central Florida; Scheinert also directed his first solo feature, titled The Death of Dick Long and released in 2019.

The Daniels' second film was announced in 2017. The film was eventually released in 2022 as Everything Everywhere All at Once and went on to gross over $141 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of its distributor A24 (a record previously set by Hereditary). The film is currently estimated to be the single most awarded film of all time, and won a leading seven awards out of a leading 11 nominations at the 95th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Among the wins were Best Director and Best Original Screenplay specifically for the Daniels, making them only the third duo in history to win the former awardnote .

Later in 2022, news broke of the Daniels signing a first-look TV deal with A24 as well as a five-year film deal with Universal Pictures.

Kwan is married to fellow filmmaker and animator Kirsten Lepore (Adventure Time, I Am Groot) and the two have one son. He is also known for co-founding the group We Direct Music Videos (W.D.M.V.) in 2018; the group is described as "a global community of music video directors who are committed to sustainable directorial labor practices".


Filmography:

FilmsTelevisionNotable music videos

Tropes associated With Daniels and their work:

  • Black Comedy: They love pointing out the absurdity of the usually surreal and dangerous situations they put their characters in.
  • Breakthrough Hit: While they earned attention and success for their music videos, particularly their Grammy Award nominated work with Foster The People, the video for DJ Snake's club anthem "Turn Down For What" is what made studio execs really take notice of them. The combination of deft filmmaking ability and flat out weirdness captivated audiences worldwide, helping the song become a international hit.
  • Genre Blending: None of their films can be categorized as one thing. Swiss Army Man and especially Everything Everywhere All At Once contains elements of damn near every genre ever invented.
  • Genre Deconstruction: Especially in Everything Everywhere All At Once, which also goes into Deconstructive Parody territory.
  • Postmodernism
  • Production Posse: Producer Jonathan Wang, cinematographer Larkin Sieple and editor Paul Rogers have worked very closely with the duo.
  • Scenery Porn: Their projects have a distinct visual splendor, despite their DIY aesthetics.
  • Signature Style: Extremely absurdist genre bending storytelling. They combines character driven narratives, experimentation, forward-thinking filmmaking, and a unique mixture of humor, heart, and depth.
  • Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: As darkly in-depth and absurdist as their films get, there is a strong sense of beauty, optimism, and an appreciation for the experience of life in their works.
  • Surreal Music Video: Every single one of them. It's hard to choose which one takes the cake.

Alternative Title(s): Daniels, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

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