Mr. Putin [Music Video]

"Vladimir Vladimirovich, Mr. Putin."

Six months into this "War of Attrition" and one can see the American Attention Span reflected in the shrinking headlines. Well, gas is still over $2.50 a gallon. Never mind why. Hope that Zaporizhzhia thing works out and all. And at least some grain is getting shipped. Lots of good Ukraine weapons videos on YouTube for the war obsessed. It's difficult to process this madness. But one thing seems clear, it's the work of one man. Our newest war criminal. Vladimir Vladimirovich, Mr. Putin.

  • Craig Trumbo
    Director
  • Craig Trumbo
    Writer
  • Craig Trumbo
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Music Video
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 9 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 8, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Prague International
    Prague
    Czech Republic
    April 20, 2023
    First Time Director
  • Festival Angaelica
    Pasadena, CA
    United States
    March 31, 2023
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • VuJa de Industries
    Distributor
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Craig Trumbo

Craig Trumbo operates VuJa de Industries, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. In addition to woodworking enterprises in the visual arts, he writes and produces music videos and short films addressing today's pressing social and political issues. Recent projects have included material on climate change, gun violence, and the war against Ukraine. He also composes and plays all musical parts in his films.

Additional works can be seen on his YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRetch

Regarding his pathway to this point, Trumbo offered some insight.

"It was actually a bit of a segue, beginning to create original music and accompanying videos, and eventually dramatic shorts. After all, the band folded during the pandemic. While my base motivation may have been to simply maintain some creative outlet, one must first have something to say before bringing pen to paper, lens to CCD. My passions for the environment and social justice therein found an outlet. This collided with my professional background in photography and more recent efforts in music and production. And having worked, studied, and taught in journalism for some 25 years left me a hopeless news addict. So, to quote Chrissie Hynde:

"The phone, the TV and the news of the world got in the house like a pigeon from hell"

Stay tuned, more to come . . .

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I've been doing a bit of a dive into protest music lately, going back to the greats. It's turned into a writing project and Putin's invasion of Ukraine was an unavoidable topic. Rather a jarring development. Just when you thought the pandemic might one day be over and we could get back to freaking out about climate change ... a war in Europe. Part of the development of this piece involved doing some backgrounding on Putin's history. This has been in the works for a while. The Law of Unintended Consequences will likely have the last word.

Conceptually this piece was visually composed to illustrate Putin's history of brutality and to contrast the military strength of Ukraine vs. Russia. From pol Pot to Putin, Molotov Cocktails vs. tanks. The music was composed in what might be called a brutalist tradition.