IU alumnus making music videos in Hollywood

In the spring of 2004, Brent Woodall walked away from IU with a degree in fine arts and stepped into what many college students nervously refer to as "the real world." Two years later, he is well on the way to living his dream of directing and producing music videos. \nCurrently working in the Los Angeles area as a freelance set dresser for music videos, Woodall said he "get(s) down and dirty" in his fabrication of scenery, sets, props and making the ideas and artistic notions of his employers tangible. \nIn the past, he has contributed to projects for such big names as Elton John and Bow Wow. \nHe is finishing work on the "American Idol" set and is anticipating beginning his music video directorial debut for the Bloomington-born group "The Swell" this summer. \nJohn West, Woodall's longtime friend and lead singer of "The Swell," for whom Woodall has designed both promotional materials and CD cover art, has been a witness to his creativity and talent. \nAfter years of collaboration with him, West noted the uniqueness of Woodall's ability to "take sound and turn it into something visual."\nOriginally intending to graduate from IU as a music major, Woodall found himself drawn to the thriving Bloomington visual arts scene and the School of Fine Arts. Soon after, he switched his major to studio art. In his years there, Woodall both designed his own works and collaborated with others on the fabrication of installation sculptures, many of them including both sculptural and video elements. \n"I am constantly using skills I picked up while I was in school," Woodall said. \nDuring his career as a Hoosier, he developed a style of his own, which his former professor and mentor Arthur Liou described as distinctively "glossy and industrial-looking." \nIn Liou's opinion, Woodall has always been practical and foresighted as far as artistic and career goals, and he constantly maintains a positive attitude toward growing both artistically and personally. \n"He sees himself as a work in progress," Liou said. "In this industry, a lot of people fail because they are impatient and their hearts are not there. He will never give up."\nIn addition to his studio art major, Woodall minored in comparative literature, and from the combination of his narrative ability, visual expression and understanding of music, he has found the perfect synthesis of all of the areas of art that he loves. \nAs for the future, Liou is certain that Woodall will continue doing what he loves, but that he will soon break into the musical mainstream and be able to transform musical ideas into art on a much larger scale as a director of music videos. \nWest concurs. He is confident that in the future, Woodall will be "running the show." As for Woodall himself, he remains optimistic, looking forward to the chance to mature artistically and open to the endless possibilities and opportunities that lie before him. \n"I'm just beginning," he said. "It's all about taking a leap of faith and going out there and just doing it"