Video Killed The Radio Star

During the week I have been introduced to a new Facebook video viral, with more friends than I would like to mention sharing the link with me and telling me how amazing it was. OK GO have a history of showcasing songs with very inspiring videos and are previously known for their choreographed dancing on treadmills in the video for ‘Here it goes again’. This got me thinking about other One Shot video's and what it takes to set these up. It seems like it should be easy without a schedule of filming, action & cutting, but it is the opposite and the preparation is intense. On something as complex as the recent video ‘This Too Shall Pass’ it is a one-time thing only. Of course parts have been rehearsed but the visual stimulation is in enhanced by the feeling that this is the first time anyone, even the cameraman, has seen this as a complete performance.

Looking at other examples I came across Feist ‘1, 2, 3, 4’ which I admit has always stopped me and hypnotise me to the TV screen whenever it comes on. I think the colours draw you in initially but then the dancing, while it is not perfect, is fun to watch and everyone seems to be having so much fun within those 3-4 minutes. Without doubt I think this song would not have had as much airtime if it wasn’t for the video.

Then there are the video’s by Michel Gondry who is infamous for his unique approach to shooting music videos. One in particular is The White Stripes- The Denial Twist. The tricky that is played on your eyes is intense and also admittedly slightly disturbing. You find yourself shifting in your perspective, not understanding the connection that scenes have, however this is a one-time shoot too. No cuts and not edited together, it is camera, prop and actor trickery. I think the video is amazing and a short glimpse into the abilities of Gondry and the genius work he creates.

The job of a music video is to create visuals as a backdrop for the music, it is about satisfying our visual sense while the music is stimulating our hearing. The two have to work in harmony and bounce off each other. I think we all have music videos which stick in our minds, some more recently and those that we still remember from 5, 10 or even 15 years back. The impact a video has on the success of how a song is perceived is huge. However don’t think that huge budgets are the only way to make a creative video. I will leave you with ‘The Get Out Clause’ who went around Manchester, England playing in front of 80 CCTV camera’s and using the UK Freedom of Information Act to then have the video footage released to them, simply done and on editing all this footage they had then created a very unique and inspiring video.