I love music videos.
Obviously. Its such a wonderful medium to work in. I love collaborating and adding additional dimensions to artists and songs. And you can go as far out as you want. Sky's the limit. I genuinely feel I was meant to spend my life doing this.
However, it pisses me off that most artists/labels are paying people for boring, BORING videos.
These are my biggest pet peeves:
1. Doing a "Home Sweet Home" Video when you're not Motley Crue.
You know what I mean. Indie bands, some only being together a few months and releasing a "music video" of tour footage, backstage antics, live clips, etc. NOBODY CARES!
2. Performance videos with no bigger picture.
Yawn. You might as well have a still of the band with the song playing.
3. Over-animation--All style, no substance, no SOUL.
It seems ever since Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", everybody's jumping on the fancy animation tip. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I can't stand it when they get so wrapped up in the animation, its void of any concept or story. The term "well-polished turd" comes to mind.
4. Performance/story/performance/story/performance/story.... (especially when they don't even connect)
This formula has been used in music videos since day one. Its OVER. Maybe in 20 years it'll be retro and you can go back to it.
Anyway, lets end on a high note. This is what's inspiring me right now...
and of course, this
However, it pisses me off that most artists/labels are paying people for boring, BORING videos.
These are my biggest pet peeves:
1. Doing a "Home Sweet Home" Video when you're not Motley Crue.
You know what I mean. Indie bands, some only being together a few months and releasing a "music video" of tour footage, backstage antics, live clips, etc. NOBODY CARES!
2. Performance videos with no bigger picture.
Yawn. You might as well have a still of the band with the song playing.
3. Over-animation--All style, no substance, no SOUL.
It seems ever since Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", everybody's jumping on the fancy animation tip. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I can't stand it when they get so wrapped up in the animation, its void of any concept or story. The term "well-polished turd" comes to mind.
4. Performance/story/performance/story/performance/story.... (especially when they don't even connect)
This formula has been used in music videos since day one. Its OVER. Maybe in 20 years it'll be retro and you can go back to it.
Anyway, lets end on a high note. This is what's inspiring me right now...
and of course, this
posted by BAM! at
12/12/2007 01:54:00 PM
3 Comments:
we need more montage mahal in our mtv.
i do like animation, though, especially when it's done well.
#1 & 2 come about as a path-of-least-resistance fulfillment of an industry obligation. #3 seems like a way for the band to have something "cool" while not having to be directly involved. #4 is a desire to create something hearkening back to the MTV golden era, i guess. Codified, but accessible, and i personally have no problem with this device, though i can see why you would.
It's not that indie (unsigned) bands don't necessarily want videos, it's that they don't want to have to do any of the work, beyond approving the result. Most view a video - rightly or wrongly - as a professional demand akin to photos, bios and press clippings; one demanding a lot of face time too, in many cases. A high impact one, yes, but it's still not "the music", and thus is typically considered (by the bands) superfluous to their whole operation. Obviously, a video can contextualize and sensationalize a band in ways that a written bio certainly can't. It's just that, speaking as a guy who's been in bands his whole adult life, anything beyond recording and performing music is ultimately, collectively considered a hassle, no matter how good it turns out.
That you can avoid tropes 1-4 while navigating the fickle, unappreciative nature of most bands is a skill as valuable as anything that goes on thru the lens.
duch- i love good animation too (see the link I posted), but no matter how great it is, it doesn't hold my attention if there's no concept... And I think music videos ARE montages (sequences set to music) peeps just do more than try on different hats!
JC- If you're gonna do golden era MTV, give me dialog front & mid song ala "Love is a Battlefield." Me and Dave were discussing this last night. Stay tuned....
Thanks for the enlightenment on everything else though. I never really thought about the fact many bands just don't want to be bothered.
I also realized I'm spoiled. My first paid gig was with an uber-enthusiastic band with my total sense of humor who spewed love and compliments at me through the whole process and still remain some of my closest friends today. That was 5 years ago and I'm still learning that rarely (if never) happens.
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