So, I was hanging with my dog last night and we were watching music videos on YouTube. (Well, I was watching them and my dog was getting an intense back rub, but same difference right? Anyways...) I started thinking about what, in my opinion, makes a good video. Which ones do I keep going back too? What is it about them that draws me in? I came up with some examples, so let me know what you think.
Closer by Ne-Yo: To start, this song is well composed. It's catchy and it has a dance beat - two things I love. But what really draws me to this video is it's simplicity: The focus is on the singer and this woman who's bewitched him - unlike lots of other videos (some by Mr. Ne-Yo himself) that have the performer surrounded by booty short clad females, this truly focuses on the single relationship the song is about. Even in the one scene where he does have an overabundance of female attention, there's the symbolism of him pushing them away. The effects are used to enhance the video instead of make it - the the use of text draws attention to the lyrics themselves making it more about the song than anything else, and the true effects - like the light wall and the slight strobe effect - are used only when necessary to match the intensity of the song. The use of color is also a very big part of this video - or should I say, lack of? Almost all of the scenes without the main female are monochromatic - driving home the point that she's something more than the rest of them, at least in the performer's eyes. If I had to choose my favorite aspect of this video? It would definitely be the text - I've never seen anything like that before, and I love how it drives the focus of the video.
Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie: I'm not normally drawn to the folksy sound of this song, but I was so impressed with the visuals the first time I saw this that I've come to love it. The sort of stop animation feel kinda freaked me out at first, but I think it lends itself well to the "dream sequence" idea behind the set. I love the use of the everyday objects to create a set of sorts, filled with recognizable everyday things (I especially loved the train and the fish). Surprisingly, the child-like make-believe elements actually add to the authenticity of the set itself while still being somewhat lighthearted and fun. And again, I'm a big fan of simplicity in videos - the song should be able to stand on it's own and a video should enhance what's already wonderful about it.
Save the World by Swedish House Mafia: While this might not be say, film festival worthy, it's a lot of fun and it has a great message. I do want to know what happened to the woman's friend - the one in the red dress? If your friend got mugged won't you be a little more ... active? Or a least PRESENT? Anyways, I think the song is wonderful - we need more messages like this is music in general. A little heavy on the special effects in parts, but I'm willing to overlook it's faults for puppies. Everything is better with puppies. Especially a bad ass corgi and bull dog team. (Maybe I just like the idea of a herd of dogs coming to my rescue?)
First, great article. Love music videos, love established and arguable opinions(in that you make a case for yours while leaving room for others to voice), and as usual, you deliver. And, as opposed to my last comment on a music video post, I agree with every example here. Closer, as a video, is the closest Ne-Yo will ever come to making a Micheal Jackson video, and, as such, it's very clean, polished, and shows off the fact that Ne-Yo can dance without having booty gyrations at eye level. So, yeah, it's probably the best video he's ever done.
ReplyDeleteHer Morning Elegance is weird to watch the first few times, but I also really liked the visual style, although, even after repeated viewings, I just can't get to truly liking the song itself. But that's probably just me.
Save The World- hadn't even heard of the song, or the band for that matter, before this. I really like the song, and the video is awesome. That corgi and bulldog do make a good team, and I'm all for puppies and cute dogs straight up killing fools when those are a-holes. But no mention of the fact that all the dogs are obviously part of some covert ops team lead by... a Shar-Pei? And what would that group be called? G.I. Alpo? The K-9 Korps? or maybe this is a gritty re-imagining of what the Pound Puppies would become, several years later. Now that I have completely derailed this comment with inane nerd nonsense, I'll shut up.
Glad you liked it! Surprisingly I like a lot of Ne-Yo's music, but his videos tend to be a bit...busy? There's always a whole bunch going on so you can focus on anything, and he's not afraid to have some girls showin' skin.
ReplyDeleteIt took a while for Elegance to grown on me, but I don't think I'd listen to it outside the video either. Does that make since?
As far as the ops team, I'm not sure what that dog is unless he's a giant Shar-Pei? But I could totally get behind a trained K-9 team like that. Though I'm not sure I'd put the husky in human relations and the puppies in road block control.