This document provides summaries of and opinions on several music videos and their directors. It discusses how Gondry and Cunningham create visually inventive but sometimes loosely connected music videos. It also summarizes specific music videos like McCartney's "Dance Tonight" and Wyclef Jean's "Another One Bites the Dust", praising their storylines but finding other videos like Madonna's "Frozen" confusing and detached from the song.
1. MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTORY
These two directors visualize what they see, whether it being
from dream or just a quick thought that has come to mind.
They first listen to the song and then portray it, from what
they have heard to what they want out of it.
The artists personally ask for the directors for the work that
they have seen in other music videos and expect the directors
to have all the in put and the artist not to have any. As usually
artist have a say as to what they want to do or what they want
in the music video.
2. MICHEL GONDRY
An Academy Award-winning French filmmaker, whose
works include being a commercial director, music
video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his
inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en
scène.
3. PAUL MCCARTNEY
DANCE TONIGHT
This music video was quite fun and uplifting. You see
creativity with the ghosts in the video running around the
house. The appearance of the artist has not changed, more
like himself. The music video is both performance and
narrative based. In the beginning you are shown how the
instrument is taken to McCartney, then as the instrument is
taken out and McCartney is playing it, he sings in front of the
camera, not all the time but he is acknowledging that there is
one there. I did not however grasp what the connection was
with the lyrics and visuals. As they were ghosts and the song
was about coming round and dancing although no one was.
The music video overall was interesting but there were some
lose connections.
5. WYCLEF JEAN
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
This music video had a lot of colour within it. The appearance
of the artist was unusual being a security guard, which told
me that there was going to be some kind of storyline behind
the music video. With it being performance based you are
taken along on a journey. With the whole music video there is
actually a connection. As the artist in the video is trying to get
the statue of the lead singer Freddie Mercury of the rock
group ‘Queen’. As this song is Queen’s originally, Wyclef has
done his own version of the song and has turned it into a rap.
As he is trying to get ‘Freddie Mercury’ back at the end it is
funny as they associate him with the queen of England.
7. MICHEL GONDRY OPINION
Gondry’s music videos vary as one a few of them connect with
the lyrics and the story behind the song. Although there are
some that don’t. I do appreciate he is very creative and
clever, which he showed in the Wyclef music video.
9. MADONNA
FROZEN
The way that this music video has be presented is with a lot of
dark colours, such as grey and black. It is creative as there
are doubles within the music videos. The appearance of the
artist is gloomy and mysterious, a dif ferent side to the artist
that you wouldn’t be used to and not quite understand. The
music video was performance based as the artist was singing
to the camera, with a few special ef fects. The lyrics and
visuals did not relate at all, it was very detached and unusual.
It left me trying to find a bit of understanding, but I was left
quite lost.
11. APHEX T WIN
COME TO DADDY
With this music video it was again quite dark and gloomy.
There was parts of creativity placed into the video, with the
over size none human figure that was screaming at the old
woman. The appearance from the people within the video
were frightening and unreal, apart from the old woman. This
song would narrative based, although I was n ot sure what
Cunningham was trying to show. This music video did not have
much substance to it and was more like a horror/thriller film
than a music video. Making me not want to continue watching
anymore.
13. CHRIS CUNNINGHAM OPINION
Watching both of Cunningham's music video, I found they
were very gloomy and dark. There was great special ef fects
but the song and lyrics did not go together. It is not all the
time that they have to, although there was not any part that
linked into the song in anyway. It’s as though the music video
is meant for another song but the right song couldn’t be found
and a random one was picked. With artists such as Madonna
trying to target a dif ferent audience will revert her current
audience from listening to her as she has changed so
drastically and you can not understand the meaning of the
music video. If you are not understanding what is going on in
a music video you will turn to another one that makes a bit
more sense.