JUNKFILM

A little while back, I think all the way back last week, I mentioned the commercial as the new film director’s way of staying in the eyes of audiences by producing quick and powerful ads. Of course, the Brett Ratner commercial was god-fucking-awful with that garbage Guitar Hero tripe… but the David Fincher football commercial and Spielberg’s “Don’t Vote 2″ were both amazing…and, like I mentioned before, the BMW short films were breath-taking…

But what about the realm of music videos? I read an article over at The Shiznit, a really good site for things cool, which discusses the top 10 music videos by film directors, which got me thinking about the quick-to-view type of filming. Typically known in the art world as a film-school-failure, the music video artist has a tremendous amount of power in their little film set to a soundtrack of one song. Some music videos are so amazing they are parts of a communal society (ie most of Michael Jackson’s videos and the cliche of every typical radio rap video). While some…(shaking me head)…and painfully, uh…thinking of a better word…while others are painful shit.

There. Poetic.

While commercials have a much wider range of audience, the music video has a more centralized and specific viewership that feels a kinship and attraction to not only the band the music video is made for, but unbeknown to the watcher, the director as well.
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Sofia Coppola
The White Stripes - “I just don’t know what to do with myself”
2003

Director best known for:
Marie Antoinette, Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation

Band best known for:
A hottie, weird chick and her older brother…and a better known video using legos.

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Garth Jennings
Blur - “Coffee & TV”
1999

Director best known for:
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Son of Ranbow

Band best known for:
The main vocals from Gorillaz and that song named Song No. 2 that is really catchy.

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Gus Van Sant
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Under the Bridge”
1992

Director best known for:
My Own Private Idaho, (the remake of) Psycho, Goodwill Hunting

Band best known for:
Flea. Socks.

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Martin Scorsese
Michael Jackson - “Bad”
1987

Director best known for:
Casino, Good Fellas, Gangs of New York

Band best known for:
America being the only country where a poor black boy can grow up to be a rich white woman.

The rest of the video.

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John Landis
Michael Jackson - “Thriller”
1983

Director best known for:
Blues Brothers, Coming to America, Animal House, American Werewolf in London

Band best known for:
The creator of a new verb: baby-dangling.

Thriller Music Video …sorry, everyone has the vid disabled from embedding.

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Join us tomorrow for an additional posting of Director’s Music Videos and my final thoughts on music videos as art. Yay.