Question: Videos copying movies
How many videos can you think of that borrow their plots from old film school staples. There seems to be a fuzzy line for what passes as respectable. For example everyone seems to love Tonight Tonight, right? But last week everyone jumped all over the new Garbage video.
What are the best/worst mv movie knockoffs that you can think of and why?
Some examples: <a href=youtube.com>Audioslave - Show Me How to Live Dir. AV Club (Vanishing Point) Amerie - Take Control Dir. Scott Franklin (Blow-Up) <a href=youtube.com>Red Hot Chilipeppers - Otherside Dir. Dayton & Faris (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)
To a lesser extent: <a href=youtube.com>Busta Rhymes - My Bitch Dir. Benny Boom (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)
Geri Halliwell - It's Raining Men dir. Jake & Jim (Flashdance)
surely it's got to depend upon...
a. how good the original film is b. how good the video is, how interestingly it uses the idea, and to what extent it is a hommage (ie. resepectfully done) or a rip-off (ie not respectful)
eg. Halliwell's 'raining men' - it's not a great film to start off with (open to discussion), and kind of makes sense with kitchness of song, plus they did it pretty well. so okay in my book. not that i like the song. but the video works.
Amerie's 'take control' - a shit version of a classic film; takes none of the original style, barely scrapes together a plot, is basically an excuse to have a photoshoot with amerie in it.
Kanye's 'stronger' - i like it, but only just scrapes by the test; Akira's an amazing, beautiful, deep film to start off with... Hype's video captures some of the visual style, and is obviously intended as hommage, but doesn't entirely live up to what it's trying to do.
having said that, it only really matters if you really like the original films: i'd go batshit if some crappy band ripped off ghostbusters for their video (please, no please), but obviouly to Joe video watcher at home, who gives a damn?
The history of ripping films and reforming them into vids runs long and deep.
There was a long period when the Stereophonics made hommages to their faves including The Italian Job, apocolypse now etc. Sixpence none the richer did that Jule et Jim rip for "Kiss Me" Vaughan did Will Young last year in the style of Top Gun. The list goes on and on and on...
Some people will reference certain styles from films. Some people will reference certain themes. Some people will take a movie and pervert it to satisfy their over-grown student fantasies. This doesn't just include directors and DOPs by any means... a lot of the time it's led by the artist themselves who's ego can only be kept happy by living out that fantasy of being so and so in that movie.
This will always happen. As long as they're well made, suit the song and are either emotional or fun, who gives a shit.
One of the least talented 'artists' ever is lavished with a video that rips off one of the best films of all time.
I tend to think its simply all what you do with it. Being inspired is one thing. Trying to completely reproduce is a totally different thing. I also think that in many ways it has to do with the integrity of the original content. Certain films are either so brilliant or have evoked such emotional attachments that they really are best left as simply that, a film.
Its in these cases that we most feel that the film case been cheapened. All this said, sometimes it all works. I'm not much of a pop fan really but thought Chris Applebaum did a pretty job of borrowing direct imagery from "Alphaville" in his dare I say Kelly Osbourne video for "one word" Though if you never saw it and only experienced the the movie you might be better off :)
VIDEO HERE: www.chrisapplebaum.com
RELATED ARTICLE HERE: www.chrisapplebaum.com
Here are my thoughts from back in April:
ian brown - my star - wiz- silent running
really fucking good though
The Strokes 12:51 - Tron
late one night i saw a heavy metal video that was a homage/ripoff of 2001 A Space Odyssey... i cant remember the band or song though, does anyone know it?
Movies aren't my thing, but here's a quick starter.. Paula Abdul "Rush Rush" Madonna "Material Girl" Lenny Kravitz "Believe" Inspiral Carpets "Two Worlds Collide" (2001) Blur "The Universal" (Clockwork) Massive Attack "Karmacoma" (Shining..) Madonna "Bad Girl" (I think) Muse "Knights of Cydonia" Chemical Brothers & k-os "Get Yourself High" Wu-Tang Clan "Gravel Pit" (Jurassic Park..) gangsta rap videos (Scarface et al).. Fatboy Slim "Gangster Trippin'" Paula Abdul "Cold Hearted" Snow Patrol "Open Your Eyes" (The Rendezvous) Armand Van Helden "Into Your Eyes" (They Live)
soundtrack videos are sometimes movie remixes. The line gets really blurry.. Prince "Batdance" MC Hammer "Addams Groove" Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone" Kenny Loggins "Footloose" Jennifer Lopez "I'm Glad" (Flash Dance) Air "Playground Love" Beck "Deadweight" Thomas Dolby "Howard the Duck" :)
Anyway that doesn't even scratch the surface really. The line is so blurry and movies are so influential in mv that it's hard to remember individual vids.. Almost every director loves movies somehow and that love manifests itself in thousands of different ways. Pick a director.
Kev mentioned a video that I think illustrates brilliantly what happens when a video is inspired by cinema and takes on a new life of its own. Glazer brilliantly meshes several movie references into the Massive Attack Karmacoma. Just off the the top of my head, I remember there being nods to Pulp Fiction and Eraserhead. But its all rather subtle cause he truly creates a unique world that somehow itself feels like scenes from a movie that has perhaps never been made.
...Aphex Twin "Come to Daddy" (Videodrome, Close Encounters..)
My favorite is "Hanging Around" by the Cardigans, a fine remake of Roman Polanski's Repulsion. A great film, a great video, and a great song by an excellent band. www.youtube.com
U might like to note former popstar n Whoette Billy Piper has landed the lead in Belle De Jour soon to be shown on the British TV ITV2 channel Fair to say tho’ the only similarity the scripts really share is the leading lady's occupation & name Belle de Jour,
