cleptomanic, 11. August 2008, 16:58
Santogold - Lights Out (Dir. Kim Gehrig)


pitchfork.tv
         
This is the video in higher quality video via pitchfork.tv

pitchfork.tv
         
****THIS VIDEO WAS DIRECTED BY KIM GEHRIG****

Whoever posted this originally, pleas amend..thanks
         
Meh,

Is this what major label talent and budgets get you in 2008? 1 extra (the MV budget surely won't have to pay Santogold's 2 girls), mediocre makeup and styling, a soundstage, and final cut express f/x?

Even the song is blah.

K
         
thanks for the info academian!

where did you get that from?
i saw photos of her shooting for this song and it was a scene that isn't included here, maybe the video has been re-shot by whitey mcconnaughey.
         
the song is great and the budget was fuck all as this is a reshoot

looks cool to me given time frame and circumstances
         
clepto - he knows that because kim works out of academy
         
Nice save indeed. It’s certainly not a horrible video.
         
thanks hassinator.

so this is the final one or the binned one? i'm a bit confused. ;)
         
thanks again.

i agree with you, it doesn't look low budget,
it's just more simple than other videos.

in a good way. ;)
         
i really like the song! for crying out loud- ignore kalstark. this is a good pop video, especially considering the turnaround.
         
why was it a re-shoot? so many videos seem to be being binned lately (Sam Sparro? Ting Tings?), which is ironic when labels throw crap budgets around...only way to make cash off them is to sting them for overages i guess ;)

oh. this video is ace, especially considering the limitations/time...

kalstark seems to have little or no understanding of how the music video business works, or wouldn't be so quick to judge
         
Fuck time constraints/limitations. This video is flat front to back.

And scooper's right, I've heard of 3 gigs over the passed month that have been reshot. Odd.
         
I bet they used a picture from Garden State as a reference photo in their treatment.
         
Hmmm... I didn't know this was a reshoot, that the budget was tiny, or even that the turnaround time was super tight. Given all that this video is great!!

C'mon.... We work in entertainment. Those we have to entertain don't care what we had to work with or what our constraints were. Once the job is done there should be no excuses. Will there be a disclaimer every time this airs on MTV saying, 'Sorry this is kinda shite but it's a reshoot with little money'? Isn't this antville? The site where creativity and talent are valued far more than budget anyways?

I'm judging the video the same way its intended audience will judge it - without undue reference or concern for the behind-the-scenes affairs and politics of the production. I'm judging it according to what I see on the screen and what I see ain't all that.

K
         
Is Zach Braff the new Alejandro Jorodowsky?
         
Zach Braff also "steals" the idea. i saw this before in a commercial.
         
@ kalstark

Isn’t this “intended audience” MTV regulars who will probably never watch the full video? Or if they do it will some downsized version blocked by the end credits of some grotty reality show? C’mon indeed. The general public loves anything with pictures to go with their favorite song. That’s the only way I can see how 2006’s Panic at the Disco video got the VMA or a more recent Boys Like Girls video (but equally bad) getting a 92% rating.

www.mtv.com

And yes, this is Antville so we should take EVERYTHING into consideration. We analyze videos more than any casual viewer could give a shit about. The same way that some people seriously analyze films. How do you explain Rodriguez’s success with El Mariachi? Or Linklater’s Slacker?


And trust me, Santogold’s pretty face is in this so they will certainly be “entertained.”

         
Hey Mainchara,

You're right in saying that we, as interested parties, should look closer at videos. Budget, timeframes, etc, do matter and are considerations that we often take into account.

However, I doubt this video fell particularly far outside the norms for a label budget project (if at all) and so while budget etc might be points of interest they shouldn't be raised in defense of a sub-par result.

I guess I'm arguing that this video, in all likelihood, wasn't made under any truly extreme circumstances and that, when I watch it, I should be able to critique it using the same criteria with which I would critique any major label offering.

At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but, to my eye, there is nothing compelling about this.

I'm not saying it's horrible. It's not. I'm just saying it's quite BLAH and that's disappointing when coming from Santogold et al.

K

P.S - To try and illustrate my primary point about the above video; to my eye it falls in the same league as the MTV in-house piece we saw a few days ago.

Similarities = 1 location, 1 extra, Mediocre M/U, Mediocre idea, & Mediocre result.
         
I think we should discuss the rendering and compositing some more. That is what truly matters.

Was there rendering in that video?

Anyway, I think the song is a smash but the clip left me feeling like it was the set-up part before the real exciting stuff kicked in.

Makes me want to have a Bud Light for some reason.
         
Frankly, this is an example of mediocrity passing off as the current hipness. The 80's been over, the revival should be as well. It's personal taste, I just don't think retro is cool anymore.

About 90% of the videos from hipster musicians lend themselves to a retro take, and that to me reeks of creative bankruptcy.

Santogold is ok as an artist. We're in the 21st century, this video sucks.
         
I just skipped through it. Boring. Lets face it all music videos have limitations, some more than others. This is not a bad video but its not good either, just another one to sweep under the rug.

P.S Nice line captainmarc22. Although I did like nima's video. It was definitely in a completely different league to this one.
         
No offense to Santogold, but her stage presence is sooo dull. Ugh.
         
i agree with kevathens.
         
Check out her performance on FNMTV. She thinks she's better than her audience. That's like performance suicide, isn't it?
         
Isn't this the re-shoot for the ace norton directed/bungled clip that never surfaced? I remember someone posting some production diaries for it.
         
Great song, fun video. I was pencilled for this but after they saw how badly I botched up the first one, they probably got a real DP to shoot this;-)
         
i think lots of videos are getting reshot at the moment as the original budget isn't high enough to sustain the idea. directors keep trying to push the envelope and too many two day ideas have to be shot in one. maybe its a sign that budgets have hit rock bottom?

         
solid clip, awaiting the re-re-shoot
         
stratobee, that first video you shot with nima is top notch. This is a bag of bullshit in comparison.
         
we are grabbed by the nuts, i guess...try and come up with achievable ideas for the budget at the same time as trying to come up with killer ideas that will win the job.

Then the panic starts when a producer goes into a cold sweat trying to see if they can make it happen...its a ball ache as the creativity is being diluted...the worse thing is when a director can't fulfill their idea and then has to suffer the indignity of someone else gaffertaping a substitute video together in 30minutes, while theirs is burried.

And THEN, to rub it in, people on this site (and others) act like vigilante groups, vultures and spotty teenagers writing shallow comments while their mums cook their dinner. it is a sad time for music videos indeed *sigh*


         
kalstark,

that 'creator' video does suck,
but it ain't a music video so you can't really compare.
the 'real' creator video will look different, here's a behind the scenes:
www.youtube.com

i heard that one has been cancelled though...:(

as for lights out, i guess we'll never see that other version.
         
Kansas, calm down.

Can a video be separated from the context of it's production constraints? Should it be? These are the same (boring) questions that will probably be debated over and over again on this site as long as A) videos are being made for bargain basement prices, and B) people decide to take things way too seriously.

In the meantime, I think it's worth noting that there are lots of videos that get praised on this site BECAUSE of the conditions that went into their production. Was it even possible to know about the last Radiohead clip without hearing about how it was made with lasers? Never mind that the final product looked like an after effects plugin mixed with a fancy screensaver, the story became the video. Kalstark's ideal of viewing videos in a vacuum apart from any context is cute, but good luck with making that a reality.

But I think the most important question to ask is how labels can afford reshoots if budgets are so tight to begin with. Does that mean the impossible 50k video that the prodco had to pull favors and burn bridges for could have been made for 70k in the first place? Hassinator? Anyone?
         

         
@Budget: I've already said that the behind-the-scenes details can be taken into account (my post with the youtube embed). But I qualified that statement by saying it's not fair to try and hide behind the details when nothing extraordinary has been attempted or accomplished and when the start-conditions of the job were within or close to normal video making parameters.

And, sure we all talk about Radiohead's laser vid but it was shot with fricking lasers! ;) (which also qualifies under the above statement) :)

Again, what is so special about this Santogold promo? The F/X???

At the end of the day, it's nothing more than my opinion but the video is just okay. Nothing more and possibly just a little less.

@clepto: The fact that the 'Creator' thing isn't a 'real video' is exactly my point and why I made the comparison. There is more in common (in physical details, conceptual details, and in execution) between 'Creator' & 'Lights Out' than between 'Lights Out' and 'LES Artistes' (which is a damn good vid by the way!).

@Scooper: "And THEN, to rub it in, people on this site (and others) act like vigilante groups, vultures and spotty teenagers writing shallow comments while their mums cook their dinner." <- Doesn't this type of thinking try to take away people's ability's to critique something? Especially when we're not engaged in Ad Hominen attacks or other fallacies of argument?

No one has torn apart the director, the producer, or the DP. No one is getting personal, setting up straw men arguments, begging the question, or appealing to emotion, etc.

We're talking about the work in relevant terms. E.g.,

1. My primary comment was that the video is bare and is BLAH.
2. Lusk said it's 'flat front to back'
3. 30f asks if there 'was rendering'
4. Alan says, 'this is an example of mediocrity passing off as the current hipness.'
4. Kansas calls it boring.
5. Kevathens finds her stage presence dull.
6. Bodysong agrees with kev
7. Msm makes a funny about waiting for the re-reshoot
8. Kansas thinks that, compared to Nima's vid, this is a 'bag of bullshit'

Everyone who critiqued the project limited their comments to the video and their thoughts about the video's quality. Sure Kansas gets a little heavy with it but is that a big infraction against the rules of critique decorum?

Very few here seem to think the vid is awesome (speak up if I'm wrong). Most defenders are arguing, 'you have to look at the conditions!'. Well, we've all seen many a promo shot for no money that's been pretty incredible so why the excuses here?

K
         
Actually I wasn't commenting that much on the video, I just am really confused as to why I should be in love with this Santogold lady who is now seemingly everywhere. Good music but it feels like she's being marketed to me as if "THIS IS COOL AND YOU MUST TAKE THIS MEDICINE BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER." It's like, yawn! I will not just accept shit like that.

But anyway, I digress..
         
hey budget - good comments and something i often ponder myself however here are some rough rules of thumb:

first up we view the video as something that floats in space detached from reality and we judge it on what we think. this ignores the reality of the scripting process; the adjustment of an idea to accommodate the artist; the budget cut due to the money being needed on another part of the campaign or the first idea just not working.

with santogold this is probably the biggest track on the album and therefore its important that the video sends out the right signal about who she is and what she's saying.

in this case the commissioning process took a while as the artist isn't up for working with just anyone. ultimately the directors she liked didn't come up with ideas that worked - dougal - or they were over budget so a solution was found with a director friend of hers.

i've not seen that video so can't comment but its not being used and a reshoot was arranged. at this point time and money available have already been massively squeezed and i understand that kim was commissioned a couple of days before the shoot which meant a LOT of hard work for very little moolah.

what's a director supposed to do? walk away or try and make the best of an opportunity to work with a 'cool artist' - whether you like her or not she definitely offers a cool music video opportunity?

in this case the label HAS to make a video and in these circumstances a performance video is usually the simple out.

now i've got another couple of reshoot stories but i'm keeping up my sleeves until the respective jobs finally deliver next week. when i get back from my summer holidays i will tell you all about them.

presuming, of course, that anyone gives a shit.



         
kasltark - you are, of course, entitled to your opinion and feel free to fire away as everyone else did.

i don't think the video is amazing but if i'd been the commissioner i would feel i've got a result. the artist had one day free before going off to support coldplay; didn't want to do something straightforward and this is a good pick up play given time frame, budget and circumstances.

this may not be applying academy standards but what the fuck? we all live and work in something approaching the real world.

i think scooper and myself perhaps feel motivated to defend this video and others that get panned on here as making videos is really fucking hard these days and i'd rather see the good in things than focus on the negative.


         
Btw budget that Radiohead video looked better on TV.

I'd defend this video but it would require writing a thesis about why videos are good in particular and I've never known the Internet blogs as a good place for academic discourse.
         
Kansas that bag of bullshit comment really was juvenile. I wouldn't see 'bag of bullshit' as an appropriate critique from either academics or folks like Roger Ebert. It's funny, but it's not anything anyone's going to take as a legitimate critique of a video.
         
Anyway antville is at a crossroads right now: Become an industry site or dither away into meaninglessness. It's one or the other, and I for one can easily press the abort button, despite my history of quitting antville. For me, it's three strikes and you're out.
         
Kevathens, the other option is to just keep posting videos and enjoy the daily dose without reading comments. I actually think that's how most people do it.
         
@hassinator: Fair enough and I'm also a MV director and I know how difficult it can be; especially now. Were I in Kim's situation, right or wrong, I would have taken the job too and done the best I could in a pretty difficult spot.

But, what can I say, the video is professional grade work but it's not awesome. I think we're all agreeing here. The difference is that you know those involved and being closer to the situation see the struggle as well as the result. I'm commenting primarily based on the result.

You've definitely given me something to think about with the back story and now I find that I'm more invested. It's like what they do with the Olympics - tell a back story of trials and tribulations, humanize the people involved, and thus involve the audience more. Make them root for the athletes. It does make the 100m dash more exciting but it's not gonna change who wins.

I'm trying to say, I know how hard it can be and I do sympathize with the crazy place the label put Kim in but I still want to be able to call 'em like I see 'em.

I'd like to imagine, perhaps foolishly, that because of the relative anonymity of this site, its connections to the industry, and the passion its readers/commenters have for the artistry of music videos that directors can come here for a low/no bullshit reaction to their work.

As a director, for the most part, your prod. co. will tell you that your work is sweet, your Rep will coddle you, and your friends/associates will always be amazed that you even get to do what you do.

But here you can come and see the opinions (again, nothing more and nothing less) of people who care about the work but don't necessarily care about you.

Sounds harsh, perhaps, but I think it's kinda nice.

K

P.S - Kevathens, I would be very interested in that thesis. It's actually why I come - for quality discourse on the art.
         
@budget: Sounds like a good idea.

@kalstark: You don't know how much I hate hearing that. :X And for God's sake don't ever call me Lester Bangs or anything like that. God I'm just some kid typing at a keyboard, I'm not looking to be some big famous dead person at all. Please, for Christ's sake. I take my inspiration from people like Bob Barker and Betty White, not crazy dead ppl like Hunter S Thompson or fill in the blank.
         
@Kevathens: Which part do you hate? :)
         
OMG don't get me started.
         
Kalstark, I actually think antville can be one of the WORST places for young directors to look for an honest assessment. When they're not cloaked in jealousy, bitterness, or frustration, most comments suffer from some serious "forest for the trees" acuteness. Commentators here focus on things that the average viewer, label, commissioner, or band would never care about. None of the people who actually matter in a director's career will care if their video is actually, technically a one-take, or to what degree their homage is appropriate. If directors took their cues from the things people on this board obsess about, they'd either 1) turn down every job out of fear, or 2) make videos so obscure or unmarketable that no one would ever want to work with them.
         
@budget: I can't find any fault with your argument there. It hurts to say it but I think you're very right - the Antville community can be too left of mainstream for a director's good. :(

So, I may not love 'Lights Out' but if the people who actually matter in this situation do then that's what counts in the real world.

That said, I do think Antville is a valuable resource; the community's particular bias just has to be taken into account (grain of salt and all that).

K
         
I think this thread is a perfect example of how far out of the "real world" antville can get. Look anywhere else, and you'll find a mainly positive reaction to this video. Even idolator, which is known for it's snarkiness, seems to dig it. MTV will probably play this single regardless of the video's level of "mindblowinglessness" because Santo is hot at the moment. It'll do well online, and the director will probably be able to get some more work. Antville is the ONLY place where a minority of people will pick every aspect of this video apart and dismiss it as a dismal failure.
         
Roll theme music..


         
@Budget:
I don't think that this thread is about the video anymore. It definitely got more interesting when people questioned why record labels can't afford one good 50k video but can afford two average 25k videos.

@Kalstark:
You really pissed me off. Let me count the ways.

"I'm also a MV director and I know how difficult it can be; especially now."

Well then for chrissakes- give us a fucking break.

"But, what can I say, the video is professional grade work but it's not awesome."

So every professional grade video that is not awesome deserves vitriol? With budgets being what they are nowadays making 'awesome' videos just got a hell of a lot harder. Don't forget shitty undernourished, underthought and down-right rubbish/wrong briefs, time constraints, the fact that all of us directors need to do 3 other jobs to make ends meet etc...

"You've definitely given me something to think about with the back story and now I find that I'm more invested."

I would never comment on a video negatively UNLESS I knew the backstory- that I knew they spunked a great opportunity. Otherwise I assume that there was no money or time. Because there would be nothing worse, for me, than doing what you've done here- slag off what was actually a good job considering the circumstances.

"Were I in Kim's situation, right or wrong, I would have taken the job too and done the best I could in a pretty difficult spot."

You see what I mean?

"I'm commenting primarily based on the result."

Heavy-handedly, unfairly, pointlessly.

"I still want to be able to call 'em like I see 'em."

Plenty of room for you to do that on youtube.

"P.S - Kevathens, I would be very interested in that thesis. It's actually why I come - for quality discourse on the art."

Hahaha.
         
We love you John!
         
@shoplifter: your main problem with me seems to stem from the idea that I attacked this video with vitriol and that I did so unfairly.

Vitriol - the expression of bitter deep-seated ill will; rancor

Dude, I said the video was blah and expressed my surprise at this being the result of a major label release. From there on in, I argued that I have a right to say such things in spite of a quick turnaround time and smaller than usual budget.

In fact, please point out where I was vitriolic. Please quote what I said that was so 'unfair'.

Currently you have me quoted as saying that I'd like to call them as I see them and that I'm commenting primarily based on the result. <- I'm so evil and hateful to do so!!

Seriously though, no vitriol, no hate. In fact, I'm listening to the other side of the discussion.

What is it with people nowadays and their inability to even tolerate the existence of an opposing view...wow. Welcome to the Bush Brigade.

K
         
kevathens, it may be juvenile and blunt but its true. I cant be bothered reading 20 comments of people defending their right to critique or their thoughts on the nature of antville...etc
I feel my comment was to the point and honest. As I said before I found the video not bad, not good but definitely boring. However when compared to the 'les artiste' video this video has the same value as a bag of bull shit. (which can be quite useful as fertilizer but not much use for anything else)
Maybe the experience making this video and this whole antville discussion will fertilize kim into making better videos or maybe just saying NO to ones with unrealistic constraints. On the other hand maybe the manure will be too strong and the concentrated minerals will burn the plant until it withers and dies.

P.S I agree with kalstark's last sentence.
         
Don't listen to these prison punks Kim, I like your video plenty.

         
Thanks for your comment, kansas. I have no rebuttal.

Personally I liked the video and think Kim's developed quite a good reel. I'm not kissing butt, I just think, hey, that's good work, here's a quarter, go buy y'self a drink, kid kinda thing. (Speaking of quarters...)
         
I was interrupted by a phone call earlier while I was trying to watch this video. Now coming back to it, I saw the large number of comments before I clicked the play button. Having some time to kill, I read all of them before watching the video.

Not sure how I mustered up the patience, but I know that I'll never do that again. It was weird. The legal term, "change of venue", came to mind.

jury's still out, as it were.
         
I have a rebuttal

I fail to see how the comments in this thread would help the director in any way to "make better videos". There has been no constructive criticism at all. Just comments like the video is 'blah' or 'flat' or whatever. Fair enough if that's your view, but to pretend that this thread, or antville in general, is in some way a kind of self help group for directors is in itself pretty 'blah' imo.

What's the fuss with this video? I like it! Regardless of turnaround time.

If I was to be constructive I would suggest that Santogold isn't up to scratch in a bare bones environment when compared to Kanye or suchlike, but on a conceptual level it feels really tight.
         
Fantastic 'tragedy'. I am so pleased that atleast some people are so easily amused.
Ok so seriously I agree the concept is 'really tight' and if it was 1983 and i was 10 years old (example ages only) I would be considerably impressed.

On another point. I really did piss you off somewhere down the line didn't I 'Tragedy'? Funny. You know i never do seem to get any response when I say that I like a video. Maybe you should also start including your rebuttals in those comment threads? That really would be interesting.

One final note... what self respecting director really takes everything written on this site seriously?


         
Sorry I'm entering this debate late and i apologize if noone cares anymore. I was excited to see this video particularly since having written on the track i was excited to see the idea that beat me out.

call me a hater, but this video is so boring. it reminds me so much of nima's video, but without the interesting parts.

santogold is rad and i love her music, but if she is going to go the boring hipster fashion route, than i am completely uninterested. this video was absolutely nothing. who gives a shit about "cool" sunglasses and ironic retro 80's prints. gag me with a spoon. this shit is B-O-R-I-N-G!

and to the discussion about budgets, i can only speak from experience, but that is not a legitimate excuse for a bad video. so many amazing videos have been made for no money. it's all about a great idea and an artist's willingness to take a risk. in this video santogold decided to preach to her choir, the hipster demographic. it limits the access that she will have because she is painting herself into a corner. take a risk and make an interesting video (like chris milk recently did with gnarls barkley) and you have the opportunity to access a much broader viewing audience.

i am very disappointed by this video. it is lame and boring.

i hate to be a hater, but i can't help myself.

         
totally offtopic:
rubenfm, that video you made with the shark and the tiger doing dance routines around town, i used it once as a reference.
         
It may have already been noted, but I could not be arsed to plough tru more than 20 or so of comments here, before I lost the will to live
I notice Santogold lost her Tegan n' Sara accent whilst picking up the Sleng Teng Bass line!
Video well its coordinated innit
         
Ruben- I like you and I like your videos so this isn't an attack on you- but something you said made me realize that I have been wanting to say something for ages. You know this already (I'm not saying it to you) but I just generally have been wanting to say this for ages, so I'm going to say it now.

People say all the time that small budgets are no excuse for a bad video. They say you don't have to have a lot of money to make a good video, just a good idea.

WELL, MORE MONEY = MORE IDEAS THAT YOU CAN EXECUTE. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES A TREATMENT OF MINE HAS BEEN TURNED DOWN BY MY PROD CO FOR BEING 'TOO BIG'?

So yes, it is possible to make excellent low budget videos,

BUT IT IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO COME UP WITH A GREAT IDEA THAT IS EXECUTABLE ON A SMALL BUDGET THAN IT IS TO COME UP WITH A GREAT IDEA FOR AN OK BUDGET.

Why is this? Well, it's because on super low budgets you have to shoot all in one day, in one location, you can't afford any extras/actors, no dolly, etc... the things you can't afford mount up and

LIMIT YOU.

So, although coming up with that good low budget idea is harder and more praise worthy, it is much more difficult. So...

BUDGETS AFFECT IDEAS. LETS NOT PRETEND THAT THEY DON'T.

Size of budget and the number of ideas you can execute are inversely proportional. Number of ideas and quality of ideas are proportional. Ergo- Size of budget and quality of ideas are inversely proportional. therefore it is possible to argue that the lower the budget- the shitter the ideas. There are exceptions to the rule, but then they are just that- the exceptions to the rule.

I hope lots of commissioners are reading this.
         
Shoplifter, I would also add that the term "low-budget" is relative. I remember reading an interview with Mike Mills a few years ago where he referred to his music videos as low-budget because most of them came in around the 100k mark. A lot of newer directors might feel like they've struck gold with a 25-40k video because they're used to working with 0-5k, but in the grand scheme of things, it still doesn't buy you a lot production-wise. Almost every video being commissioned right now is an exercise in low-budget creativity, which is why I think we're seeing a lot of re-shoots, half-finished concepts, and low production values.
         
This is nothing special...but reading you guys piss on each others faces is much less interesting than finding out what happened with Whitey's video, which I had head was 100K. Anyone have any info on this? How about Jake Scott doing a different one?

PS. Of course budgets affect ideas.

PPS. This is clearly a no-budget video, trashing it is yet another extremely boring chapter in the "I think I'm a music video director, I have great ideas, if only I got to work with such a big deal artist everyone would see my genius and I would make it big time" THE MV DREAM IS DEAD....GET OVER IT. Stop fondling the corpse. I'm fucking serious this time. Make videos or not, but no one "makes it" in videos anymore.
         
Look, The Onion AV Club likes it. So do most of the comments.

www.avclub.com
         
"yet another extremely boring chapter in the "I think I'm a music video director, I have great ideas, if only I got to work with such a big deal artist everyone would see my genius and I would make it big time" THE MV DREAM IS DEAD....GET OVER IT. Stop fondling the corpse. I'm fucking serious this time. Make videos or not, but no one "makes it" in videos anymore."

That struck a chord with me. I was to claim it as one of the truest things I've read on antville, but that might be just because my career isn't exactly lifting off into the stratosphere. Big name directors are doing everything down to the £40-50k jobs. Some are even making the 15-20k jobs the rest of us are making. So yeah, it's getting trickier... I suppose that's not really news.

         
Just for the record, I could have made this video way cooler with nothing more than my raw creative talent, $200,000, and 4 weeks of post-production.
         
I am sure its possible to do better with $200 and 4 days of post production. Which is one of the reasons that music video budgets are at an all time low.
         
My Two Cents...This video is GREAT for what it is.
It's an alt. / bubbling under / no budget stab to seed for response. It's not meant to be of the highest caliber.

It reminds me, as with so many other clips these days, of the earliest eighties videos for the then emergent NEW WAVE bands. Usually a single camera effect shot in a studio.

Don't get me work,this not great art. But she's an emerging artist, from a small niche & genre bending to boot. It's not as heavy as Les Artiste, but that actually will work in the artists favor.

I played this at my gig last week & can assure you
that it does the trick. The song it's self is GREAT if you're into creative pop music at all & the bare minimalism element allows for an appealling sense of style to come out. I'm 38. This song & it's clip are intended as a toe in the water for a 16 to 24 yr. old market & plenty of them will think this is wonderful. The simplicity of it even lends an encouraging, DIY - "I could do that..." sensibilty.
Come to think of it, it's really just a glorified myspace icon slide show. Percisely the audience it is intended for. The Les Artiste clip was probably a little too heavy or weird to have this kind of broad based appeal. As much as I liked that one, your typical consumer just doesn't seem to enjoy or have the patience to really be challenged like that.

To my mind a "sucessful" MUSIC VIDEO does NOT have to be a miniature MOVIE or deep ART experience. It really only NEEDS to convey an essence of the overall style,intent, or feeling of the artist or otherwise compliment the song in someway. There are plenty of GREAT videos out there for lesser artists for which the music is secondary or even totally in consequential to the song at hand. I feel like the MAJORITY of efforts I see on this site fall into this group.

To be a MUSIC VIDEO, the visual NEEDS to support or compliment the MUSIC or else it is a MOVIE with an excessive soundtrack. If that's your bag, there's an extensive Chris Cunningham lovefest a page or two away...


         
woah, kinda glad i sat this one out...