3 Day SHoot, 5D with Red Rock rig, Kahn Shot himself

         

I think this is a great pop video. The concept is creative, the lead singer looks really good, the girl was well cast and she played up the physical stuff nicely. What's more, the Canon 5D held up marvelously and the format choice doesn't come off like a compromise at all (and, given JK's budgets, I reckon it was a creative choice anyway).

My only reservation about the video has to do with the skin tones. I'm not overly fond of the orangey spray-tan look that the coloring gives us. I imagine, since I saw the same thing in Kylie's 'All The Lovers', that this is either because the Canon has trouble giving JK the colors he wants or maybe he just really likes the spray-tan vibe.

Regardless, that small reservation doesn't bother me given how good the rest of this is. I really think that JK is the best pop director shooting. His work is playful, attractive, and consistently entertaining. He manages to be conceptually mainstream while still poking around the edges of the medium's explored territory. Perhaps most interestingly, he's that rare salesman who can sell a 'product' purely on the strength of his pitch.

I'm not suggesting this video is the best thing ever. I'm simply impressed by Kahn's ability to produce good pop as often as he does.

         

Is there another link? can't watch it in europe. I hat Maroon 5... (his voice = aarg) but i want to see the video.

         

Maybe this one (caveat: colors are muted, there are burned in lyrics, & for some bizarre reason the entire thing is flipped horizontally):

         

lol. I know its a parody... but c'mon... its stupid... girl locking hot all the time... i must lough all the time the girls is trying to look hot... (i know...over acting... parody thing... if I/We laugh about it than they did a great job?!)

Window Scene, Car Scene, .. bite in my lips scene... its so fucking boring even in a parody way. And the song is fucking boring.

and about the skin tones... it like Michael Bay did in every movie. Faces = orange, backround bluish.

theabyssgazes.blogspot.com

. . .

         

this is material from the Kahn-conveyor-belt, maybe some of his assistants have done it: video & song are very poor.

         

this guy obviously wants to be part of the directors series... ripped off the whole bunch here... romanek... jonze... glazer...

pretty pathetic. however at this point his videos seem to be an attempt to make mortgage payments instead of gaining respect... this is strictly for the burger king american idol crowd... soon this video will be dated and in the toilet like yesterdays happy meal...

GLAZER

JONZE

ROMANEK.

         

Wow, Kahn getting some serious hate here for a neat pop video. Why all the fuss?

And Motley, seriously? Every time a person is on fire in a video, I'm supposed to believe Jonze is being ripped off? Every Toilet POV shot is a Killers homage?

         

well then, kahn's burning man reference is a reference of a reference. cuz jonze was referencing 'near dark.'

music videos are exhausting.

         

Killers was Corbijn, not Glazer. Hater Fail.

         

they're all part of the same label regardless... i'm just tired of a culture permeated by such toxic, narrow minded & redundant entertainment... the industry needs new blood and fresh ideals... i miss the days when videos pushed boundaries politically, culturally... technically... this is nothing but un-creative sex and slapstick... not that a maroon 5 video should be groundbreaking, you'd just expect more from someone so late in their career... these days even guys like akerlund seem to have pulled their balls out of the work to avoid personal accountability... it's sad to see so many talents pandering to such an immense corporate agenda just to stay in business.

a 'neat' pop video sure... happy meals come with neat toys... it doesn't mean they're not both part of a pandemic.

the directors label thing is a coincidence perhaps... at least near dark is a film...? video directors referencing video directors causes social cancer. it's not hate, it's intolerance...

"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!!"

         

Don't understand the lamentin'. Maroon 5 doesn't deserve an amazing video. This was pretty solid.

         

Kahn doesn't give a damn what any of you think. One browse of his Twitter account and you'll see he doesn't take himself too seriously, and neither do should you. Unfortunately everyone is battling for attention and weighting in opinions, overlooking the fact that this is a business and Maroon 5 has certain expectations, and so you've never made a video under that construct then you don't have an understanding of how the business works. Innovation happens by accident, in times where playing it safe is TO YOU but to the audience this is for it does not. It's for gay men and chicks who browse the superficial.com. Kahn still manages to make fun videos even if the style is past and he should do something new. And who ripped off who is an old argument that no longer carries weight, in youtube generation everything is sampled and cross referenced. I can't forget how you guys tore Keith Schofield apart for referencing a photo he found on the internet. Remember that? and what was the point of it? to show how originality trumps success?

I co sign the agreement that Kahn should challenge himself and play it less safe, but he's the go to video director for big bands (and so is Akerlund) and all the vitriol in the world couldn't scratch that. I wouldn't.

Watch and learn, and stop complainin'. Me says.

         

why are some people taking this work seriously? the coloring is not what bothers me, it's the constant need for a gimmick. every video of his is saved by its production value and editing. if he wasn't talented in blocking action, his clips would be hard to stomach. i feel bad for the man. he is very talented, but he gets stuck with awful songs and it seems he's forced to come up with a gimmick for their visual representations.

         

Really dont find the song all that bad as most you seem too, its pop rock, c'mon. And yes of course videos arent as "GROUNDBREAKING" as they used to be, did you all hear about a little thing called THE RECESSION. have you all heard that LABELS spend nearly a 1/4th of what they used to spend on videos? And Kahn still tries to throw as much as he can onscreen, hence deciding to shoot it himself on a 5D. Theres a lot of fun stuff going on in this video, its not meant to be Shakespeare, its meant to be LOONEY TUNES.

         

This twitter comment of his says a lot about him: quote: Read Vanity Fair article on making of Thriller. Shot on my birthday!!! I love love love love pop videos!

I like the guy... The chemical brothers vid was great, but i also like the real big budget stuff made by him.

         

I'm not really sure if the critics in this thread understand how videos are made. Lots of weird expectations going on.

         

I admit I let my frustrations with the entire tv and music industry overtake my focus, I still stand behind the fact that this is a classic case of bad taste... but I'm sure this has it's fan base... 1000 times bigger than any opinion on this board. But does that make it greater? 3 million 'omg lol he's so HAWT!'s don't quantify one intelligent observation. That's the problem with the industry... It exists for the burger king american idolers who are programmed to ingest and forget. It doesn't need to be this way. Produce more intelligent entertainment and you will get a more intelligent masses.

I'm also tired of people blaming the economy... Gondry used to work with strings and duct tape. You don't need a million dollars to make something amazing, you just need a good idea and soul... something few of these directors have, which is likely the reason for the continued decay of the format. That's why I think it's time for things to turn over. Every industry is in the exciting process of re-invention... or extinction

         

Motley, you're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Trying to create an art house film for Maroon 5 will result in disaster. And are we really to believe that all people who enjoy Maroon 5 (not to mention Burger King and American Idol) are automatically idiots based on their tastes? Maybe they aren't looking to a Maroon 5 video to teach them something meaningful about life. Maybe they like some well-produced dance music to listen to while they drive to work.

Also, all of Gondry's most beloved music videos had budgets in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yeah, maybe you need a good idea and soul to make a great video, but it's darn near impossible without money to pay for your vision.

         

You guys crack me up.

As you become as immensely wise as myself, you start to understand that there's something to be said for craftmanship and skill. It's a bit like the crooners in Las Vegas: Bennet, Jones etc. They don't necessarily break new ground (who can break new ground for 50 years straight?), but they're the consummate professionals - they deliver entertainment and do it well and will continue to do so when most people would have retired. This is just like that - it's not going to change the world, but its well done, competently executed and entertaining. There's something to be said for that. Not everything has to be a Fat Duck experience - sometimes a hamburger cooked well will do nicely.

         

perfectly stated stratobee, reminds me of a classic 30frames post on the definition of "CRAFT", where art meets commerce