Music Video Directors

Many Directors often use music videos as a stepping stone to film directing, with music videos a short film in themselves, whereby the imagery and sound are (in most cases) closely related. With MTV making music videos more mainstream in 1981, now music videos are a given with any release of a mainstream artist's song. With iconic music videos hold a place in history, I was keen to research some of my favourite music videos, and the directors behind them.

Dimitri Basil

Most famous for his video promoting Vance Joy's song 'Riptide', I love the retro 60's/70's aesthetic which are focused upon in his work. Born in 1988 in Columbia, he originally stopped going to school at the age of 13 to study Music, but instead ended up studying Film. Currently specialising in music videos and shorts, Basil is independent filmmaker who is inspired by past decades, commenting in an interview "I guess it is the notion that it will never come back."

The first video I discovered of Basil's was that of mainstream indie track 'Riptide', but he has directed (both past and present) mainly videos with lesser-known indie tracks, namely: Wunder Wunder - Hail the Madmen, Snakadaktal - Fall Underneath, Veen - Thyreoalis, The Grates - Turn Me On, and Flight Facilities - Foreign Language.

The main thing that I absolutely love about this video is the direct relation to the words and the visuals. Through the combined use of text (subtitles) and imagery, each jump cut matches that in the mention or change in subject matter within the lyrics.

The three close up shots above are taken from the chorus, which features the line "you're gonna sing the words wrong" this is met by a lady who uses limited mouth movements to lip-sync the words "you gone and sank the worlds wolf". This humorous addition makes use of irony, with the subtitles and singer indeed singing the words wrong. Furthering this, subtitles are intended to bring clarity to what is happening, highlighting the clear humour which Basil utilises in his work. Also, the actress here is not the original artist, which corresponds with Basil tending to not use the actual band or live performances in his work.

Continuing the use of text on screen with the same typeface, in the chorus the line "I wanna be your left hand man" is paired with an extreme close up shot of a hand holding or completing seemingly unrelated objects/tasks. Each of these hands are the left hand, which is reinforced with the word 'left' flashing throughout this line. By changing this imagery each time, the narrative is pushed forward, as well as demonstrating the retro-inspired aesthetic which Basil utilises.

It is this aesthetic which first engaged me when watching the Riptide video. The opening tilting shot of a hazy blue sky immediately matches the upbeat ukelele, which sets the tone for the rest of the video. The slightly faded but beautifully coloured grading of each shot reminds me of a 70s film, whilst retaining the sharpness and quality of modern-day videos.  As well as the grading, visual clues such as the video tape and old leather suitcase give connotations as to the intended time period of this video. Furthermore, the tall, blonde-haired, attractive women are similar to the image of an original 'Bond-Girl', especially considering the pistol poised in a traditional James Bond pose. A slightly saturated palette compliments the indie folk genre of Vance Joy, which is helped by many of the shots taken during the 'golden hour' when the sun is setting.

Basil's editing style is also likeable, with fast jump cuts matching the progression of the lyrics, furthering the original concept of the imagery matching the lyrics. He also utilises camera movements such as tilts, pans, and zooms, which can become distracting and amateur-looking. However, Basil integrates these perfectly, notably with the stack of dollar bills which are subtly zoomed into; continuing the pace of the editing and song without distracting the viewer. Another sequence which I admire is the double use of a pan between three people. The camera first pans right to left from one lady in the frame to two others outside of the frame, before reversing to a left to right pan, but the lady is no longer there (as illustrated above). This continues the narrative of the video, with a later edit of the same lady in a wide angle shot of her running, corresponding with the lyric "running down to the riptide", reiterating the relationship the visuals and lyrics have. Also, the creative use of the pan acts substitutes a cut, adding variety to each short sequence of the video, hence continuing to engage the viewer.

Directed by Dimitri Basil once again, Foreign Language by Flight Facilities is another favourite music video of mine. Here, Basil uses his originality to make the video seem like the opening of a 70s television show, rather than matching the composition to the lyrics as with Vance Joy's video. His original intention was to trick the viewer into thinking that the music video was indeed an opening to a television series of old, with the song then becoming the soundtrack of the show.

Cross cutting is mainly used here to document the progression in narrative, following three linked story lines. Considering how Basil comments that "early James Bond films were my initial inspirations", the props of guns, running and evidently staged action shots all lend themselves to such films. The cross cutting is highlighted at the very end with a tracking shot of both spy duos, each consisting of a man and a woman. The third storyline which is included is that presumably of the villain, stereotypically featured in a chair which no doubt spins. Basil's humorous appreciation for this era is evident through the stereotypes that one would imagine when it comes to a classic spy film.

Once again, artistic shots and camera movements are utilised to add some diversity to each sequence. Above, an over-the-shoulder shot is zoomed out to a medium-shot, with a pull-focus shifting the attention to the woman. With the Riptide video, it is clear that Basil especially likes to use zoom and pan camera movements, which were common in many 70s television dramas.

Similarly to the Riptide video, text was equally important in this video, but for a different reason. Here the font is used to identify the characters in true retro TV show style, complete with a momentary pause focused on each of the characters (shown above). Basil used the font "Lee Bold" which was used both in the opening of 'Charlie's Angels' and for the VHS logo; adding further authenticity to the video.

In order to reinforce the authenticity of this music video, Basil used a real 70's lens, and only edited some of the contrast in post production. Pair this with the fitting props and costumes, the overall mise-en-scène is extremely convincing.

Russell Mulcahy

A notable music video director from the 80s, Russell Malcahy directed some of my most favourite music videos, including Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart, Duran Duran - Rio, and The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star. Personally, I love how each of these are terrifically 80s, with experimental post production effects and fast-paced editing often paired with a narrative which is quite obscure, each video is a classic example of the beginnings of popular mainstream music videos.

Above is the music video for Duran Duran's Hungry Like The Wolf. Released in 1981, Duran Duran were at this time trying to break into the competitive US Market. Wanting to impress and gain attention, experimental postproduction effects and erotic themes were used. MTV played a large part in the eventual success, with this video becoming a favourite on the show which was then broadcasting in North America.

Fast paced editing eventually disrupts the largely linear timeline of the video, with the plot focused on lead singer Simon LeBon chasing a woman both around a Sri Lankan market before cross cutting to a jungle where the chase continues on a more primal level. The consistent cutting and occasionally disorientating effects blur these timelines, resulting in a confusing yet captivating video; LeBon was very much a heartthrob in the 80s, so Mulcahy's aim was to keep as much focus on the star rather than a plot, to boost the popularity amongst the many female fans. This is further reiterated through the use of performance and narrative which corresponds with Joan Lynch's theory, maintaining a further focus on the band. The music loosely links these images, with lines such as "I'm on the hunt I'm after you" confirming the intentions of the chase.

Personally, the quite muted grading of each shot give an aesthetic which I do not particularly like, however the experimental editing which Malcahy utilised is inspiring considering the period at which it was made. Slow motion, dissolves, transitions, split screens, and horizontal frame slides are just some of the post production effects used in this video. This slightly overwhelming creativity with editing is something which I would like to develop, but perhaps being more selective as to not overwhelm the video.

Mulcahy also directed perhaps my favourite music video. Bonnie Tyler's music video for Total Eclipse Of The Heart is brilliantly bizarre, with elements of narrative and performance which appear characteristic of Mulcahy's work. Featuring a plethora of seemingly unrelated characters, namely gymnasts, ninjas, footballers, fencers, and choirboys, these all add up to a complex narrative which matches the powerful nature of the classic ballad.

Perhaps the strongest narrative of all the videos I have studied, the plot is that of Bonnie Tyler playing an instructor or teacher at an all-boys school, followed by various fantasies, before returning back to reality. 

Malcahy uses symbolism heavily in this video, from Tyler dressed all in white and releasing white doves, with connotations of virginity and purity. However, the dove appears to be struggling to fly, which could be a deliberate choice by Mulcahy to further symbolise the hidden frustration that Tyler faces inferred through the lyrics of the song. Cleverly, the repetition of a man saying "turn around" in the lyrics paired with these symbols suggests that Tyler is refusing to confront something. 

Malcahy also utilises mythology in his work, with the motif of glowing eyes repeated throughout. Glowing eyes often symbolise a penetrating gaze which is considered to reveal secrets, and with the 1960's film Village of the Damned, the similarities between these two videos show that Malcahy was keen to include references to pop culture.

Once again, this is an example of how the lyrics are used to convey another layer of meaning, adding a greater complexity to that of Basil's videos. This video in particular is greatly analysed for its captivating and complex narrative, matched by Tyler's emotive performance and Malcahy's effective use of symbolism.

References: http://watchthetitles.com/articles/00246-Foreign_Language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_of_the_Damned_(1960_film)