Take Two: Music’s forgotten form
February 21, 2018
It’s always exciting when our favorite artist releases a new music video. That is, it’s always exciting for a few minutes before we ultimately decide to click onto another tab and allow the audio to continue, while the video itself is left unappreciated. Here are the videos that we think are worth keeping up on the screen for the entire song.
“New Rules” – Dua Lipa
Music videos that predominantly feature the artist lip syncing to their track can easily fade into the background, but “New Rules” is an exception. The most attractive aspect of this music video is easily the color schemes. Lipa first begins the song singing about the initial, most painful part of a breakup and the dark, earthy tones of the interior of an apartment frame this perfectly. When she transitions to a lavish outdoor pool scene, flooded with bright pops of color, there is a mirroring change in her attitude and she is suddenly vibrantly confident. The choreography in this video is unusual, but the flamingo-like movements of the girls add a uniquely powerful quality to an untraditional breakup song.
“Spring Day” – BTS
No genre takes music videos as seriously as K-Pop. Creative vision and high production value is intertwined expertly to create something that can be likened to a short film. And in an era when visuals are everything, BTS’ “Spring Day” music video sets the bar high. A story is delicately and precisely strung together with each cinematically beautiful shot, heavily saturated with symbolism. Small details, like the use of yellow ribbons, and a scene where a member of the group retrieves a pair of shoes from the ocean shore, point to the music video acting as memorial for victims of the Sewol Ferry Tragedy.
“Scream” – Michael Jackson featuring Janet Jackson
The genius of Michael Jackson’s vision was a turning point in the music video industry. Named the most expensive music video of all time by Forbes, “Scream” took Jackson’s talents to the next level. Set in a futuristic space capsule, the video is filmed completely in black and white and features Janet Jackson. The setting is the video’s highlight, with an intricately built set and an iconic costume design, the video is a work of art in itself. The sibling duo dances, floats about in space and most importantly, they scream. The video went on to win a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video.
“Runaway” – Kanye West
Though originally released as a 35-minute movie, the short-length self-directed music video for Kanye West’s “Runaway” is one of the most self-exposing videos for the ever-controversial artist. The video features a dinner, where West and all his family members, dressed in all white have a toast. This falls perfectly in line with West’s lyrics, “Let’s have a toast.” After, West slowly walks to a piano and the song begins. The video has ballerinas, a fallen angel and most importantly, West in his natural element: center stage.
