Becoming a feature film director is incredibly difficult. Stories range from Robert Rodriguez participating in medical research studies to finance his first flick, "El Mariachi" (1992), to Wes Anderson directing a short with his college roommate, Owen Wilson, and catching the eye of legendary producer James L. Brooks. Yet many directors easily ascend to film through the music business. Though most people wouldn't know it, some famous directors garnered positive press in their early years by directing music videos.
Music videos serve as directors' opportunities to show off their filmmaking prowess. After all, it was Samuel Bayer's extensive and successful work on music videos that earned him the director gig on next month's "A Nightmare on Elm Street." The man directed the video for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991), for goodness sake!
Furthermore, music videos are a great way for directors to showcase their storytelling abilities. When forced to work within the confines of a three-to-four minute song, many directors push for powerfully evocative imagery and stick to the basic narrative — subplots need not apply. Directors such as "Transformers" (2007) director Michael Bay and "300" (2007) director Zack Snyder are known for their visual styles, which they undoubtedly honed making brief musical films. These two directors are often accused of favoring style over substance, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in something as short and rigid as a music video.
Not that music videos have to be rigid. Just ask Spike Jonze, perhaps best known for his unconventional videos. Much like his full-length movies, Jonze's music videos strike viewers as different despite their simplistic deviations from the norm. His video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" (2000) famously featured Christopher Walken prancing about in a vacant hotel, and Jonze's notorious video for Weezer's "Buddy Holly" (1994) superimposed the band in Arnold's Drive-In Diner, the popular spot from "Happy Days" (1975-1984). Richie Cunningham was pumped! Jonze's videos are less grandiose than those by Snyder and Bay, but they have undeniable quality. Watching these early works is kind of like watching a baby Lance Armstrong ride a tricycle.
Music videos have soared back into the spotlight, and we have one person to thank for this music video renaissance: Lady Gaga. Say what you will about the depth of her music or the bulge of her pants, there's no denying that the girl(?) has got style. Her music videos match up with her avant-garde tendencies. They are epics, often lasting more than twice the length of the songs. Instead of making the videos wholly dependent on the song, she has divvied up the lyrics, allowing for dialogue in between verses. In this sense, music videos have come full circle, with Gaga following the footsteps of the greatest music video star ever: Pat Benatar. No, but seriously, Michael Jackson is the greatest.
"Paparazzi" (2009) was just the beginning for Gaga; her "Bad Romance" (2009) video reminded us of Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) and reminded everyone else how cool music videos could be. Then she released "Telephone" (2010), a nine-and-a-half minute epic, taking things to a whole new level. Now, music videos are entering new territory, which is great news for budding directors. Just don't take things too far…
Erykah Badu's "Window Seat" (2010) is a bit too intense for our liking. The video follows Badu as she strips naked on her way to JFK's gravesite. Maybe if Oliver Stone had made the video, we'd understand. But he didn't — two directors named Coodie and Chike did.
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Zach Drucker is a sophomore majoring in International Relations, and Chris Poldoian is a sophomore majoring in Spanish. They can be reached at Zachary.Drucker@tufts.edu and Christopher.Poldoian@tufts.edu.
