aeblog

video perception

I just took a little break from work and in the name of keeping myself informed of current pop music trends, I watched a number of videos available through the iTunes Music Store.
I watched about 8 or so (including the BOND one again - I couldn't resist the urge, sorry) and was thinking nothing more than how god-awful boring and stupid they all were. Do they have to be that way, or is there just a lack of creativity here? Or is it that videos are really only for marketing purposes so why bother to spend loads of time and effort on the creativity?
How do you make a video that isn't totally cliché? They all seem so formulaic. It's either a live concert video (which is probably the best, most honest approach in many ways), some sort of stylized 'performance' with the band lip-syncing to themselves in some exotic location, or some over dramatized re-enacted story, presumably taken from the lyrical content of the song itself.
Literally each one was just more of the same until I hit the Tortoise video for Salt the Skies. I almost didn't watch it because I had seen Tortoise recently live and didn't really need footage of it, and I was getting really annoyed and bored. But thankfully I watched because this video is really what video should be about. It actually added something to the music; something beautiful and tasteful. Something that was wholly original and complimentary and non-obvious. How refreshing! The lighting was perfect and the high-speed videography was clearly done by someone who had done it before. The production is professional and there is an elegance throughout. Well, the flying spider plant and stuffed monkey may not be so elegant, but were vital nonetheless because they took away the pretension that might have otherwise encumbered this expression. Blah, blah, blah. Go see for yourself and let me know what you think. I almost forgot; the song is good too!
You can check it out here:

Salt the Skies Video

What's the point of making a video if it doesn't add something? This whole MTV era with the requirement of everyone having a video for their single if they want to be successful is bull-crap. Music is MUSIC, not VIDEO. Don't get me wrong, I love video and think it can add a lot, but this requirement has to go. It's freakin' expensive too, and doesn't earn you any money directly. You basically have to pay MTV to play your video. OK, now I'm angry, dammit!

I have been thinking visual thoughts to go along with my own audio and I will certainly aspire to this sort of creation. Perhaps the dearth of truly good videos will provide an opportunity for bands like Tortoise and perhaps someday aevidence or eoe to get noticed.