The History of Music Videos

Today we are talking about one of the most impressive feats in music videos, The One Take Wonders. No cuts, no tricks, just one long, unending shot. You turn the camera on and you record until the song is over. Long shots aren't always immediately apparent, but they are captivating. These one-takes sneak their ways into cinema, weaving themselves in and out of a movie with grace, like the hallway fight in Old Boy HISTORY OF THE FORM This is not a new technique. Orson Wells introduced the shot in  Touch of Evil,  following a car with a bomb in it. It's commonly used in films like  Raging Bull , Saving Private Ryan, and Atonement to build suspense, a scene or to bring you into the world of the film .  Tony Jaa's staircase fight in  The Protector   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79ditPebZ8g Action movies often  save their biggest sequence as a single-take, because it's both impressive and suspenseful.   Thi...

So Spike Jonze... As I mentioned in the previous blog Spike Jonze has directed mind-bending films like Adaptation and Being John Malkovich,  entertaining films like Jackass: The Movie , and heart-felt films like 500 Days of Summer  and Where the Wild Things Are . He's a shining example that if you know what you're doing, you can do anything.  And ge wasn't always a wily director, he got a leg in by working on music videos. Which is why we're discussing his work today! He has worked with Weezer, Sonic Youth, Ludacris, Beastie Boys, The Chemical Brothers and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He's notorious for his skateboarding videos and having absurdly funny videos with minimal fanfare. My Favorite - Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice which stars Christopher Walken as a dancing, flying man waiting for a bellhop.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cRV9MiNDUs&feature=youtu.be Jonze seems to enjoy the documentary/realism feel of tracking cameras, his camera is rarely...