What is it about a Music Video?
A Word from our Jury President, Vaughan Arnell.
I love music videos and I am so proud to be part of such a creative industry. They have been my life and undying passion. From the early years working with Dead Or Alive (You Spin Me Round) and more recently with the likes of Sam Smith and Normani, I have been lucky enough to collaborate with some great artists. Robbie Williams and I have been making videos together for the last 25 years and they have been some of the best experiences of my career. Thanks Rob.
Music videos have been around longer than most people think. Artists were making films to individual songs since the late 1930’s but it was the introduction of MTV that created the real explosion of the music video as we know it today. I was a runner around the same time as MTV hit our screens. It was like watching tv from another planet and I loved it.
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My parents couldn’t afford cable tv and the only place I could view those mini epics was in a pub called The Nelly Dean in Dean Street Soho.
The VHS quality MTV shows were projected through a smoke-filled room onto a grey, out of focus screen. I would watch the same loop night after night researching all the crew members of my fav videos. My dream was to be part of that new movement and one day direct my own music videos.
A lot has changed since those days, the one thing that has never changed is the constant stream of ground-breaking creativity. Music videos have influenced every level of our culture, from feature films to commercials. The explosive visual genre has stamped its mark on every corner of our life.
Music videos should be treasured. Each one has become a mini time capsule capturing the music, fashion and social history of a certain moment in time. Almost month by month they have been recording and collating our culture in every small detail. We can see how people dressed, where they lived, how they moved, the politics, the passions, the phones, the sneakers!!
The list is endless. A perfect timeline of our social history.
That’s enough of the past. What about now and the future? There are so many exciting directors from across the globe creating the most beautiful visuals. Diverse storytellers who want to make their mark. This diversity should be championed and supported every step of the way. From cast, to crew, a collaboration of different minds is how we make great work.
Music videos have become an all inspiring art form that never fails to excite me. Let’s celebrate these works of genius. Let’s celebrate all the great talent, the long shoot days, the sleepless nights, the arguments, the tears and the absolute joy of making a music video. There are so many people behind any one video. Teams who work through the night, all with that one goal of creating something different and fresh. They are the game changers. A labour of love that we love to do.
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