Some renowned film directors have attempted to create music videos in between directing films, including Spike Jonze, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Martin Scorsese. Music videos give directors the opportunity to test out some ideas in a shorter format. Instead of directing just one film, a director may decide to shoot several music videos with different styles and artists, just to keep things fresh.
In some cases, Hollywood directors helped create iconic music videos. The Beastie Boys, Michael Jackson, and Madonna can thank movie directors for some of their biggest hits, even if those directors only tried out one or two music videos. For some directors, a music video can act as a warm-up for a film, while others are as involved in music videos as they are in films.
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Blue Song – Mint Royale
Edgar Wright
14 full years before driving Baby driver, Edgar Wright first developed the idea of a getaway driver who listens to music while waiting for a music video. The video for Mint Royale’s “Blue Song” mirrors the opening sequence in Baby driver, in which Baby listens to “Bellbottoms” by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. THE Baby Driver it’s a little flashier, benefiting from Wright’s experience and a much bigger budget, but the core concept is the same.
The video for “Blue Song” features The Mighty Boosh and The Great British Baking Show stars Noel Fielding as the driver. His team is made up of other British comedians: Fielding’s Powerful Boosh co-star Julian Barratt, Cornet trilogy actor Nick Frost and Michael Smiley. Since the music in Baby Driver is so important to the story that it’s good to see that Wright was thinking about the idea for over a decade.
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Vogue – Madonna
David Fincher
David Fincher has always directed music videos and worked with an impressive cast of stars, including The Rolling Stones, Justin Timberlake and Paula Abdul. Fincher has worked with Madonna on a few occasions, directing the music videos for “Oh Father,” “Bad Girl” and more. “Vogue” is the most iconic video he directed for Madonna and, without a doubt, his best music video of all.
David Fincher has worked with an impressive cast of stars, including The Rolling Stones, Justin Timberlake and Paula Abdul.
David Fincher’s best films are characterized by their precise focus on their subjects. He frames characters differently depending on morality, power and appeal, and he does the same with “Vogue.” The black and white music video also takes inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood and German Expressionist cinema. This links the music’s queer positivity to the glamor of stars like Rita Hayworth and Grace Kelly – who are mentioned in Madonna’s lyrics – raising the question of why queer identity seems so out of place in classical American culture.
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Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant has directed music videos for David Bowie, Elton John and Tracy Chapman, among others. However, their video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song “Under the Bridge” is their most famous of all and marked a major turning point for the band. “Under the Bridge” won two awards at the 1992 MTV VMAshighlighting how this helped put the band on the map.
Gus Van Sant directed My Own Private Idaho in 1991, which features Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea in a supporting role.
Van Sant is probably most famous as the director of Goodwill Hunting, but he has made several critically acclaimed independent films. One of them is My own private Idaho, which features Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea in a supporting role, just a year before the music video for “Under the Bridge” was filmed. Van Sant uses many overlays in the video, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that mixes images of the band with Los Angeles landmarks, natural features and the skyline of Portland, the director’s hometown.
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Sabotage – Beastie Boys
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze has been a prolific music video director over the years, creating many unforgettable, award-winning videos for artists across genres. He filmed an entire video in reverse for The Phracyde’s “Drop,” created a short film to expand on his idea for Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs,” and brought Fatboy Slim fans the image of Christopher Walken’s iconic dance from “Weapon of Choice”. “Music video. Amid all this success, his video for “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys stands out.
“Sabotage” is filmed to resemble the opening credits of a 1970s cop show, such as Hawaii Five-O or Starsky and Hutch, with the Beastie Boys wearing sunglasses and some ridiculously bad wigs. “Sabotage” is a hilarious video, even though the artists play it straight. The joke is built into the premise, as well as the Beastie Boys’ total commitment. It’s a simple style of faux-serious comedy for Documentary now, The Lonely Island and Eric Andre.
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Hip Hop Hooray – Naughty by Nature
Spike Lee
Spike Lee’s films often take inspiration from hip-hop culture, so it makes sense that he’s directed music videos for Public Enemy, Eminem, and Naughty by Nature. Lee stands in front of the camera in the “Hip Hop Hooray” music video, just as he does in some of his films. He performs the video in front of a crowd and can also be seen near the end of the video as the audience takes him away.
Spike Lee’s films often take inspiration from hip-hop culture, so it makes sense that he’s directed music videos for Public Enemy, Eminem, and Naughty by Nature.
Lee and Naughty by Nature is joined in the music video by a host of hip-hop stars, including Tupac, Run-DMC and Eazy-E. This reflects the song’s lyrics, which are a celebration of the genre, shouting out other groups like A Tribe Called Quest and Leaders of the New School. The video was shot to look like a big party in Brooklyn, interspersed with some domestic scenes that relate to the style and lyrics.
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Bad – Michael Jackson
Martin Scorsese
Very few artists, if any, have produced as many iconic music videos as Michael Jackson. “Beat It”, “Thriller”, “Smooth Criminal” and others show the immense impact he had on music and fashion. His signature dance moves are obviously key, but Jackson also developed fun, original ideas for videos alongside some excellent directors. Spike Lee, David Fincher and Martin Scorsese have all worked with Jackson at one point or another.
“Bad” was Martin Scorsese’s first music video and became a classic.
“Bad” was Martin Scorsese’s first music video and became a classic. The video puts the focus on Michael Jackson’s dancing, but also takes inspiration from Michael Jackson’s street dancing style. West Side Historywith dancers snapping their fingers and running towards the camera. Martin Scorsese’s best films include biopics and crime dramas, but he has always professed his love for musicals.
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A little of your love – Haim
Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson has directed music videos for Radiohead, Fiona Apple and Joanna Newsom, but his long-running collaboration with Haim is something else entirely. Starting with 2017’s “Right Now,” Anderson essentially became Haim’s resident director, creating 10 music videos for the band. Anderson also cast Alana Haim in his 2021 comedy Licorice Pizza.
Anderson essentially became Haim’s resident director, creating 10 music videos for the band.
Even before they started working with Anderson, Haim developed a unique style in their music videos. They often filmed outdoors using natural light, used long takes, and did a lot of brisk walking. Anderson has maintained these characteristics in his music videos, but he also has many of his own ideas. “Little of Your Love” is a catchy song, so Anderson had Haim dance in a Los Angeles bar, practically inviting the audience to join in.
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Karma Police – Radiohead
Jonathan Glazer
Before making his film debut in 2000 Sexy Beast, Jonathan Glazer began his career as a director working on music videos. Throughout the 1990s he worked with bands such as Massive Attack, Blur and Jamiroquai. His music videos tell short, abstract stories that invite the viewer to decipher their own meaning. This style is perfect for music videos, as fans tend to watch them over and over again.
Throughout the 1990s he worked with bands such as Massive Attack, Blur and Jamiroquai.
The video for Radiohead’s “Karma Police” begins with a long shot that shows a car slowly chasing a man down an empty road, shown from the driver’s perspective. It’s a simple composition, but it raises all sorts of questions about the relationships between the different characters, including Thom Yorke sitting in the back seat, watching with a hint of boredom on his face. The video’s enigmatic and disturbing tone has a lot in common with Glazer’s 2013 sci-fi film. Under the skin.
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Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen
Brian De Palma
Scar and Mission: Impossible Director Brian De Palma directed Bruce Springsteen’s music video for “Dancing in the Dark,” but it would be impossible to tell based on the video itself. “Dancing in the Dark” is a simple performance video, with the added detail that Springsteen brings a fan on stage to dance with him. The video was filmed at one of Springsteen’s concerts in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with extra filming taking place the day before.
Brian De Palma directed Bruce Springsteen’s music video for “Dancing in the Dark,” but it would be impossible to tell based on the video itself.
Even though “Dancing in the Dark” is a simple video, there are still some details that make it interesting. For example, the fan in the video is played by Friends star Courteney Cox, 10 years before the sitcom aired its first episode. Cox was just 20 years old at the time and a completely unknown actor. In more sitcom trivia, Springsteen’s dance in the video inspired Alfonso Ribeiro to create the “Carlton” dance for New Prince of Bel-Air.
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Houdini – Promote the people
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Oscar-winning duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert are most famous for the surreal sci-fi comedy Everything everywhere at once, but they made many creative music videos before transitioning to film. Each of his videos is like a window into one of the Best Picture winner’s parallel universes, one that’s far stranger and more vibrant than our own. They mainly worked with indie bands during the music video era, but they also directed the video for DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What”.
Foster the People’s “Houdini” has the same irreverent humor as Everything everywhere at once, but has more in common with a previous film directed by the Daniels: Swiss Army Man. “Houdini” begins with the band being crushed to death, but the band’s record company is undeterred and decides to finish filming the video by turning their lifeless bodies into puppets. This appears to be an early version of the idea behind Swiss Army Man, which features similar dark humor.