November 2012

Director Travis Kopach on Kid Rock "Let's Ride"

Travis Kopach, director:

"As a director (and skateboarder) run production company, we did what we’ve always done: That is, make videos that make sense for the song.  There’s no need for a five page in-depth article about how and why this was made.  I’m not that kind of director and this isn’t that kind of music video.

'Let’s Ride' is about going to war and the willingness to give your life for your country.  Kid Rock has always been a strong supporter of the troops and I have a brother going through basic training right now.  We did what made sense; we shot a giant performance in Detroit and set it against real footage of troops on the ground.  It’s stripped backed, it’s real and it’s anti Hollywood."

WATCH IT: The Rolling Stones "Doom And Gloom" (Jonas Akerlund, dir.)

Surrounded by gluttony, greed, sex and all the other supposed deadly sins have no effect on The Rolling Stones, who plow straight ahead with their best single in years (and not just because it's their only single in years). While the band are as undeterred as always on the task at hand, director Jonas Akerlund  sets actress Noomi Rapace on a chaotic (and sometime topless) journey that hurtles toward madness and runs the gamut from a Zombie attack to fronting The Stones for a few quick shots. --> watch "Doom And Gloom"

WATCH IT: Kid Cudi/WZRD "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie" (Walter Robot, dir.)

I wonder if it's a coincidence that the two videos that feature Kid Cudi dreaming were both initially shelved, only to leak later on to raves. The last one was the trippy Megaforce opus "Pursuit Of Happiness" and now we have "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie" from his rock project WZRD. Walter Robot mine similar night terror territory — but on a smaller scale — that's typified by a beating heart bed and a chasm in the floor. --> watch "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie"

WATCH IT: Mr MFN eXquire "The Message" (Shane Annas, dir.)

Cudi says, "All my videos will be in a baroque frame. I create art, so it will be presented as such. ART IN MOTION," thus resurrecting the old "Award Tour" vibe. That trend continues with Mr MFN eXquire rocking a  skeuomorphic Gold Frame border. Also a potential trend? Using Al Jazeera instead of CNN as the template for a fake news broadcast.  --> watch "The Message Pt 1 & 2"

WATCH IT: Florence + The Machine "Lover To Lover" (Vincent Haycock, dir.)

In the past few years we've seen more and more "narrative" videos that are shot with a "you are there" documentary vibe, doing away with the old A/B structure interspersing performance around a story. "Lover To Lover" has performance, but it's done in a style that matches the new verite/dogma vibe: Florence Welch doesn't perform to camera; She remains in-character, singing in a way that feels real to this story  of a isintegrating relationship. And director Vincent Haycock never lets the story dictate the flow, smartly prioritizing the emotional heft as she moves from fiery rage to serene release.

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