IN DEPTH: Snoop Dogg "Sensual Seduction"

Music video director Melina knew this was not a typical Snoop Dogg song from the moment she heard it – and knew she had to get something different on screen. "Right from the beginning, Snoop was down for anything," says Melina, "and I knew it was going to be a lot of fun."

The visual touchstones were clips for Shalimar and Prince, but with a twist of humor. Melina notes, "The song is not too serious, so the video had to match. When we got to the set and Snoop was really going for it, it was amazing. He had all the dance moves and he really delivered a great performance. Snoop actually wanted to go further with a crazy Jheri Curl."

The dancers were shown clips of old Vanity 6 videos as references, and some mistakes and mis-steps were included in the finished video. The clip was shot on 16mm as well as a "vintage" video camera from the early '80s, that distorted some colors, but helped distill the look. As Melina worked with DP Omer Ganai, they purposefully zoomed and moved the camera at unexpected times – trying to mess each other up and catch the "seat of your pants" feel of early videos.

After the shoot was done there was even more fun to be had: The finished, on-lined clip was put through a regular VCR. "All along," Melina says, "I wanted to run the footage through a VCR, but it turns out that nobody had one. We went to a shady pawn shop in Santa Monica and bought a used VCR and ran the video through that three separate times to get just the right degraded, old school look." Melina also gave a shout-out to the guys at Baked Goods who created the classic video effects and the look of a VHS tape starting and stopping that bookends the video.

"That job was so much fun,' says Melina, "I wish I could do more videos like that."

--> watch "Sensual Seduction" via YouTube
(come on, it was shot on video and on-lined through a VCR 3x. YouTube compression just adds to the charm!)

Snoop Dogg "Sensual Seduction" (Geffen)
Melina, director | Steven Johnson, producer | Factory Features, production co | Omer Ganai, DP | Jarrett Fijal, editor | Baked Goods, vfx (note: Melina remains signed with Black Dog Films)

NEW RELEASE: The White Stripes "Conquest"

There's nothing like the rallying cry of the Spanish matador and his quest for glory and adventure. The White Stripes — who are no less than modern-day troubadours themselves — play the roles of matador and sword servant, but instead of highlighting the romance as Madonna did in"Take A Bow," they go for an off-beat humor that befits them well. The video ends gloriously indeed, but the actual bullfight owes more to the slapstick of Charlie Chaplin or Bugs Bunny than it does to the machismo of Russell Crowe. (review by Kevin Holy) --> watch "Conquest" via MTV.com or YouTube

The White Stripes "Conquest" (Third Man/Warner Bros.)
Diane Martel, director | Oualid Mouaness, producer | HSI, production co | Wyatt Troll, DP | Chad Spikin, editor

BOOKED: Baby D - Dale "Rage" Resteghini, director

artist: Baby D feat. UNK
song: "I'm Bout Money"
label: Big Oomp/Koch
director(s): Dale "Rage" Reseghini
production co: Raging Nation Films
rep: Yell Productions

SHOT: Britney Spears - Wayne Isham, director

I actually think Wayne Isham and Britney Spears could star together in a good buddy cop  movie... Something like Freebie And The Bean, maybe?

artist: Britney Spears
song: "Piece Of Me"
label: Jive/ZLG
director(s): Wayne Isham
production co: Merge @ Crossroads

NEW RELEASE: Dolly Parton "Better Get To Livin"

While I'm always wary about taking life advice from a carny, I might make an exception for the legendary Dolly Parton. The country singer stars as a traveling carnival performer whose main trick seems to be captivating an audience with the sort of aphorisms one would expect from the Dolly Lama (it's her pun, not mine). And, while the video doesn't star any geeks or freaks, it does include Amy Sedaris and a spider monkey. If only Lobster Boy was still alive today... Just think of the career he might have had in music videos. --> watch "Better Get To Livin"via YouTube or CMT.com

Dolly Parton "Better Get To Livin" (Dolly)
Steven Lippman aka Flip, director/editor | Jeremy L Kotin & David Bartolomi, producer | Flip Productions, production co | David Teague, DP | Jeremy L Kotin, co-editor

BOOKED: Taylor Dane - Tony Duran, director

Photographer Tony Duran is directing a new video for Taylor Dane, she of the "Tell It To My Heart" fame...

artist: Taylor Dane
song: "Beautiful"
label: Intention Music
director(s): Tony Duran
production co: Kleiner, Inc.

NEW RELEASE: St. Vincent "Jesus Saves, I Spend"

Ah, merit badges. What better way for a budding Scout to show his worth than to have ten or twenty of them sewn on his sash? Sure, it's a little bit dorky, but what else should kids do with their free time (besides multi-tasking, apparently)? Directors Andy Bruntel and AV Clubber Bucky Fukumoto make Scouting cool again in this whimsical clip for St. Vincent aka Annie Clark. Theyre's a few new badges that sound like totally awesome additions to the BSA lineup, especially the one for Book Eating. (review by Kevin Holy) --> watch "Jesus Saves, I Spend"

St. Vincent "Jesus Saves, I Spend" (Beggars)
Andy Bruntel & Bucky Fukumoto, director | Daniella Southgate, producer | AV Club /The Directors Bureau, production co | Marc Ritzema, DP | John Paul Horstmann, editor |  Megan Fenton, production designer

SHOT: Rocko - Rich Newey, director

Shot in Atlanta...

artist: Rocko
song: "Umma Do Me"
label: Island Urban/IDJMG
director(s): Rich Newey
production co: Terrero Films
rep: Laure Scott Representation

BOOKED: Wild Sweet Orange - Don Tyler, director

artist: Wild Sweet Orange
song: "Wrestle With God"
label: Canvasback
director(s): Don Tyler
production co: Red 40 Productions

NEW RELEASE: Dusty Rhodes/River Band "Dear Honey"

Dusty Rhodes — no relation, I don't think, with the wrestler — and The River Band deliver a '60s-laced folk rock tune as they work some magical mines in this video from the new directing duo Jurassic Technology. The oxymoronical nature of that name should clue you in to the mix of old and new tricks — which you can get a taste of in this brief Making Of — that were used to create a silly underworld vibe that lands somewhere between Fraggle Rock and Land Of The Lost. --> watch "Dear Honey"

Dusty Rhodes & The River Band  "Dear Honey" (Side One Dummy)
Jurassic Technology, directors | Bob Zarzal, producer | Martin Dicicco, DP | Mike Madrid, editor