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John Landis Talks About the Ultimate Vanity Video: Thriller

"What’s important to remember is Thriller had already become the most successful album of all time. So this is what was called a vanity video... They don’t sell records; they’re there to make the artist happy.”  — John Landis, director [via Newsweek]

It's hard to argue with "Thrille" as the Greatest Video Of All Time, and it's even harder to find fault with this retelling of the video's Behind The Scenes story via Newsweek.

At the time "Thriller" was considered an exercise in artistic excess: Spending over 10x the normal budget on a nearly 14 minute opus that was part horror film and part dance extravaganza is not generally considered smart business. But, nearly everything about the video became a cultural landmark from the wardrobe to the dance and let's face it: The video was all Zombies before Zombies were all the rage.

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Director Jason Beattie Continues The Music Video Mixtape of Unused Ideas

Week Two of director Jason Beattie's archive of unused music video ideas is up now at jasonbeattie.com...

As I said with Week One:  You can take it as an exercise of What If, a journey through good ideas that couldn't find a good fit, or, a way for a director to show creativity even when they don't get the jobs.

Check em out and download the PDFs at jasonbeattie.com...

The American Spectator Has Found The Best Post-MTV Video

Yo, Pixies, I'm a big fan and I'm really happy for you, and I'ma let this dude from The American Spectator finish, but your new video "Snakes" is most definitely not "the best music video of the post-MTV era."

The latest "Music Videos Are Dead, Long Live Music Videos" article comes from conservative outlet American Spectator, which has apparently just discovered that videos are online and that they sometimes don't feature the band.

That's not to say the article isn't without its charms. I do quite like this bit about the declime of the big budget video empire: 

The paradox of music videos is that they grew worse as their budgets grew better. Initially, too-literal visual interpretations of lyrics, cheap, clichéd images such as smashing glass, and singers earnestly acting as actors signaled disaster. Later, when the productions resembled, in budget at least, a typical James Cameron film, the pretentiousness clashed with the inherently kitsch format. Think “November Rain.” Aspiring to make an epic music video misses the point.

So, go ahead and read more at The American Spectator. And watch that Pixies video, which we actually quite like, even if I would hesitate to call it "positively Shyamalanian if not Hitchcockian." I do agree with "oddball" and "off-kilter," however.

Here's Your "Fill in The Blanks" Music Video Treatment

My friend Doug would say this is Inside Baseball, but what the hell: It is Spring Training...

I still wait for that perfect Generic Band Video — save your snark, people — but someone has submitted a treatment for it...

Feel free to re-use Generic Fill In The Blanks Video Treatment for any video project. It's like Mad Libs, but not trademarked and featuring a mood board (and a Gregory Crewsdon reference photo, of course).

Missing? The word edgy isn't used a single time. Also, most video briefs are anywhere near this brief (even though this clocks in at nine pages)...

Director Jason Beattie Starts The Music Video Mixtape of Unused Ideas

Most directors I know do more writing than directing — pitching "treatments" for every video soliciation that comes their way, hoping their idea piques some interest and get them the gig.

Alas, most of these videos never get past the treatment stage, resulting in a backlog of many ideas.

Director Jason Beattie has decided that his ideas don't need to sit in a folder buried deep on a hard drive, deciding to release a new batch of unaccepted video ides every single week.

Week One is out today and you can take it as an exercise of What If, a journey through good ideas that couldn't find a good fit, or, a way for a director to show creativity even when they don't get the jobs.

Check em out and download the PDFs at jasonbeattie.com...

Director Marc Webb Talks Spider Man 2 and His First Music Videos

The press onslaught for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is now in full swing (get it?), which means the film's director Marc Webb has begun the interview circuit, covering both his big budget superhero series and his music video background.

His in-depth piece with The Daily Beast is a great example, covering his entry into music videos and how they served as a sort of film school for him...

Marc Webb:  When I was about 25, I signed with a production company, DNA. It was very small but run by this guy, David Naylor, who’s sort of this godfather of music videos. It was Francis Larwence, who’s now directing The Hunger Games, myself, and this woman named Liz Friedlander. I was the baby of the group and learned a lot. At DNA, no one was a music critic. You just wanted to work. So I directed over 100 music videos because I just wanted to create... 

Reach more at The Daily Beast...

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Guerilla Hollywood Welcomes Directors Jesse Sternbaum & Mattias Erik Johannson

Guerilla Hollywood is proud to welcome Director Jesse Sternbaum as well as Swedish Director Mattias Erik Johannson. Jesse is riding the wave of success from his latest project for AVICCI's "Hey Brother", While Mattias is ready to break into the US Market after much acclaim for his work in The UK and Sweden. Welcome to the team gentlemen.

Visit guerillahollywood.com...

Did Vimeo Kill The Video Star?

Or, is there a bigger picture here?

The video director Twitterverse fell into an uproar over the past few days with the sudden takedown of many videos for copyright infringement.

Some background info, for those who mostly watch cat videos on YouTube (it's ok, we all do):

Vimeo has become a haven for creatives to showcase their work, thanks to a pristine player, advanced control over where your video gets shared or embedded, and a community of active directors and other artists. There's no advertising; instead it's largely sustained through Vimeo Plus, Pro and Business accounts which give you added features, added storage space and other things which may be necessities depending on your needs.

Do Directors Have the Right to Show Their Works?

Music video directors mostly do Work For Hire, which is a simple, yet loaded term which essentially means: Directors have no ownership or other rights to the content they create. They've been hired, they do the work, they move on.

Before the Internet, directors almost always retained the right to show their work on what was called a Director's Showreel, which would be used for sales purposes in getting new directing jobs. It was a safe careveout since the only way to see one was to call a rep and request a reel; It was an expensive and time consuming process since it usually involved a Beta SP tape. And it's now archaic, since the internet made the physical Showreel as pointless as a DVD or a CD or a 3/4" tape.

In a way, Vimeo has become the modern Director's Showreel, something the site has seemingly encouraged. As opposed to YouTube, where you can upload anything for any reason, Vimeo's upload recommendations require the uploader to have some creative connection to the making of the video (and, have the necessary copyrights and approvals, of course).

So, What Happened?

Many directors who had videos on Vimeo with apparently no problems for years — garnering lots of views, lots of comments and even official Vimeo Staff Picks — suddenly found some of their videos removed for copyright infringement. 

It'd take some serious blinders to not assume this is related to the 2009 EMI Labels lawsuit against Vimeo, stating that . And strangely, the original lawsuit was triggered by lipdubs, but now seems to have gathered steam to cover much, much more. The takeway could be that Vimeo might need to play by the same rules as YouTube — in terms of licensing and takedowns — which could be a sign that Vimeo can no longer be viewed as just an giant online Showreel, or a niche outlet, but something capable of moving the needle and making everyone money.

Except the directors, but that's a different editorial... 

In Memory of Scott Kalvert

Scott Kalvert started in the music video business when there was no business. Someone had to carve the livestock path that would eventually turn into a street that ran the length of Manhattan that would end up being called 'Broadway.' That was Scott, hacking through the underbrush and leaving a trail that others would end up widening, paving, and decorating with glittering lights.

Scott's credit list is deep and wide - ranging from Barenaked Ladies to O.D.B. The video that put him (and hip-hop) on the map was the unforgettable DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's "Parents Just Don't Understand." That clip helped hip-hop get a foothold on MTV - proving that rappers could reach audiences far outside the five boroughs. Scott had such a long-lasting impact that he made clips for Will Smith before he was Will Smith and stuck around long enough to shoot Lil Wayne videos. Oh yeah, he directed guys named Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg in 'Basketball Diaries' - making him one of the first video director to launch himself into feautures.

Scott was usually pulsing with plans for what was next and filled every room with his booming, unmistakably New York voice - almost too big for his slight frame. No reluctant label executive or un-cooperative budget line ever held him back. 

Scott leaves behind his wife Sonia and daughters Madison and Tyler.

UPDATE: Official obituary notices have started to hit the media, with reports that his death is being investigated as a suicide. [SG]

Why Spike Jonze Winning An Oscar Matters

Spike Jonze winning an Oscar in the Screenwriting category for Her is perhaps the best lesson any up-and-coming music video director can learn.

The old rub against music video directors making movies is that it's all flash and action, but no substance or structure or story. Video people have been trained that every second needs to be amazing, needs to be impressive, even if it's at the cost of narrative cohesion or emotion.

And while Spike has delivered plenty of amazing visuals and brain teasers over the course of his feature career, it's his ability to nail emotion and story that's establishing him as primarily a movie director for a new generation of viewers. 

It's like the story about Bruce Springsteen, who initially gained notice as the "Fastest Guitar in Asbury Park." It was a good niche, one he may have been able to ride into a nice career, but nowhere near as nice as the promised land he entered by learning to write and perform a perfect song.

So, Spike winning his first Oscar for WRITING and not directing — for prioritizing story and emotion over cleverness —  is probably a very sweet moment for him. And a reminder that a video without an idea is... well, you can fill in the metaphor of your choice.