My dad is 63 and he’s never touched a computer in his life. He’s never written on someone’s wall. He’s never read a blog. He’s never uploaded a photo. And he’ll never see this post. So when I explain to him that I’m passionate about music videos, I’m met with silence. For him, music videos are crude, performance-driven pieces that aren’t all that creative. But today, the music video has been reborn on the internet, and MTV doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have anything to do with it.
A few months ago, The Wall Street Journal ran a piece commenting on how music videos are being reinvented. They cost less. They’re more interactive. And people are jumping online to watch them. All very true. But they’re also showing us something else: a new breed of directors.
When digital video cameras first came out, people thought that everyone was going to be a filmmaker. And while YouTube showed us that was true, it didn’t mean everyone would be good at it. Good short films never found a home on the internet. Great music videos did, and they were more experimental than ever. There wasn’t money in them anymore, but the videos were (and continue to be) better than anything we saw in MTV’s heyday.
At Equal Sons, we love music videos because they showcase what directors can do with nothing. Without the confines of a narrative, a brand, or a huge studio, directors are free to do whatever they want. They’re how we find new voices for the film and commercial worlds. What my dad doesn’t know is that a new breed of directors has emerged… and they’re better, more engaging, more creative, more budget-conscious, and more interesting than ever.
Side note: Every Friday we post some of the best new musics videos on our Twitter feed. Follow us and see what we’re talking about.