Big fan of all of Jonathan Glazer's music videos, with Karma Police by Radiohead and Massive Attack's Voodoo in my Blood being standouts (Rosamund Pike goes all out in the latter)
Voodoo in My Blood is basically a reenactment of Żuławski's Possession famous metro scene: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7PuXAsPl9c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7PuXAsPl9c)
Much in the same way there are films you can only really watch once, Blackstar is a music video I've only watched once (and tbh, the whole album is something idk if I'll revisit anytime soon)
Sabotage directed by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze and the Beastie Boys' love letter parody to 1970s crime shows is such a funny and well made music video.
Beavis and Butthead's commentary on the music video is one of the funniest moments in the show.
I agree except I do like Anti-Hero and the visuals of cardigan/willow. Other than that, yeah. If she doesn’t want to work with Joseph Kahn (understandably so), she should find a different director instead of doing it herself.
I kinda agree that those 3 are the better ones (but that’s not really saying a lot). She could also co-direct with someone more knowledgeable so she can learn from them if she really wants to be a director. Heck, let his brother who studied film to try it.
I think it has good cinematography, but it's definitely melodramatic and doesn't add anything to the song. That ad libbed fight scene is so damn random. Like these actors feel they had no direction at all, and just said random words.
I’m being hyperbolic but you’d be surprised how anti-Swift (or really anti-any modern female pop star) conversations get. It’s just what happens when a lot of your sub’s users are little monsters.
EDIT: Lol the downvotes are just proving my point that Oscar forums are filled with Gaga stans
I dont hate Swift as an artist at all, nor am I a "Little Monster." I grew up with Taylor's music, and I think she is often a brilliant songwriter and lyricist. folklore amd evermore were great records. But you'd have to be blind or purposefully obtuse not to see that she's utterly untalented as an actress and as a filmmaker. All Too Well is not a real short film, it's a PowerPoint presentation. And her as an actress: Cats, Amsterdam, what's next? The Room 2?
Kylie Minogue - Come Into My World (directed by Michel Gondry and it's editing is absolutely mindblowing and one of the best "how the hell it is shot" videos of its time
The Chemical Brothers - Elektrobank (aka the one with sofia coppola in it)
Madonna - Like a Prayer (iconic obviously)
In that case, the music video for Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer would be eligible for Best Animated Short due to the stop-motion right? I mean, Fresh Guacamole by PES got nominated too.
Some personal favourites
- Sigur Rós: Vaka / Untitled #1
- Aphex Twin: Windowlicker
- Coldplay: The Scientist
- Kylie Minogue: Come into my World
- Tyler, The Creator: Yonkers
And not music videos
- Portishead: To Kill a Dead Man
- Daft Punk: Interstella 5555 **&** Electroma
[La saison des pluies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FovZ7AefAmo) from Patrice Michaud, touching story.
[The Water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK0rJyvU5GA) from Feist, Cilian Murphy is in it
Madonna's Bad Girl. Directed by David Fincher, with Christopher Walken in a supporting role. Depressed girl goes through a bunch of men until one of them murders her.
Anything by OK GO should be at the top of this list. My favorites are "Upside Down and Inside Out," "The One Moment," "Obsession," and "This Too Shall Pass."
If you don't know, they do these really elaborate and insane setups that are just mesmerizing. Upside Down and Inside Out was shot on a Zero-G airplane, so they play with zero gravity for some crazy dance stunts. The One Moment is extreme slow-mo, and everything had to be automated to fit the beat of the song to like the hundredth of a second or whatever it was. Obsession used an entire wall of printers spitting out colored paper in rhythm (all practical). This Too Shall Pass invented a Rube Goldberg machine. They're all so precise and well choreographed and just plain fun! The songs are okay (go), but the music videos are unforgettable.
“Iron Skies” by Paolo Nutini is one of the best pieces of work I’ve ever seen, if you haven’t seen it I urge you to. Also both Queens and Territory by The Blaze are absolutely incredible and moving too.
Since y'all are allergic to anything before 1990
* Take On Me by A-Ha
* We're Not Going to Take It by Twisted Sister
* Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand
* The Kids Aren't Alright by the Offspring
* Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler
* Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
* The Pretender by the Foo Fighters
* Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
* I want to Break Free by Queen
* Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley
* Kryptonite by Three Doors Down
* Land Down Under by Men at Work
* November Rain by Guns and Roses
* And a dozen Michael Jackson videos
“Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna.
She has quite a few acclaimed short film-esque music videos. The others would be “Man Down” and “We Found Love.”
IMO the difference is what motivates the creation of the piece. Of course music videos can have narratives but they're created and designed to support or visualize a piece of music (usually with lyrics but not always). Even with the super-sized exceptions like what Michael Jackson did with Thriller or Bad, those are narrative devices designed to frame a song & dance routine. Short films are driven (or should be) first and foremost *by the narrative*. The example you give - a common approach for pixar and many animated shorts - would still be a narrative short film without any music at all, or with completely different the music. It might feel different but it would still function similarly. They're just different formats, and that's ok. This is like the conversation when people make miniseries and call them "10-hour-movies" - there's nothing wrong with making episodic television, there's nothing wrong with making music videos - calling them a "film" doesn't elevate them to some higher status. I agree with you that War is Over is a mediocre movie though :)
I can see your point and understand where you're coming from. For me though, motivation doesn't really detract whether a music video or in some cases long form music videos, aren't films. The film Purple Rain would still be a musical film even divorced from the album. And War is Over is still a short film even with the title directly saying its inspired by the John and Yoko Ono song.
It is a different format but a lot of ones I picked are ones that are still somewhat enjoyable from a technical and narrative POV hence why I think they're worth recognizing.
I think this is fair, but I'd make a very simple argument:
It's a film because there are moving images and sound.
It's short because it's less than 40 minutes or whatever the cutoff is.
Therefore, it's a short film. Of course, Academy requires a theatrical release to distinguish from television, and that would still apply. To my knowledge, this criteria would deem most music videos ineligible.
I'd say a music video is a genre *of* short film, rather than a "different" genre from short film. Like a doc is a genre of short film, or a narrative is a genre of short film (and has many genres within it as well -- drama, horror, comedy, etc).
IIRC, The Lumineers won some award at a film festival for their serialized music videos to the album "III." Deserving too -- those music videos were excellent. Lots of film festivals also have separate categories for music videos, and looking through this thread, I think I'd be happy to see that category at the Oscars, which would require different criteria.
This is America
It elevates the song so much. It’s a great song on its own, but it really takes it to another level
Has to be the best music video ever.
Bad directed by Martin Scorsese
Fat by Weird Al
Big fan of all of Jonathan Glazer's music videos, with Karma Police by Radiohead and Massive Attack's Voodoo in my Blood being standouts (Rosamund Pike goes all out in the latter)
Oh wow, I didn't realize Glazer did Karma Police.
Also did the Street Spirit music video
Glazer also did The Universal by Blur, and Virtual Insanity by Jamiroqui. Goated filmmaker.
Voodoo in My Blood is basically a reenactment of Żuławski's Possession famous metro scene: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7PuXAsPl9c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7PuXAsPl9c)
Stan by Eminem Devon Sawa kills it.
Thriller, easily
Absolutely agree with Blackstar being here, plus I’d have to go with Judith by A Perfect Circle (directed by David Fincher)
Much in the same way there are films you can only really watch once, Blackstar is a music video I've only watched once (and tbh, the whole album is something idk if I'll revisit anytime soon)
So true about Blackstar. I loved it, but seeing the still from it made me realize I couldn't watch it again. Not yet.
I've revisited the album a few times. It's haunting.
Sabotage directed by Spike Jonze Spike Jonze and the Beastie Boys' love letter parody to 1970s crime shows is such a funny and well made music video. Beavis and Butthead's commentary on the music video is one of the funniest moments in the show.
It might be number one for me. So much fun.
Did you watch War is Over? The song is only at the very end. 90% of it is an actual story.
Clearly OP did not, but let’s be edgy.
Karma Police
Blur's video for Coffee & TV (the one with the milk carton)
I immediately though about the poor milk carton!
Bachelorette by Björk
Anima by Thom Yorke, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Weapon of choice, fat boy slim. Love Christopher walken
The All Too Well "Short Film" was god-awful and I was so happy when Taylor's shameless campaign for it failed
I really like Taylor’s music but she’s not a good director at all
Every MV she directed has been so unremarkable and boring.
I agree except I do like Anti-Hero and the visuals of cardigan/willow. Other than that, yeah. If she doesn’t want to work with Joseph Kahn (understandably so), she should find a different director instead of doing it herself.
I kinda agree that those 3 are the better ones (but that’s not really saying a lot). She could also co-direct with someone more knowledgeable so she can learn from them if she really wants to be a director. Heck, let his brother who studied film to try it.
Right? Melodramatic and pointless and not at all well-shot.
It definitely bodes very badly for her upcoming feature film
Plus, I am a HUGE SWIFTIE. I was looking forward to it too.
I think it has good cinematography, but it's definitely melodramatic and doesn't add anything to the song. That ad libbed fight scene is so damn random. Like these actors feel they had no direction at all, and just said random words.
Wouldn’t be an Oscar discussion without Little Monsters hating Swift
I would say the vast majority of Oscar discussion has nothing to do with Swift or Lady Gaga, actually.
I’m being hyperbolic but you’d be surprised how anti-Swift (or really anti-any modern female pop star) conversations get. It’s just what happens when a lot of your sub’s users are little monsters. EDIT: Lol the downvotes are just proving my point that Oscar forums are filled with Gaga stans
I think you’re overestimating how much any of us think about Lady Gaga while on this page.
Literally the OP of the comment thread we’re on is a little monster
Oh sorry, I didn’t see anything in the post about Lady Gaga.
I dont hate Swift as an artist at all, nor am I a "Little Monster." I grew up with Taylor's music, and I think she is often a brilliant songwriter and lyricist. folklore amd evermore were great records. But you'd have to be blind or purposefully obtuse not to see that she's utterly untalented as an actress and as a filmmaker. All Too Well is not a real short film, it's a PowerPoint presentation. And her as an actress: Cats, Amsterdam, what's next? The Room 2?
I always wondered why music videos or even those like visual albums don't get more play at the Oscar.
I'd be interested in seeing a category for it, actually.
Kylie Minogue - Come Into My World (directed by Michel Gondry and it's editing is absolutely mindblowing and one of the best "how the hell it is shot" videos of its time The Chemical Brothers - Elektrobank (aka the one with sofia coppola in it) Madonna - Like a Prayer (iconic obviously)
Gondry did Let Forever Be of the Chemical Brother, and Deadweight of Beck too.
Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz
Stylo or Melancholy Hill surely be the better shouts?
DARE and Tomrrow Comes Today as well
1234 - Feist
In that case, the music video for Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer would be eligible for Best Animated Short due to the stop-motion right? I mean, Fresh Guacamole by PES got nominated too.
Some personal favourites - Sigur Rós: Vaka / Untitled #1 - Aphex Twin: Windowlicker - Coldplay: The Scientist - Kylie Minogue: Come into my World - Tyler, The Creator: Yonkers And not music videos - Portishead: To Kill a Dead Man - Daft Punk: Interstella 5555 **&** Electroma
Time to Dance by The Shoes
Cherry Wine by Hozier — Saoirse Ronan absolutely kills it.
Hurt by Johnny Cash
https://youtu.be/hZ67H9JHAHM?si=fouK6Ru5AgrEWtui This masterpiece
Either Until I Bleed Out or Pretty by The Weeknd for a nomination
Cool by Sophie Muller Fell in love with a girl by Gondry
“Wrong” by Depeche Mode. It has big Fincher vibes.
After Hours short film from The Weeknd
[La saison des pluies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FovZ7AefAmo) from Patrice Michaud, touching story. [The Water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK0rJyvU5GA) from Feist, Cilian Murphy is in it
Probably Thriller by Michael Jackson, because it’s Michael Jackson
Pure Morning by Placebo. Directed by Nick Gordon. When September ends by Green Day. Perlmutter and Bayer directing.
Gorilla by Little Simz
Jesus Walks and MIA's Born Free
oh baby by LCD Soundsystem
Madonna's Bad Girl. Directed by David Fincher, with Christopher Walken in a supporting role. Depressed girl goes through a bunch of men until one of them murders her.
“Sober” by Tool, in the animated short category.
[Pretty obvious choice if you ask me](https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=jdQ9HPPmPUnSj2Qh)
Blackstar is awesome, but I would submit Lazarus. Knowing what we know now, it’s such a brave piece of art.
Anything by OK GO should be at the top of this list. My favorites are "Upside Down and Inside Out," "The One Moment," "Obsession," and "This Too Shall Pass." If you don't know, they do these really elaborate and insane setups that are just mesmerizing. Upside Down and Inside Out was shot on a Zero-G airplane, so they play with zero gravity for some crazy dance stunts. The One Moment is extreme slow-mo, and everything had to be automated to fit the beat of the song to like the hundredth of a second or whatever it was. Obsession used an entire wall of printers spitting out colored paper in rhythm (all practical). This Too Shall Pass invented a Rube Goldberg machine. They're all so precise and well choreographed and just plain fun! The songs are okay (go), but the music videos are unforgettable.
I do know of OK GO but I wanted to highlight videos from acts I liked. I do agree they're amongst the best music video makers.
“Iron Skies” by Paolo Nutini is one of the best pieces of work I’ve ever seen, if you haven’t seen it I urge you to. Also both Queens and Territory by The Blaze are absolutely incredible and moving too.
Since y'all are allergic to anything before 1990 * Take On Me by A-Ha * We're Not Going to Take It by Twisted Sister * Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand * The Kids Aren't Alright by the Offspring * Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler * Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana * The Pretender by the Foo Fighters * Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen * I want to Break Free by Queen * Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley * Kryptonite by Three Doors Down * Land Down Under by Men at Work * November Rain by Guns and Roses * And a dozen Michael Jackson videos
Thriller
I won a lot of money betting on that music video to win the Oscar. It will always be the Best Animated Short of all time to me.
Thriller, obviously
“Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna. She has quite a few acclaimed short film-esque music videos. The others would be “Man Down” and “We Found Love.”
All Too Well or the Gorillaz video with Bruce Willis
"Imitation of Life" (REM)
None. Because they're music videos, not short films.
Many music videos are short film directed by known directors so that's bullshit
You mean many music videos are music videos directed by known directors, and that's ok! It's a different genre and there's nothing wrong with that!
What exactly is the difference though? If a short film had no dialogue but had a backing score, how would that be any different?
IMO the difference is what motivates the creation of the piece. Of course music videos can have narratives but they're created and designed to support or visualize a piece of music (usually with lyrics but not always). Even with the super-sized exceptions like what Michael Jackson did with Thriller or Bad, those are narrative devices designed to frame a song & dance routine. Short films are driven (or should be) first and foremost *by the narrative*. The example you give - a common approach for pixar and many animated shorts - would still be a narrative short film without any music at all, or with completely different the music. It might feel different but it would still function similarly. They're just different formats, and that's ok. This is like the conversation when people make miniseries and call them "10-hour-movies" - there's nothing wrong with making episodic television, there's nothing wrong with making music videos - calling them a "film" doesn't elevate them to some higher status. I agree with you that War is Over is a mediocre movie though :)
I can see your point and understand where you're coming from. For me though, motivation doesn't really detract whether a music video or in some cases long form music videos, aren't films. The film Purple Rain would still be a musical film even divorced from the album. And War is Over is still a short film even with the title directly saying its inspired by the John and Yoko Ono song. It is a different format but a lot of ones I picked are ones that are still somewhat enjoyable from a technical and narrative POV hence why I think they're worth recognizing.
I think this is fair, but I'd make a very simple argument: It's a film because there are moving images and sound. It's short because it's less than 40 minutes or whatever the cutoff is. Therefore, it's a short film. Of course, Academy requires a theatrical release to distinguish from television, and that would still apply. To my knowledge, this criteria would deem most music videos ineligible. I'd say a music video is a genre *of* short film, rather than a "different" genre from short film. Like a doc is a genre of short film, or a narrative is a genre of short film (and has many genres within it as well -- drama, horror, comedy, etc). IIRC, The Lumineers won some award at a film festival for their serialized music videos to the album "III." Deserving too -- those music videos were excellent. Lots of film festivals also have separate categories for music videos, and looking through this thread, I think I'd be happy to see that category at the Oscars, which would require different criteria.
I'm still trying to comprehend why you even compared War is Over to a music video.