Some music videos are pretty okay, most of them are pretty mediocre and then there are always the ones that manage to elevate themselves from the rest by simply being outstanding on multiple level whether it’s look, story or just the idea behind it. Award-winning Berlin-based visual artists Schall & Schnabel are experts on this field. We do not only share an office space and our Palms & Circumstances series), but also a mutual love for great and inspiring music videos that truly celebrate this special form of art. So, following the tradition we started last year we once again asked the film makers to share their favourite music video moments of the year with us. And this selection surely doesn’t disappoint.
Childish Gambino – ‘This is America’
Art Direction, Camera, Choreography
This video, directed by Donald Glover’s Atlanta collaborator Hiro Murai, is sheer perfection in its execution and details, emphazises the content of this brilliant song by Glover’s alter ego Childish Gambino. The central concept of the video – the distraction of the American entertainment industry from the brutal everyday racism against the Afro-American population – is supported by the art direction, the camera work, the choreography and the sophisticated editing.
Director: Hiro Murai
Choreographer: Scherrie Silver
Loyle Carner – ‘Ottolenghi’ (feat. Jordan Rakei)
Art Direction
The mixture of different camera format aesthetics and playfullness with persepective trickery reminices Loyle Carner‘s video for his song Ottolenghi, directed by Oscar Hudson, to Michel Gondry’s video for The Chemical Brothers’ Let Forever Be from 1999. Placed in a very different setting, minus Gondry’s affinity for dream reality, Hudson created a video that leaves the viewer wondering, how it’s done.
Director: Oscar Hudson
Tommy Cash – ‘Little Molly’
Art Direction, VFX
Many viewers, who grew up with music television back in the nineties might be reminded of Chris Cunningham’s iconic video for Aphex Twin Come to Daddy, although Tommy Cash‘s weird video brings the horror into the studio.
Directed by Tommy Cash & Anna-Lisa Himma
SOPHIE – ‘Faceshopping:’
Editing
When it comes to impressive editing this video for SOPHIE is definitely one of the best. Not only the precise cuts to the music, but the refined use of heavy contrasts, type face and movements are impressive.
Director: SOPHIE
Edited by Aaron Chan
Sevdaliza – ‘Shahmaran’
Art Direction, VFX
The atmosphere of Emmanuel Adjei’s opus for Sevdaliza‘s song Shamaran is a very eye-pleasing non-narrative video that seem to combine elements from Tarsem Singh’s and Christopher Nolan’s movies.
Director: Emmanuel Adjei
LCD Soundsystem – ‘Oh Baby’
Narrative, Cinematography
Rian Johnson, who directed movies like Brick, the Brothers Bloom, Looper and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, created this narrative short for LCD Soundsystem‘s Oh Baby – the opening track from their 2017 album American Dream about two scientists and lovers played by Sissy Spacek and David Strathairn.
Director: Rian Johnson
Jack White – ‘Over and Over and Over’
Art Direction
Follwing the title of Jack White‘s song the video repeats one camera movement (and invisible editing) over and over and over again in varying versions of the same room.
Director: Us
Tierra Whack – ‘Whack World’
Concept, Art Direction
Tierra Whack‘s ‘Whack World’ is a 15 minute art piece, containing 15 one minute songs and 15 visual approaches on them. Whenever the viewer settles in for one song the next one starts and you can’t stop watching it!
Original Idea and Creation: Tierra Whack / Whibaut Duverneix / Mathieu Léger Gentilhomme
Director: Thibaut Duverneix
Josh Pan – ‘Mask (with Away)’
VFX
Sam Rolfes created a contemporary adaptation of Paul White’s video for the iconic Björk video Hunter from 1997. Another mesmerizing visual work of team rolfes.
Director: Sam Rolfes
3D, VFX: Andy Rolfes
Aphex Twin – ‘T69 Collapse’
VFX
Simply a weird visual mindfuck for everyone who is into visual acid.
Video created by Weirdcore
MGMT – ‘Me and Michael’
Concept
Admittingly, we have a weakness for charming lo-fi videos with a lot of humorous details and easter eggs and MGMT‘s video for Me and Michael is packed with those.
Directors: Joey Frank, Randy Lee Maitland
Chaka Khan – ‘Like Sugar’
Art Direction, Choreography, Editing
Choreography, Art Direction and Editing brilliantly combined in this captivating music video by Kim Gehrig, shot at an abandoned oil station in London, empazises this soul track by Chaka Khan.
Director: Kim Gehrig
Superorganism – ‘Everybody Wants To Be Famous’
Concept, Animation
The light-hearted and positive pop music of Superorganism is incredibly well complemented by the found footage and animation video collage, created by a small team around Robert Strange.
Director: Robert Strange
George Ezra – ‘Shotgun’
Concept, VFX
The intricate production of this video, as well as the concept and execution makes George Ezra‘s video, directed by Nelson De Castro & Carlos Lopez Estrada very memorable.
Directors: Nelson De Castro & Carlos Lopez Estrada
Young Fathers – ‘Holy Ghost’
Concept, Art Direction
Young Fathers‘ video for Holy has been shot with a military thermal camera with pre-programmed camera positions which generated this alienated asthetics. The video itself seem to tell a story in fragments.
Director: Oscar Hudson