The Edit Series #7 – Musical Moments Pt 3 – Music Videos

I went away after writing my previous blog about Musical Moments in Television and started to think about Music Videos and the impacts that film Musicals can have on the theme of some of them. Music Videos are a vital part of a musician as it can be the main reasons that a song can gain recognition, a good example of this recently is Miley Cyrus’ song “We Can’t Stop” which became the fastest to reach 100 million views on VEVO beating current record holder Rihanna and Eminem with Love the Way you Lie. The music video for Miley is so different to her previous style that it produced shock factor on her new bad girl image and produced a lot of press coverage. 

Many bands and artists have used iconic scenes from Blockbuster films to get their music video or song noticed. By having these iconic images in them it creates entertainment and persuades an audience to watch the video more (and rack up the views on their YouTube). 

There are many examples of bands using films by certain directors (e.g – Tarentino, Nolan) films with certain outstanding characters (action heroes etc) and stories of romance (500 Days of Summer, She’s All That etc) as part of or the whole of the narrative of their music video. Here is a few examples of this:

Wale – The Break Up Song (Based on (500) Days of Summer)

I only just saw this video today as I was researching this topic and feel that it is a perfect example of what I am trying to make with this section of this blog. It is a complete mirror version of the film and is shown the whole way through the film. It also quotes an iconic part of the film. It was released in 2011, and has reached over 10 million views on YouTube

Steps – Say Your Be Mine (based on various films from 1999)

This music video is based around all the films that were famous at the time that it was released – the video includes Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, There’s Something about Mary, Catwoman and Austin Powers. This video takes iconic sections of films that are about romance and people falling in love to emphasise the theme of the song. Released in 1999, it was released as a double A side with a cover of Kylie Minogues “Better the Devil you Know.” It reached number 4 in the UK charts.

Taylor Swift – You Belong with Me (based on the standard Teenage film set up)

This video is based on the standard teen movie about the lead girl being a geek and not being able to be with the popular guy who she is best friends with. In the end of the movie the predictable outcome occurs where the lead geek girl has a makeover, discovers contact lenses and wears a beautiful dress and wins over the guy of her dreams. Reference – She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About you, A Cinderella Story, A Boy Girl Thing, Never Been Kissed etc ( I could go on, but i think you get the point!)

You Belong with Me was released in 2009, has reached over 200,000,000 views on YouTube, it reached number 2 in the US Billboard charts and only number 30 in the UK Charts. 

 

Before we carry on about film musical moments being shown in music videos I want to focus on another area of the Musical Moments in music videos – the mock and the reflection of the genre videos. 

Many Musicians and bands have used images and sections of other music videos to produce either a “fresh look” or to take the mickey out of other musicians and their genres. These next few examples of videos highlight this point. 

Blink-182 – All The Small Things 

This was one of the first videos that came to mind when I started to think of this point. The song was one of Blink-182s biggest hits and was used at the end of the Charlies Angels film in the credits. One of the reasons that it did so well was because of the video mocking all the boybands and pop stars around in 2000. It mocks bands such as Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears and Christina. 

The song reached number 2 in the UK Charts, number 6 in the US Billboard charts 

The Wanted – Walks Like Rihanna

In this more modern example, The Wanted music video uses and re-enact famous scenes from other boyband music videos such as Take That, Backstreet Boys, N*Sync to express their feelings about a woman they are singing about and that the woman is a big fan of the boybands. 

I also mentioned that there are some songs that highlight the genre of the band in the song. This classes as a musical moment in my opinion because it is highlighting and emphasising what the band / musician is known for.

 N*Sync – Pop

This song was the first that came to my mind when I thought of this as it is a song all about the genre of pop and the criticism it gains in the press for being part of a boyband etc. 

Now back to the main reason for this blog I originally set out to do – when I had the idea for the blog post yesterday,  my main thought was not about whether music videos recreate film scenes as I already knew that they. My main thought was about the genre of film the Musical and whether music videos would either recreate musicals or use them to produce new unique versions to create a  new “Musical Moment” ( i hope you are still following, trying to break this down as easily as I can) After researching this afternoon, I found some new ones to add to the list I already had. So here are the ones that I have found and that I want to discuss.

Will Young – Your Game

When I first saw this music video, I fell in love with it. The whole song is based around a Musical Theatre performance and is actually one of my inspirations for planning this blog post. This changing of the scenary, the dance routines and the song all create a real feeling of emotion and when I first watched this I felt like it was inspired by the exotic scenary of Moulin Rouge and also some of the old Musicals. This is a video that really defines what I mean by “Musical Moments” in music videos. 

 

She and Him – I Could of Been Your Girl (60’s Musicals)

Back in May, I saw Zooey Deschanel’s blog site Hello Giggles, posted the new She and HIm music video, as soon as I saw it and loved it. Zooey who was the director of this video stated on the website that   “it gave me a chance to give a nod to some of my favorite ’60s musicals.” It may not have any iconic scenes from Musicals but it really does reflect the musicals of that era and the dance routines. 

The Killers – Mr Brightside (Moulin Rouge)

This music video is based around the story  / themes of Moulin Rouge, and the fact that the song is about jealously, it makes perfect sense to base it on this film. Just like Moulin Rouge it is based around a Prostitute who does everything to please the men in the video but Brandon Flowers is in love with her (just like Christian with Satine in Moulin Rouge) .

 Madonna – Material Girl (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)

This music video is based on the Marlyn Monroe film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes film. It is specifically focussed on the scene of the song Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend. The lyrics of the song and the glamour that Madonna naturally brings means that this movie cross over works very well. 

 Marilyn Manson – Dope Hat (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

What do you do when you are trying to get known or maintain your status as the weirdest and scariest man in rock? You take the freakiest bit of a childs film and make it even more weirder. Welcome to Marilyn Mansons take on the tunnel scene of Charlie and the Chocolate factory. 

(WARNING : This is a Marilyn Manson video so like his other many videos it does contain some scenes not suitable for children)

 Panic! At The Disco – Ready To Go (Mary Poppins and Singin’ In the Rain)

This video explores many different elements and I love it because it is so unpredictable. It is a very entertaining video to watch because it changes location in each of the verses and choruses. Halfway through the video Brendan Urie does the Chim Chimney dance from Mary Poppins and ends the video in a very similar high street as to the one where Gene Kelly sings the iconic song from “Singin’ in the Rain. “

De La Soul feat. Redman – Oooh! (Wizard of Oz)

 I came across this video today when I was researching and I really like the way that they have taken the concept of the Wizard and altered it so its relevant to their genre. They end up in the land of colour by the woman falling over a step as she goes to enter a club. 

 

AND FINALLY

There is always on an that likes taking things that little bit farther and doing things differently to everyone else. HIs films are not musicals but they are always an extend of the films that he is in.  – Here are the videos of Mr Will Smith. 

 

The Edit Series #6 – Musical Moments! Pt 2 – TV

Hello!

So the last time I wrote, I was discussing musical moments in film and whilst I was working on a Motion Graphics project the other day I thought, “well why can’t I do this for TV as well?” – so here we are! Musical moments are also used a lot in Television, unlike some of the films I spoke about in my previous post, in the world of the small box, musical moments is usually used to produce the emotion of laughter. (Unless you are talking about a show that completely relies on music like Glee, then its a whole different ball game.)

Growing up, there was a couple of shows I remember on children’s television that did a similar thing to Glee – use music to connote a feeling or emotion. One of the main shows son CBBC  that I can think of that used to do this was the S Club 7 television show – Miami 7, LA 7 etc. The music sung was only S Club so it didn’t have the comedy factor, it was just used to promote the band. Another one I remember was STARStreet* which was CiTVs band related television show. 

This blog post will look at a variation of Musical Moments from a number of television shows – dramas and comedies etc. But before I get started, here is the one you are all waiting for:

Glee

I have only watched the first and part of the second season of Glee and when i first started to watch it, I really enjoyed both the music and the story lines, but I started to find it going in circles and got bored with it. When anyone thinks of Musical moments on television, Glee instantly springs to mind because all the emotions are expressed through the songs. So here is a few videos of a few of my personal favourite songs from the first season. 

 

How I Met Your Mother 

The last video I posted for Glee nicely brings me onto my next show of discussion – How I Met Your Mother. An American comedy based around a father telling his children how he met their mother with each episode being a part of his life and focussed on his adventures with his 4 other friends. Neal Patrick Harris (who plays Barney) is very well known for his Musical Theater background so it was no surprise when they decided to produce an episode where he sung about his most beloved item as Barney Stinson – Suits! Here is a clip from Season 5 Episode 12

Vicar Of Dibley

This is one of my favourite television shows and it has had some of the best musical moments in a comedy. It is such a well written show and the songs provide comedy to the audience and really bring in the laughs. 

Ally McBeal

Now onto a bit of singing and a little bit of dancing! Ally McBeal became extremely popular in the 1990s and brought humour to the world of Law. Famous for its dancing in the toilet scene to Barry White and also the musical bar that they always went to. It would be a crime not to include this show! With stars such as Robert Downey Jnr and Bon Jovi singing in it as well, it brought in quite an audience. 

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

The television show Friends ran for 10 Seasons and in that time there were many moments where song and dance were used for comedy – whether it was to show how camp Chandlers dad was, or how badly someone can’t sing and lets not forget Smelly Cat! – music was used a predominant theme for some of the shows episodes. Here are a couple of my favourite below. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The singing episode. I have no idea why they thought it was a good idea to do a singing episode about vampires – but they did. I have nothing else to say about this one so here is a clip of a singing slayer!

The IT Crowd

I love the IT Crowd, it is one of my favourite television shows and this is def one of my favourite episodes – Season 2, Episode 1 – The Work Outing as I was not expecting there to be singing in it and I laugh so much everytime I see this episode. 

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air 

Now onto the dancing! And what better way to start it off then the king of dancing on television – Carlton. His rendition to the Tom Jones song “It’s Not Unusual” was such a popular hit off of this show. Him and Will Smith dances as well also made a great entertainment factor .

 

Coupling

Another UK Comedy where Music was something that was hardly used in the show to connote a point. The only time a musical part was used to create any sort of emotion was when Patrick finally tells Sally how he feels.

The Office (UK)

The comedy works of Mr Ricky Gervais, David Brent has some very classic musical moments- with his guitar and not forgetting his dancing. In this Mockumentary Comedy based around an Office in the UK, the dancing produces very good comedy moments. Here is the most memorable one below. 

The Office (US)

I prefer the Office (US) – mainly because I love the characters and Steve Carrell is one of my favourite actors. In the first season, there was a dance scene which was in my opinion, their version of the Brent Dance. However, over the seasons there has been many music moments to create more of a comedy entertainment effect to the show. Using the talents of Ed Helms as a Bluegrass Banjo player away from acting, there have been many musical sections of this show. Just like other American shows, music is used to connote emotions.  Here are a few.

Gossip Girl

Musical moments in television can also be use to connote sexuality. Usually the music is used as a sense of feeling for the audience, not something that the actors and actresses react to. However, in the first season of Gossip Girl, a burlesque house setting bad boy/ladies man Chuck takes the  “innocent” Blair to and tells her that she is losing her bf because she can’t be as sexy as the girls on stage. This moment changes the whole dynamics of the show as it starts the relationship (which lasts the next 5 seasons) of Chuck and Blair

 

And Finally

Mr Bean 

Rowan Atkinson is again, one of my favourite actors as he can make comedy out of everything. This clip is short and sweet but a classic in its own right

 

The Edit Series #5 – Musical Moments!

 

I love Musicals and Musical moments in films – they bring a such emotion to the point they are trying to make and always entertain and audience in the masses. Musicals are one of my favourite genres of film and felt it was only right to dedicate a blog post to it. This blog post will not just focus on the “Musical” but musical sections of films that I like because they were unexpected or because they have a certain meaning to me. There are so many great films out there, so apologies in advance, like any of my blog posts it will not cover all of them just ones that have meaning to me. Enjoy!

 

Make ‘Em Laugh – Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

Singin’ in the Rain is one of my favourite films and this is one of the best parts of the film. I recently went to a lecture on this film by a Met Film School lecturer who was on a recent Cruise I did to the Caribbean. She explained that originally this song was not part of the film but Gene Kelly was so impressed with Donald O’Connors talents (his family were part of the circus and he learnt his unique gymnastic skills via growing up doing this) that he asked for the Producers / Writers to create a song just for him to sing and perform. This is the only original song in the entire film.

 

El Tango de Roxanne – Moulin Rouge (2001)

i love this film, the music creates so much emotion and its so well choreographed and edited and I love that every music sequence is so different. Everyone in the film can sign so magnificently that it really does emphasise the love and the passion in Christian (Ewan McGregors) heart. I have posted this song because it really shows strong emotion of jealously and is so well edited and sung that it is one of my favourite songs (apart from the Love Elephant Melody) The cinematography and Mis-En-Scene is so strong in this scene as well to connote the jealously and the darkness of the force of love that it really is powerful

 

Jolly Holiday – Mary Poppins (1964)

This section of the film to me when I was a kid was magic, i loved it, i was fascinated with the way that they went into this animation land. One of the earliest memories I have is dancing around everywhere to this song doing the same marchy walk they do. Absolutely loved it, such a clever musical sequence and still holds a strong place in my heart today

 

Scream – High School Musical 3  (2008)

I am not afraid to say that I actually like this movie (not just because there is a Zac Efron starring) but I found that the third one was a bit more interesting with its musical sections. I got asked by a friend to go and see this in the cinema so i spent the night before watching one and two and thought it was ok but very cheesy. However when i saw number 3, i thought it was a hell of a lot better and really enjoyed it. I like this music section because it was filmed and edited very differently to connote Troy Boltons emotion of confusion. 

Walk Like A Man – Heart And Souls  (1993)

 

Robert Downey Jnr is one of my favourite actors, and this is one of my favourite films. I have grown up watching a lot of his stuff such as Chaplin and even his brief appearance in Ally McBeal. This was one of my childhood films and every time i hear this song it makes me a little bit nostalgic. It’s not a musical, its just a musical moment that happens in part of the film to connote one of the guys happiness he has done something good. 

Rockafeller Skank – She’s All That  (1999)

 

Teen movies when you are around 12 or 13 are fascinating, and it sort of gives you a force creation and imagination as to how growing up will be – with the themes of relationships, education etc Obviously all based around and America and you end up looking at them thinking “Dam, American school is pretty awesome 😛 ” I love this section of She’s All That, I used to love it when i was younger because of the dance routine and as you grow up you start to think how can one whole school have the time to learn one big dance routine – one can dream! I suppose you need Usher as your DJ!

You Make My Dreams – (500) Days Of Summer (2009)

 

 

When i first saw this film I was not expecting a musical number to appear and when it did i remember laughing and smiling at how awesome it was. The whole dance number is celebrating an emotion like all these past films have but this one is about “getting laid”. As soon as I saw this is reminded me of the 40 Year Old Virgin scene. Anyway, I love the fact it was so unexpected, the animated birds and the dancing.

 

 

Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You –  10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

 

Now to another Joseph Gordon-Levitt film, this time focussing on the singing delights of Heath Ledger. This was one of the first teen movies I ever saw and this scene will never be forgotton. It is so cheesy and so awfully sung that it instantly makes it a classic. 

Life’s A Happy Song –  The Muppets (2011)

I love that Jason Segal is a massive Muppet fan and i was so happy when I heard that they were going to make a come back all thanks to him. This is the opening song of the film and it was just perfect and made the magic of the Muppets shine, its such a feel good song and resembled everything that they stand for. 

Police Dance Song (Cuban Pete) –  The Mask (1994)

If anyone can do a comedy musical piece, its Jim Carey, and The Mask is a perfect example of what makes him a genius. I love this film and again was one of my childhood favourites and I still love it to this day. The music scenes in this film have a high comedy factor as well as catchy songs. 

Here’s To Love –  Down With Love (2003)

I love Ewan McGregors singing voice, so when I watched this a lot later after Moulin Rouge I was so happy that he was singing again. I love this film as the music really compliments the theme of the sixties the whole way through, even with the modern twists on some of the Frank Sinatra songs. I love this musical number because of the settings and the dance routine. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Want to Be a Producer –  The Producers (2005)

This musical is so politically incorrect but I love it! The musical numbers are really catchy and I really like the dance routines. I haven’t seen the original and should really make it my missions to see it, but I do like this one and feel that the actors are very good at there roles. 

What Chance Do I Have With Love –  Call Me Madam (1953)

Donald O’Connor is to me, one of the most inspirational people – not because I have an interest in becoming a dancer but because he went above and beyond with his dance routines and went the further mile that others wouldn’t I love this dance routine where he starts to dance on an xylophone. 

 

 

 

Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly deserves to have a section to himself as his dance routines were phenomenal. I also find him a very inspirational person because he can take dancing to the next limit. Here are a few of my favourite dance routines in a few films. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gene Kelly dancing on Roller Skates

Gene Kelly dancing with a mouse

Gene Kelly dancing with an Umbrella 

 

 

 

AND FINALLY

Summer Nights –  Grease (1978)

This is one of the most iconic songs from a Musical and thought I would finish with it. I love this film because of the songs and the teenage stories in it. Great film, great songs. 

 

 

 

The Edit Series #4 – Opening Sequences Pt 2 – Film

There are a lot of good films out there and when it comes to this topic there are hundreds I could go and write about how great the opening credits sequences are. I love unusual, Motion Graphic and animated opening credit sequences – it has been very hard to decide what films to put in here mainly because I have watched too many films that it is hard to remember  a lot of the opening sequences and secondly because I watch a lot of animated movies (A genre that i love so dearly) it was also very hard not to include them. There are many great movies out there and I know i haven’t even began to list all of the great opening title sequences but here are a few that strongly stick in my mind and the reasons why.

Here are 5 of them:

Spider-Man (2002)

When I first thought about writing this blog post, this was the first opening title sequence that popped into my mind. I remember going to the cinema to see this really clearly. I remember sitting about 5 rows from the front and seeing this opening title sequence and thinking “this film looks like it is going to be awesome.” I think one thing that makes a great opening title sequence is the music – now i am a huge Danny Elfman fan (at the time i didn’t realise this piece of music was produced by him) but I think it is one of the reasons that it sticks in my head a lot these days as I have a playlist on Spotify with his music.  The one thing that stands out for me in this opening title sequence is the webs and the way that the text transforms when it moves out of the web.

(500) Days Of Summer (2009)

I love the hand drawn graphics that are used throughout this film (especially halfway through the film to connote emotion) I really like the way that the opening titles are broken up – the way that it first states that it is not based on true events then mentions a specific person, then it becomes hand drawn and then it shows the lead male and female growing up in a split screen.

Opening titles

Text in opening titles

Down With Love (2003)

The film is set in the 1960’s and is based around a publishers and magazine and this is one thing I love about the opening titles is that it is all animated and very clever how the text appears. I think it is very well thought out and goes very well with the Michael Buble song.

Down With love Titles

An example of the use of graphics

Drop Dead Fred (1991)

This makes my choices firstly because of Nostalgia (it was one of my favourite films as a kid) and also it has always stuck in my head because of the child like drawings and because of the music.

Drop Dead Fred Opening

Drop Dead Fred Opening 2

Drop Dead Fred 3

Grease (1978)

I remember as a kid being fascinated and wondering how was the opening title even made. I was always amazed by hand drawn animations and Grease was def one of the tops that I loved.

AND FINALLY i can’t leave without mentioning at least one of the many iconic opening title sequences.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

so here is the opening to my favourite one.