task 11 music director spike jonze
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Adam Spiegel A.K.A
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is a well renowned music video producer and director but also has produced and directed in film and television.
He also co founded ‘Directors label’ with fellow producers and directors Chris Cunningham and Michael Gondry, it is a collection of DVD’s from the most notable music video directors. Originally Spike Jonze was a magazine producer of ‘Homeboy’ and ‘Dirt’ and was a photographer for the magazine ‘Freestylin’’.
His work Spike has worked on over 53 different music videos including big artists like:• Teenage fan club• Beastie boys• Weezer• R.E.M• Daft Punk• The Chemical Brothers• Notorious BIG• Tenacious D• Bjork• Kanye West• Fatboy SlimHe has also produced, directed and stared in films such as:• Being John Malkovich • Three Kings• Human Nature• The Game• Jackass: The Movie• Jackass: number two• Where The Wild Things Are
The Pharcyde - Drop
In this video it is clear to see the immense effort and work that went into the video. It has a very different idea to an old school hip hop video. The video is acted out in reverse with the artist even learning their lyrics backwards to make the video look clearer. The genre is ever evident in the video, the tracking shot of the group looking up at them as they act and rap to the camera is typical of hip-hop music videos as it presents the artists in the video clearly, also the setting of the video helps illustrate the genre of the music, the video starts with the artist in a back alley way of an American street, typically to match the stereotype of the genre, this setting is continued throughout the video with the artists moving through the streets then down graphitized back alley ways. I like this video because of the sheer effort put into the production which make a very original music video, I really like how the reverse shooting makes the video very different to others of the same genre.
Notorious B.I.G – Sky’s The LimitThis is another example of the originality of Spike Jonze’s work. In this
video he takes the usual conventions of a rap video – the big house, nice cars, stereotypical star personas of gangsters and women. Unlike most other rap videos he plays on the content of the video, he uses notorious B.I.G’s son and other child actors to star in the video. This adds a different element which will attract more people to watch the video as it is an original and interesting idea which has comic value in the content of the video.
He also includes slow motion footage in a lot of the video, along with the soft lighting and tracking shots they all show the rap genre of the video. Jonze then adds in a mix of footage of the artists at home in a ‘real life’ scenario and then in a stage like setting where the artist are the only people in the shot. Most of the shots of the artists are taken form a low angle looking up at them, this is to show their superiority in their minds but this helps to identify the artist.
His alternative originality is further portrayed in the television adverts he has directed as well. His originality of not using models in a set up environment modelling new clothes but decides to play on the words usually used, in this advert for GAP the slogan at the end of the video is ‘the all new GAP is coming’. He decides to have actors destroy an existing Gap store. This use of symbolism in a way is why I enjoy Spike Jonze’s work so much.
The advert, like his other music videos, has comic value in it. The destruction of a shop in the ways he shows it (e.g. with cars, chainsaws and motorbikes) is completely unrealistic and unexpected from the audience and this silliness is what is comic about the advert.
The comedy and originality is good in this advert as it is memorable to the viewers due to it being totally unlike other clothes adverts so it will attract more customers to the shop.
GAP Advert
In conclusion, Spike Jonze has a very alternative and original style of producing music videos and television adverts. I want to use original ideas and methods in my music video as it will add more comic and interest value to my music video. His work also inspires me to put lots of effort into the video to make it completely new and different.