Digital Bushido!

The Uglysuit: “Brown Blues Passing II”, Sterogum’s Acoustic Sessions

I had the pleasure to shoot this band in the studio at Buzznet. At first glance I didn’t think I like their music. It was very instrument driven, and normally I like vocals,  and the music seemed upbeat and just didn’t seem my flavor. When they stripped down acoustic and added the sound of the girl seen in the middle the music took a new presence. After shooting, I couldn’t get enough of the sound. I chose this out of the three but all three are great and I highly reccomend going to sterogum to find the other sessions. I hope you enjoy and check out this band and other indie bands who were shot at Buzznet/Sterogum.

Justin Timberlake: “What Goes Around”

When you have Justin Timnerlake’s following of fans, money, and network of creative people it is not too hard to make a great video. Written by Nick Cassavattes, the story of the video is solid. The things plays out like a film, cutting well with the performance part of the video. I love the way it was photographed. I’m sure this video cost a lot to make but hey it’s a great video. Overall: A+

House Of Heroes: “In The Valley Of The Dying Sun”

I found this video through iEndeavour media. They are the same group that directed Anberlin’s “Feel Good Drag” video. I really like the concept for this video. It’s a got a cool war theme, but has a nice ending in the short story. I also think they did the performance in a unique way. I couldve done without the smoke filled closeups but that’s just a stylistics choice. Overall: A-

Muse: “Map Of The Problematique”, Live @ Abbey Road.

Going along with the Muse video below, I wanted to post a video from the best music series out there. Live @ Abbey Road features bands playing great songs @ Abbey Road. The lighting is perfect! Great depth of field and production value on all of the shoots. I even like the fact they include production elements in the shots. The focus is on the music and it’s great to see the band perform. The only video I like from this series even more I would say is The Killer’s “Romeo and Juliet”.

Muse: “Starlight”

Trying to choose my favorite Muse video is tough! “Hysteria” is great! “Knights of Cydonia” is a classic, but “Starlight” is just a unique  performance video that I tend to watch over and over again. Shot on a freighter in the middle of the ocean, the video is a perfect setting to the melody of the song. The editing and cinematography speak for itself and the best part of the video is when the video first turns to night and the first firework goes off. Props to the director for that shot! Overall: A

Kanye West: “Love Lockdown”

I enjoyed the new Kanye album and I think this video examplfies it well. The video is pretty simple, with solid camera work, good lighting, and a pretty decent concept. It actully shows Kanye can act a little, which I enjoyed as well. The only problem I have with this video is when the guy travels through the letterbox. It’s a neat effect, but its only done once? A. That effect takes you out of the video. You’ve effectively destroyed the illusion. Often when something comes through a letterbox its a mistake. B. If you want to do that jarring effect, do it more then once. Then its a style. We accept style in music videos, we don’t accept one random guy going through the letterbox. Overall: B+