Music Videos

 I was browsing YouTube today when I ran across this music video by French DJ Martin Solveig and fell in love. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think my throbbing heart had something to do with the song's catchy energy, like something I'd throw on a cleaning-the-apartment playlist. Yet, there's something slightly odd about the video that made me watch it on repeat.

I sat at my desk for awhile, well, a long while, wondering how I could get so obsessed with "Boys and Girls". Is it because the black and white color scheme with a blast of pink? Or is it the fashionable clothes and the posh sense of recklessness? I sent the video over to April for further investigation. Turns out the video was made in conjunction with Jean-Paul Gaultier for a new fragrance - which explains the clothes and the mysterious man at the open of the video - and the well-polished but typical commercial thang suddenly makes sense. Knowing that the video was an ad (kind of) changes my opinion but I remain entranced by the look.

After watching the video a few more times, I realized that the magic lives in the location. The arching stairwell and empty display cases create the gorgeous white wonderland where this song and dance takes place. Aside from the clothes, a Gaultier cameo, and Dragonette, the location proves a dreamland I want to visit. Now I know you can't get Jean-Paul Gaultier's masion on a budget, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a million other locations that would create the perfect world for free. Whether it's a church, the ocean, the lobby of and old library, that backseat of a vintage Ford or an upscale restaurant, putting creative vision behind the scenery or the location can add perspective and beauty to any music video.

So, next time you're determined to come up with a concepts for your a video, try thinking setting your mind in a unique location in your area; something that's caught your eye before and is available for public use. Or if you already have an idea, take ar hour or two to scout out a place that would make the video come to life. Now that could be the difference between an ad and art.