Personally, I love music videos. The sights and colors that pick up on the slightest nuances of the song being played really accentuate the music. However, I can understand how people can prefer to not see the video. I think of it as slightly analogous to reading a really good book and then being disappointed by the movie. Once you have your own ideas about a certain plot (whether it be music or printed word), it’s a rare case when the adaptation lives up to expectations. When you do find a good music video though, the effect is wonderful. The sights mesh seamlessly with the sounds, and the effect can only be described as magical.

Despite some thoughts, a good music video doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. The White Stripes in their video for “We’re Going To Be Friends” simply performed the song while sitting on a couch, and it was a relatively good video. Being low-budget, however, doesn’t mean low-creativity. The best videos I have ever seen have just been simply creative. Take the British band Coldplay, the first video I saw of theirs was for the song ”Lovers in Japan”. I must say I loved it, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. The use of the camera (simply spinning it around) and simple effects (the swirling lights that turn into lines) really made the video. In addition, I recently saw the video for “The Scientist”, and it blew me away. The whole video is shot in “backward” motion while Chris Martin sings the song “forward” and moves “backward” through the scenes. The perspective is quite amazing.

Now, of course, all of this is relative to the person viewing. Producers going strictly for a sex appeal type of video may fall short with one crowd but really hit it off with another. Also, different types of music merit different types of videos. You wouldn’t expect a heavy metal band to do a video with a country music or pop feel (unless with a satirical undertone). The lines of “genres” become extremely twisted when you introduce satire. It can be incredibly clever, or it can go halfway and end up being hurtful. But this is all part of the process of liking a certain type of music. People should concentrate more on the music they like and less on that which they “hate”. Music has come a long way from the drums of the aborigines, and the differing of opinions and taste is just a part of the process. But I digress, that is a topic for a different day.

The point of all this is that a good music video doesn’t need to be this expensive, high-tech production for it to make an impact. Too often have I seen a video try to be too modern or “different” and end up being easily forgotten or not even understood. It ends up being the little things, those extra little sparks, that make a video something you want to show your friends. Ingenuity really counts in a field such as this, and when applied correctly, it can make an incredible difference.

- mmeyer