Best Music Videos Of All Time

The best music videos are much disputed, and various websites and resources rate the best music videos slightly differently - although in general a select few are rated highly on all websites such as Michael Jackson's thriller and other iconic videos.

 The popular music publication billboard have posted on their website, a poll taken by consumers of what is in their opinion the best music videos of all time, the top 10 videos from each decade - the 1980's, 1990's and 2000's. I have decided to use this particular websites' countdown of the best music videos of all time as it is the opinion of consumers of music and is therefore the peoples' choice of what the best music video is.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/468680/the-10-best-00s-music-videos-poll-results?page=0%2C1

The Best Of The 1980's

The 80's produced videos by legendary artists whose music is still remembered, the top ten videos include artists such as Janet Jackson, Duran Duran, The Police, Aerosmith and Peter Gabriel but I will be focusing on the top rated music video of the 80's, and more importantly what made it so popular. 

1. Thriller - Michael Jackson 1982

Arguably the best music video of all time and not just the 80's, Jackson's Thriller is spectacularly choreographed and performed, and up until recently with the rise of free music websites like Youtube whereby more recent music videos have millions of views, was the most watched music video also. The video itself is 13 minutes long comprising of a detailed storyline which sees Jackson terrifying his date by turning into; a werewolf, zombie and other kinds of evil creatures befitting the title. It is a narrative music video and follows its' theme throughout, even the elements of the video when Jackson is singing it is still in character, he does so to his date and with the back up zombie dancers. There is however an element of the spectacle about the video given its length and cinematography; the video is almost like a short film, the song being broken up by storyline and at one point whilst the back up dancers emerge from their 'graves' a lengthy voice over takes over for about a minute and a half acting as a bridge in the music. The 'Thriller' music video contains many generic conventions of the genre, it is extremely varied in its camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene. The video contains two shots, over the shoulder shots, long shots, tracking shots, panning, wide shots to show off the dance moves, high angle shots and the most frequently used camerawork of music videos - close ups. The editing throughout the video is fairly slow paced, the cuts becoming more frequent as the dance sequence begins to show different camera angles and there is some infrequent cross - cutting between Michael Jackson and his dancers and his terrified date to show her reaction to the situation. The miss-en-scene of the video is extensive within the video, the costume is very 1950's esque with his date initially wearing a big skirt and Jackson wearing a sports jacket, although this later changes at the cinema to more 80s clothing - Jackson always looks distinctive especially in his red leather outfit which ensures he is the star of the video. The lighting remains low key throughout the video to reflect its dark nature and the acting throughout the video is extensive with the video being like a scene from a movie. Extensive make up and props were used to enhance the video, with prosthetics and make up being used to transform Jackson and his dancers into terrifying creatures. The positioning of the shots often make Jackson look taller and more imposing than his date to give a sense of the danger she is in and his importance and the set of the video - a wood, grave yard and alleyway all build the 'scary' nature of the video as these places are usually associated by the audience with danger and wariness.

   

The Best Of The 1990's

The 1990's produced equally fantastic music and the rise of music videos meant that they were gaining importance and the videos themselves were becoming more iconic and stylistic such as Madonna's Vogue which is a true piece of art, from the choreography and costume to the filter on the video, music videos were becoming as important as the songs themselves. The top ten rated music videos of the 80's were produced for massive industry names such as Nirvana, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and Guns N Roses.

1.  Baby One More Time - Britney Spears 1998

A pop classic Britney's 'Baby One More Time' was incredibly popular, the video is extremely well choreographed and the video is undoubtedly so popular because of this. It has different elements within it such as narrative - the story of Britney being a school girl singing to a past love, is carried consistently throughout the video as is the performance elements whereby Britney, whilst dancing sings and performs to the camera. The audience also notes the use of camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene within the video and how these conform to the expectations and conventions of the genre. Given the extensive dance sequences throughout the video, there is a lot of varied camerawork to show different angles, the video contains many long shots, wide shots, head and shoulder shots and the most frequently used shot for music videos - close ups all to ensure, in spite of the multiple back up dancers that Britney is the main focus of attention. The editing of the video is fairly slow paced to continue the day dream - like feel of the video, the cuts do however become more frequent during the dance sequences and chorus to build with the song. The mise-en-scene is extensive within the video, the costume being extremely consistent with typical 90's fashion, the lighting is high key throughout the entirety of the video until the bridge at the end which then changes to low key to reflect Britney's sadness at the situation. The acting of the video is done very well between dance episodes, with the help of close ups Britney does appear to be a heartbroken school girl, the make up is fairly naturalistic and the props are consistent with the high school theme. Britney is always positioned in front, or higher in the shot than her dancers to make her stand out as the star and ensure all the audience's focus is on the artist alone.

The Best Of The 2000's

The 2000's saw a new era of music, the advances in technology in editing means that modern music videos are carefully planned showcases which have the best choreography, camerawork, setting and directing. The top ten music videos of the 2000's includes works by the likes of Eminem, Missy Elliot, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Britney Spears among others.

1. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga 2009

The video for Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' is definitely an artistic statement which is consistent with her unique artistic style, as opposed to an attempt to conform to the genres of a music video. The video is  predominantly a spectacle music video above all else, being deliberately different to say an early Taylor Swift video, it is deliberately unique and dangerous, pushing the boundaries of modern music videos. The video does however have distinct similarities to the dance sequences of Britney Spears' hit, 'Baby One More Time' in that they both contain performance elements during these interludes and still ensure that the star is the focus of attention, by both her attire and positioning within the shots. The video was massively popular winning the video of the year at the 2010 VMA's and it is easy to see why. The video is filled with juxtapositions, dark and light, evil and goodness and the themes of monsters and love run throughout the entirety of the music video. The camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene of the video are consistent with the genre in certain respects. The camerawork contains classic elements such as close ups, wide shots for the dance sequences, panning, long shots and head and shoulder shots to emphasise Lady Gagas' facial expressions and costumes. Equally, the editing of the video although starting fairly slowly, soon becomes very fast paced with frequent cuts between different situations within the video. Lastly, miss-en-scene plays a very important role in 'Bad Romance' the costume is one of the most iconic elements, Lady Gaga wears various different outfits, some black and some white to portray the contrasts evident throughout between good and evil. The lighting too switches between high and low key depending on the scene to show good and bad, Lady Gaga is excellent in portraying her heartbreak in the video, with various shots focusing on her reddened and emotional eyes. The make up of the video reflects its nature, bold and the props show the lucrative and glamorous lifestyle Gaga attempts to portray. The positioning of the video is consistent with the genre, with Lady Gaga being positioned at the front of each dance sequence and being shown higher in the shot than her love interest or dancers connoting her importance and power.

The Best Of The 2010's

Modern music videos have seen the age of technology, the rise of social media has meant that unusual or unique videos can go viral very quickly gathering millions of views. The following video is not listed on the billboard charts but I still feel that it is well worth mentioning given its low budget but extreme popularity - collecting over 27 million hits on Youtube.

1. Ok Go - Here It Goes Again 

The video for this song went viral on the Internet very quickly given its unusual nature. Audiences enjoyed the simplistic nature of the actual video with the carefully choreographed routine on the treadmill contrasted with the very basic set and lack of props. This was a music video on a budget but still manages to grab the audiences' attention. It is a performance video with elements of the spectacle about it - this shows that the band don't want to be categorised and do not necessarily fit into any specific genre.  The video stays the same for the entire duration, a wide shot of the band which is a continual shot, there is no sequence of cuts and different angles like within many music videos, and as a result the video does not conform to any of the generic conventions of a music video regarding camerawork, editing, lighting or mise-en-scene. The editing of the video is very unusual, subverting the norms, there are no jump cuts but continuity editing is used as the video is one long take focusing entirely on the sequence. The lighting of the video is unlike most other videos which use specific lighting techniques to highlight the artist or produce a certain effect, instead the band seem to have used a lamp to light the room - another budget saving technique. Lastly the miss-en-scene of the video is alternative also, the costume being fairly unique, although it does link the band together, the acting of the video is impressive the band lip syncing whilst performing an extensive dance routine on the treadmills. The only props present are the treadmills incorporated into the routine, keeping the video minimalistic and the positioning of the video is fairly even, keeping the band members all level to connote their equal importance. The set of the video is again a juxtaposition with the genre, totally different to the exotic locations chosen by many artists, their is a certain comic appeal to the silver sheet used as a backdrop but it is effective in focusing all of the audiences' attention on the band and their dancing.