Don't Play No Game - Spike Jonze x Beastie Boys

Background

Here is an analysis of Spike Jonze's short 'Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win', an 11 minute promotional music video for the Beastie Boys song of the same name, off of their 2011 album 'Hot Sauce Committee Part Two'. The film pays homage to campy kids classics such as 'Thunderbirds' and 'Action League Now!' across the course of the short.

Click here to watch the Spike Jonze short

Camerawork

The film uses sophisticated camerawork, which contrasts heavily with the endearing DIY look of much of the action within the piece. Jonze uses a variety of shots to achieve a sense of movement; tracking and pans are rife and make the numerous action and chase sequences throughout exciting. 

The film however does use a number of shots that support the 'campy' feel of the film. Above is an example of one of the exaggerated zooms used to emphasize the film's satirical, over-the-top nature.

Sound

The film is set to various versions of Beastie Boys 'Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win', thus is the promotional nature of the film. The sound similarly serves to accentuate the fast pacing in the film, the different versions that play in help set each new scene that appears, for example, a higher tempo, electro version of the song plays during the tundra chase.

Furthermore, the realistic sound effects used heavily contrast the sets made up of action figures and toys, immersing the audience into this mock world. 

Editing

A focus could be put on the transitional elements used in the scene to move between different settings. 

A mix of continuity and montage editing is used throughout; in many scenes the action being performed will start in one setting and continue out into another, sometimes with a small cross fade in-between. In doing so a variety of scenes and settings can be presented while the on-screen action remains easy to follow. I constructed a GIF of one such happening - see below.

A looping gif we made of one such transition between different environments.

Mise-en-Scene

The short uses a mix of realistic and 'mock' props to achieve (and exaggerate) a similar aesthetic to older, campy television classics like Thunderbirds. 

Production values are boosted by the level of detail that goes into these seemingly simplistic props. Note the custom logos and costumes worn by the Beastie Boys figures and vehicles. Similarly, intricate lighting pieces are used during many of the action sequences to achieve a level of realism and immerse the viewer.

Note the level of detail on the costuming and props. Brandished 'MCA' logo on the jacket of the MCA figure and the Beastie Boys logo on the truck.

Fromdatomb$ - Joey Bada$$ x Creative Control

Background

Creative Control were heavily involved in the production of the Fromdatomb$ video, with co-founder Chike Ozah credited as producer. The video featured innovative use of filmmaking technologies to achieve an authentic 'old school' feel to the video; it appears as if is being played through a VHS, befitting of the 90's boom-bap style of the artists music. Regardless of one's opinion of the music, the video's aesthetic can be strongly appreciated.

Click here to watch the Creative Control video

Camerawork

The camerawork is another clear throwback to hip-hop videos of the late 80s and 90s. There are no static shots in the piece. Instead, a rigged camera captures scenes of the artists delivering their raps to the camera.

The omission of any narrative elements to the video set it apart from many modern music videos, which often strive to tell detailed stories through the music video. Instead, the simple, understated performances of the artists put the video's focus on the sound and feel of the music, complimented by the authentic setting of urban Brooklyn. 

An example of the dynamic, handheld camerawork.

Sound

The song used is similarly befitting of the 'VHS' look of the video. Bada$$ samples 80s Brooklyn hip hop group 'Stetsasonic', another clear throwback to old school boom-bap hip hop. 

Furthermore, the sampling of another set of native Brooklyn musicians gives depth and realism to the presentation of inner city Brooklyn which prominently features in the videos locations. 

Some examples of the urban Brooklyn setting, complimented by the authentic boom-bap sound.

Editing

The videos post-production is probably the most interesting area of the music video.

Creative Control shot the video using a RED epic - the industry standard camera - however, to achieve the old school 'VHS' effect seen, the HD footage was connected to a VCR through a capture card and transferred onto a VHS tape.

It appears as if the HD and VHS layers were then layered on top of each other in the editing program and rotoscoped to mask out all but a single moving subject, creating the effect of the artist 'popping' in the foreground, with a VHS effect in the layer behind him. 

Mise-en-Scene 

The mise-en-scene in the video presents another interesting field of analysis. Aside from the Brooklyn setting, (which has been covered above) the clothing of the artists in the video similarly helps establish the video as befitting of the hip-hop genre. Joey Bada$$ is decked out in New York street wear brands like 'MISHKA' and 'ONLY', such street wear is synonymous with hip-hop culture.

The artists in the video also sport iconic street wear items of past decades, for example the 'bucket hat' as seen in centre frame.

Director Case Study: Spike Jonze

For our music video brief, we decided to conduct a detailed research study of two vastly different directors who, amongst their other works, direct music videos. In this post I will be addressing the works of famed director Spike Jonze. 

Spike Jonze in a shoot with 'Vice Magazine'
in 2009.

Early Life and Background

American director Spike Jonze was born Adam Spiegel in 1969. By high school he had adopted the name 'Spike Jonze' as a nod to the famous American musician, and was competing in skateboarding and BMX bicycling events under the name. 

At the age of 17 Jonze moved to LA, working as a photographer and editorial assistant for various magazines. In 1992 Jonze was hired to shoot video footage of skateboarding for Sonic Youth's single '100%' - his first foray into music videos. 

Throughout the 1990s Jonze would go on to direct countless videos for prominent artists following the breakthrough success of his 'Sabotage' video for the Beastie Boys. 

Jonze on the set of 'Where the Wild Things are' in 2007.

Jonze has undertaken jobs in various fields of film, directing his first feature film, the critically acclaimed 'Being John Malkovich' in 1999 as well as having a starring acting role in the David O. Russell satire 'Three Kings'. 

Jonze stood out to me as a prime example for study for my task as he - aside from his body of multiple commercials, short films and features, directed some of the most iconic videos of the 90s and 00s.

Director Case Study: Creative Control

Creative Control logo
as of 2011

For our music video brief, we decided to conduct a detailed research study of two vastly different directors who, amongst their other works, have directed music videos. In this post I'll be researching the films of Creative Control - an independent, in-house team who capture the imaginations of audiences with their 'vivid filming style and progressive content.'

Early Beginnings and Background

Creative Control offer an extremely interesting contrast to mainstream, big-name Hollywood directors like Spike Jonze. The group describe themselves as a 'cutting edge online content label' and produce a variety of different films covering contemporary fashion, music and art. 

Creative Control photographing 17
 year old rapper Joey BadA$$ on his
'1999' tour.

The label was started by directing team 'Coodie and Chike' in 2009. The two young filmmakers came to prominence by directing the early videos of Kanye West, debuting his 'Through the Wire' video in 2003' long before his mainstream rise to prominence. The team have continued to work in this vein; producing for up and coming talents like Joey Bada$$ and underground favorites like Erykah Badu.

The group could be seen to be at the forefront of a changing media environment; they produce exclusively online content for trendy, rising artists and are an independent group of media savvy filmmakers with a strong brand image and niche appeal.

Brainstorming and Brief Breakdown

We decided to choose the 'album release' brief, described by OCR as:

"A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options: 

• a website homepage for the band; 

• a digipak for the album’s release; 

• a magazine advertisement for the digipak."

In this post, we'll be explaining our reasoning for the 'album' brief, and discussing our thoughts and ideas about the project.

Principally, we decided to do the 'album' brief, as we have long been planning to release an album with our close friend Louis Fitton, aka 'Low Res'. In this regard, our coursework can not only fulfill the requirements for our A2 media, but also serve as a definitive promotion tool for Low Res' music. 

We have been working with Low Res on the EP's music over the summer, and have selected a track of his titled 'Wild Things' for our music video.