Who is Spike Jonze? Spike Jonze was born on Octber 22nd, 1969 in
Maryland, United States. He is an American director, screenwriter
and producer, whose work also includes music videos. Jonze is well
known for music video collaborations with Fatboy Slim, Weezer,
Beastie Boys and Kanye West. His music video career began in 1989
but his first official music video for Waxs Hush was released in
1992. Jonze is also notable for directing the critically acclaimed
film adaption of Where the Wild Things are and has been nominated
for many awards including, some including Best Director and Best
Picture for his piece Being John Malkovich.
Music Video CollaborationsSonic YouthBeastie Boys
WeezerR.E.MBjorkPuff DaddyFatboy SlimLudacrisYeah Yeah Yeahs Kanye
West Arcade Fire Lady Gaga
Spike Jonzes style Jonzes relationship with music videos is
unpredictable and he demonstrates this through his unconventional
concepts and ideas. He is able to create videos for a range of
genres, from Alternative Rock to Hip-Hop to Experimental and has
been praised for many videos. His work on Pharcydes Drop is
interesting to zoom in at because the video features footage of the
Hip-Hop group performing the song backwards, replayed backwards,
which when combined with the chopped, spacey beat of the song gives
the video a slight surrealistic quality. This is a perfect example
of his originality and this piece has inspired many to edit in this
style. Another example which is admirable is his work on Kanye
Wests Flashing Lights. The video consists of limited takes and a
range of slowed down shots to show the narrative of Kanye Wests
character (presumably) being beaten to death with a shovel, by a
Playboy model in a dusk desert in Las Vegas. The storyline is
simple and purposefully withholds information, but this stirs
curiosity and interest amongst audiences. I found his shots to be
particularly interesting as he uses panning shots effectively and
his effect of slowing down the entre videos build suspense.
Other examples Fatboy Slim Praise YouReleased in 1999
Approximant budget: 1000The video featured American actor
Christopher Walken
Kanye West Only You ft. Paul McCartneyReleased in
2014Approximant budget: Unknown (very low) The music video was shot
mostly by Kanye himself, using home footage of his young
daughter.
