The Best music videos of 2018...I think.

I miss MTV.
Not MTV of today - filled with reality shows. No. I miss the pure MTV music video channel of my youth.
I miss having the time to just sit and watch it too.

You can learn a lot from music videos - cultural trends, fashion, new art directional styles, editing techniques, scene transitions and pure wacky ways of seeing the world. They also have their fingers on the pulse far more than any TV show or newspaper. 

So, with Christmas providing a much needed lull I decided to see what was happening out there in 2018. 

And here are my picks. 

1. Janelle Monae - Make Me feel. 

This is so Prince isn't it? And the style is very iPod. I just love he fashion as well. I would wear those see through embroidered trousers if I had the guts. Apparently this video is about Janelle's bi-sexuality - running from man to woman unable to choose. 



2. John Mayer - New Light

This is so shit it's kinda genius. Apparently John Mayer asked some guy in LA who specialises in making bat mitzvah videos.

It also reminds me of my favourite show "Glow" - there is a great episode where they spent the whole episode showing the recorded TV show complete with tacky scene transitions and bad acting. That's what this is like. 



3. Travis Scott: “SICKO MODE” [ft. Drake]

Directed by Dave Meyers and Travis Scott.

There is so much going on in this video. Really interesting camera techniques and trickery, some neon paint, coloured smoke, singing murals, very jiggly butts (like how does that butt actually move like that?) and Drake sounding super cool. 



4. Drake - Nice for What.

Sorry for another Drake but this guy is on it with his video game. For "Nice for what" Drake gave the camera to 22-year-old director Karena Evans. She shot scenes of powerful women celebrating their worth and doing their thing. The result is a video that's joyful and strong - nice one Drake, nice one Evans. 



5. The Carters: “APESHIT”

Probably the most talked about video of the year. Beyonce and Jay Z in the Louvre and some amazing modern dance. New, pop and cool meets classic high brow art. The meeting is mesmerising and you need not delve into anything deeper than that. But if you do then the message is about blackness, its relationship to Western colonialism and about black capitalism as act of radical subversion. Deep man.



Oh and if you are not viewing this on a public screen you may wanna check out the video for Duck Duck Goose by Cupcakke. She is not shy. 

Spike Jonze for Kenzo

The world is going crazy for this Spike Jonze directed perfume ad. And why not? It's beautiful, irreverent, weird and good fun. Perfume ads can be the most pretentious type of advertising. So t's really great to see someone making something that people actually want to watch instead.

This one reminds me of the Prada Candy adverts, directed by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola. Here's my link to those ads: Adverts like Soap Operas

If you haven't already seen Spike's masterpiece here it is:

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My 50 Top films

In the lull before Christmas my fellow copywriters and I put together lists of our top 25 books to make into a poster. It's quite a fun exercise if you are a bookworm like me - picking out the ones you love the most. 

Take a look at my list on my other blog The Copywriter's Bookshelf.

We then challenged each other to think of our top films. So here is my top 50 with directors and dates. Starting with my favourite of all time...oooooo David Bowie in those tight leggings and sexy eyeliner.....mmmmmmm. 

1. The Labyrinth, Jim Henderson (1986)
2. The Muppet Christmas Carol, Jim Henderson (1992)
3. Monster, Patty Jenkins (2003)
4. Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrmann (2001)
5. Some Like it Hot, Billy Wilder (1959)
6.  Ferris Bueller’s Day off, John Hughes, (1986)
7.  The Shining, Stanley Kubrick, (1980)
8. The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan (2007)
9.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michael Gondry (2005)
10. Edward Sissorhands, Tim Burton (1990)
11. Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson (2002)
12. Harry Potter franchise, Chris Columbus/Alfonso Cuaron/ Mike Newell/David Yates (2001-11)
13. This is Spinal Tap, Rob Reiner (1984)
14. Shindler’s List, Steven Spielberg (1993)
15. A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick (1971)
16. Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese (1990)
17. Fargo, Joel and Ethan Coen (1996)
18. Walk the Line, James mangold (2005)
19. It’s a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra (1946)
20. Mama Mia, Phillida Lloyd (2008)
21. The Royal Tenenbaums, wes Anderson (2001)
22. Clueless, Amy Heckerling (1995)
23. Se7en, David Fincher (1995)
24.  The Silence of the Lambs, Jonathan Demme (1995)
25.  Anchorman, Adam McKay (2004)
26.  The Lion King, Disney (1994)
27.  Beauty and the Beast, Disney (1991)
28. Interview with a vampire, Neil Jordan (1994)
29. Sin City, Robert Rodrigez, Frank Miller (2005)
30. Dodgeball, Rawson Marshall Thurber (2004)
31. Romeo and Juliette, Baz Luhrmann (1996)
32. Kickass, Matthew Vaughn (2010)
33.  The Sound of Music, Robert Wise (1965)
34. Pirates of the Caribbean, Gore Verbinski (2003)
35.  Juno, Jason Reitman (2007)
36. Little Miss Sunshine, Jonathan Dayton (2006)
37. American Psycho, Mary Harron (2000)
38. Kill Bill1&2, Quentin Tarantino (2003-4)
39. Pretty Woman, Garry Marshall (1990)
40. The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan (1999)
41. Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle (2008)
42.  Grease, Randal Kleiser (1978)
43. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Henry Selick (1993)
44. Sweeney Todd, Tim Burton (2007)
45. An Education, Lone Scherfig (2009)
46. Mean Girls, Mark Waters (2004)
47. Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright (2004)
48. Titus Andronicus, Julie Taymor (1999)
49.  The Full Monty, Peter Cattaneo (1997)
50. Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Robert Zemeckis (1988)


So that's it. What do you think? What makes it into your list and what is your favourite of all time? 

Better get to know Spike Jonze

Every time my colleagues reference any director it always seems to be Spike Jonze. Now I am ashamed to say that I have only recently become acquainted with him. So just in case anyone else has missed out here are some lovely Spike Jonze adverts to watch...

Ikea advert by Spike Jonze.


GAP ad by Spikey baby:


Adidas by the Jonzemeister (we know him really well by now so nicknames are allowed)


Oh and there is a small matter of a supposed-to-be very good children's film: