A Smile a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
I have created this film festival in an attempt to brighten your day. I chose all of these videos based off of YouTube suggestion bars and narrowed down my list after my original reaction to each video. I realized that I personally don’t take enough time out of my day to enjoy my life and smell the roses if you will. My hope is that this film festival allows you, as the viewer, to take a break from your busy life to smile. I have included music videos that either shows humanity or distort reality in a particular way. Instead of separating these videos into different categories I have opted to mix them together, leaving a short description of the background and my own personal reaction underneath each video. Whether you choose to pay attention to my description or not, I hope that you can come away from this film festival with both your own ideas about each music video and a smile.
Jain - Makeba
Born in France and raised in the United Emirates and the Congo Jain is influenced by French techno and African rhythms. According to an article in Fader, her art comes from both appreciation and experience. The video for Makeba was published on YouTube on November 30th of 2016. I was drawn to this video in particular because of the effect used through the entire video which alters reality in some very interesting ways. I enjoyed the contrast of the colorful backgrounds and costumes of everyone with the black and white color pallet that Jain maintains through the entire music video. 3 minutes in the deep breathing close up shot of the construction man, the man dressed in a ceremonial dress and the young boy in his school uniform helps to promote a sense of community. And then there is the dancing which creates unity through all of the different scenes of this video. The lightness held through the dancer’s bodies mixed with the slowed down speed allows for a prolonged sense of weightlessness and anticipation. The focus of dancing in this video only added to my desire to get up off my couch and move to the beat.
Mahalia - I Wish I Missed My Ex
Mahalia is an up and coming artist from the UK who continues to only pick up speed with her honest and open lyrics. The music video to her song I Wish I Missed My Ex was published on Jun 1, 2018, and is shot entirely in reverse. This is was originally intrigued me about this music video, especially once I discovered that she had to learn her song backward in less than a day as the entire video was shot in 22 hours in and around in various local family owned locations in the director’s neighborhood. Upon first glance, I was drawn to the setting, a summers day and evening in what looks like LA depicting the day of a girl, that just happened to be all happening in reverse. The entire video to me is a dance, even though the only scene with dancing in it is at the end of the house party. The choreography of the camera and the way that everyone in the video has been placed appealed to me in a way that I just can’t put into words. The mundane activity of a person going about their life was turned on its head by simply reversing the entire thing. It brought me comfort something that I was expecting to find but was more than willing to lean right into.
Maroon 5 - What Lovers Do ft. SZA
The music video for What Lovers Do was published on September 28, 2017. This song was a collaboration between the hit band Maroon 5 and SZA, an up and coming American artist. This music video originally caught my attention because of the editing and animation. The very beginning of the video depicts a deer lip singing the first couple lines of the song. There is no attempt to make this video look realistic, and in fact, I think that the entire point of this is to invoke one’s imagination. The main characters are young children who are made to look like young SZA and Adam Levine, the main singer from Maroon 5. These children go on adventures and play in a field, something that few children do anymore. Then when their adult counterparts come into the picture the effect of childlike wonder doesn’t leave. Nothing about this video is taking itself too seriously. The choreography of the storyline then plays a large role as you watch these two people stuck in what looks like a strange and unrealistic dream. The places they go and the things that happen to them don’t make a lot of sense but for whatever reason that’s okay.
John Legend - Love Me Now
John Legend is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor creating an array of different work. The music video to his song Love Me Now was published on November 11, 2016. Shortly after this, he released a behind the scenes video that gave some insight into his process and the message behind his video. I was originally attracted to this music video because it centers around people in Orlando Florida, the Domiz Refugee Camp in Northern Iraq, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. All places that have experienced tragedy and hard times, and yet none of the people on the screen are showing any sign of discouragement and for the most part, they are all couples ranging in ages. They Dance event though they have been given so many reasons not to dance anymore. The couple on the Standing Rock Reservation perform bits of traditional ceremonial dances, the gay couple who live in Orlando go out to a night club. There is a young couple who gets married and celebrate their union. In his interview, John Legend talks about how life is uncertain and you have to make the most out of every minute you have no matter what. This video does that in every sense of the word, these people are dancing not from a lack of hurt, but form resilience, and there is immense power in that.
Macklemore ft. Skylar Grey - Glorious
Macklemore is an American rapper from Seattle known for his activism and eccentric style. For his song Glorious, he collaborated with Skylar Grey a singer, model, producer, and songwriter. This music video was published on July 6, 2017, and features Macklemore’s grandmother who was about to turn one hundred years old. The entire concept for this music video is about his grandmother getting to do everything she has ever wanted to but never done. Although she never really dances, she conveys her joy and excitement through raised arms and jumping up and down. The dancing is in the interaction between grandmother and son, the way that they communicate with each other through looks and smiles. There is nothing better than that. This video shows compassion and, similarly to John Legends video, that life is precious and you have to enjoy every minute of it because you never know what the future may hold for you.
Samm Henshaw - Church ft. EARTHGANG
A Nigerian born singer-songwriter and record producer, Samm Henshaw is a budding artist who has performed with both James Bay and Chance the Rapper. His music video for Church creates a fun and carefree effect through both the cinematography and the song itself. I was drawn to this video solely because for the majority of it Samm Henshaw is riding down the street dancing and singing on a low hanging cloud. Something that looks so very cool and fun that I couldn’t help but continue to watch. There a sense of community being held in the setting of a church as a young boy and his mom rush to get there on time. The congregation is unaffected as they slide into a pew, meanwhile, on the streets, Samm Henshaw is still on his cloud jamming away. In space, the two members of Earthgang are on their way to earth on meteors. None of this seems to make any sense until they all appear at the same church doors to liven up the party. Once they begin to play in the church there is an eruption of dancing. This explosion of expressive joy comes from the outside in, the young boy was dancing before he went to church, and wasn’t allowed to dance again until Samm and his friends showed up. The ending shows a glorious connection of joy and community.
Drake - God's Plan
Drake is a Canadian rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur who has spent many years in the height of the public eye. He has labeled his music video for his song God’s Plan one of the most important things he has ever done with his career. This video strikes me because of the humanity of it. There are real people getting real help which will change their lives forever. You can tell how happy and excited they are when they start to dance and jump up and down. You see the tears in a mother and son’s eyes as Drake hands them a stack of money. Drake dances around a closed mall separated from all the people that he helps through the video. However, there is one scene where he dances with a crowd of school kids after donating 50,000 to their school. The entire video is created specifically to give you the viewer good feelings, to know that some people were helped out if only temporarily. At face value I love this, I love that this music video even exists and that someone had the idea to give an entire music video budget away. Although it has received some criticism, I maintain that a good thing was down, and more people need to look at their lives and understand how privileged they truly are in the grand scheme of things.
Beyoncé - Let's Move Your Body
Beyoncé aka Queen Bee is a world-famous singer known for her amazing voice as well as her talent for dancing. Her music video for Let’s Move Your Body was published on June 17, 2012, in a middle school cafeteria. Although at first glance this video looks to be simple, the cafeteria quickly turns into a giant dance party as everyone falls in line with Beyoncé, keeping up with her high energy and enthusiasm. The strangeness of seeing someone who has been made larger than life pop out into a cafeteria very similar to the one I ate my lunches in all through middle school was a strange thing. It gave her a sense of approachability, that she was just here to have a good time, and so was everyone else. Watching all the kids move and get into the movement was wonderful. It was something so simple, yet perfect, no crazy set or lighting or costumes as in some of her other work. This music video is toned down, comfortable even, it just makes you want to get up and dance along to the beat, fallowing the dance moves being shown over and over in the video.
Shakira - Waka Waka
Shakira is a Columbian born singer who has stolen the hearts of Americans with her voice and her amazing dance moves. Her song Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Africa which is apparent in the music video itself. The video is centered around clips from the tournament, both highs, and lows set perfectly to the lyrics and rhythm of the song. In between these shots are shots of Shakira surrounded by a group of people, all dancing and singing together in perfect harmony. Those moments are what I find some of the most satisfying because they are moving just the way that I would want to move, that I am tempted to get up and move to. The clips from the games allow for a different set of emotions, that of community and strength. You get to watch as the fans and the players experience all the same emotions together as a unit, as a community they are going through the same things. You as the viewer whether you were there or not get to go on that emotional roller coaster with them, that in itself is the power for me and the reason I wanted to include this video in my festival.
Sigala, Ella Eyre - Came Here for Love
Ella Eyre is n up and coming British Singer, for her song Came Her for Love, she collaborated with Sigala, an English DJ. Their music video was published on June 14, 2017, featuring a backdrop of warm weather and bright buildings. This music video immediately grabbed my attention because of its visual beauty. The light-hearted attitude of the entire song, the couple playing with each other and acting in love all made me want to slip into that world. What surprised me were the kites, the perfect syncopation between the beat dropping and the kite being thrown into the air buy its owner. And then suddenly that same young man was dancing on the rooftop where he had let the kite fly only moments ago. He was break dancing and moving his body in ways that I could only dream of, in a show of complete joy. This song feels like the moment when you step outside on a nice summers day after being cooped up in an office all day and suddenly you just feel free. As though you could float away on the summer breeze at any moment, and right now I would like nothing more than to float away on that breeze.
Sia - You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile (2014 Film Version)
Sia is an Australian singer-songwriter and music video producer, over the cores of her career she has been recognized by her unique style in her music videos. This particular music video is a promotion for the remake of Annie and features some of the cast for the movie. What drew me in was the basic concept of young girls running around New York City with signs and lemonade encouraging grumpy adults to smile and have a good day. There is something so innocent and pure about that that I cannot watch this video without smiling. It all ties back to the idea of humanity and community. We are all in this together, you never know what your future holds whether that be in a few hours or in a few years. So don’t spend the time stressing, enjoy every moment that you possibly can. This is, of course, far easier said than done, however, I think that it is something everyone needs to remember every now and then.