Vimeo - Music Video

The music video category is probably one of the most popular categories in the Vimeo festival and a form of filmmaking that we’ve noticed seems to go from strength to strength every year, cropping up heavily in DN’s coverage. The creative teams behind these promos consistently use the format to push boundaries, experiment with effects and test narratives in the brief duration of a track. This year’s finalists are no different, with animation and special-effects featuring heavily in the 4 promos up for the award.

THE SHRINE/AN ARGUMENT BY SEAN PECKNOLD

Director, animator and visual artist Sean Pecknold combines the music of the Fleet Foxes with animated images from a mystical world of bizarre creatures and monsters in The Shrine/An Argument. At 08:07 in duration, this may seem an odd choice of track to visualise, but the music and imagery combine with such precision that Pecknold’s video is elevated to something greater than its music promo beginnings. It instead feels as if we are watching the work of true storytellers working together in perfect harmony, creating a surreal narrative journey through a magical universe.

APACHE BY ONEEDO

When I stumbled upon Apache over 12 months ago, I was instantly impressed by the original feel and look to the animation chosen to accompany the track by Danger Beach. New Zealand based animation director and illustrator Ned Wenlock, employs constantly rotating elements in his promo to create an ever-evolving animation that truly feels like something revolutionary (excuse the pun!). You might recognise Wenlock’s style from the animation he created for MGMT’s All We Ever Wanted was Everything, featured here back in November of 2011.

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA: SIMPLE MATH” BY DANIELS

Described by Matt Strachan last year as an ‘epic effort‘ and ‘life-spanningly complete‘, the promo for the Manchester Orchestra’s Simple Math has been gathering plaudits (including two awards at the UK Music video Awards) since its release. Created by self-confessed ‘super team’ Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan (aka DANIELS), this video is just one example of an ever-expanding array of impressive promos from the eclectic duo.

IS TROPICAL: THE GREEKS BY MEGAFORCE

Megaforce’s music video for Is Tropical track The Greeks brings every young boy’s dream to life by adding impressive animated special fx to a childhood game of war. It carries on the impressive promo work they’ve previously carried out for the likes of Metronomy and Kid Cudi and has now been followed by an attention grabbing video for Madonna.

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