Auteur study

 Auteur study

As I researched music videos before starting work on my own, I also researched auteurs who were famous for their music videos. These included Chris Cunningham, Michael Gondry, Spike Jonze and Paul Thomas Anderson. To learn more about music videos, I investigated Paul Thomas Anderson's work as I liked how simplistic his music videos are in terms of narrative. He has also created films such as 'Magnolia' (1999) and 'Licorice Pizza' (2021) which interested me as it was insightful to see how he presented narratives in full length films as well as 3-minute music videos. Also, I haven't yet decided whether I want to create a music video or a short film for my A2 coursework this year, so looking at both through this Auteur is very useful for when I will have to decide. 

Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson is an American filmmaker whose films have gained critical acclaim, especially psychological dramas. His representation of flawed characters, loneliness and redemption characterise his films and he has been nominated for 11 Academy Awards. He is well known for directing music videos for Radiohead and Joanna Newsom and directed a short music film in 2019 called 'Anima'. Paul Thomas Anderson's career began when he created a short film called 'Cigarettes & Coffee' from $10,000 in gambling money. He was then invited to the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, where the film was screened. After this, he continued to make his own short films, which were screened at numerous Film Festivals in America, before he began his career as a music video auteur.

Auteur's work

Here are some examples of music videos that Paul Thomas Anderson has directed or produced. 

'Man From The Magazine' - HAIM

This music video takes a look at sexism in the music industry through the artist singing behind the counter at a Deli to a group of male customers. The overall style of the video is cynical, with the artist looking at the camera multiple times as she sings the lyrics to the song and breaking the fourth wall. We also see the use of the male gaze through the camera cutting between the man at the counter back to the artist. The use of diegetic sound with the artist singing over the customers is also cynical. 

'Daydreaming' - Radiohead

In this video, a shaky, hand held camera is used to follow a man around, going with the theme of the title 'Daydreaming', as if he is in a state of dreaming. The use of dim, low-key lighting gives the music video a mundane and realistic style, similar to the look of the Deli in the HAIM video. The video's overall tone reflects this, with the artist looking like an outsider to other characters they walk past. The camera slowly zooms out and in as the artist walks to each location in the video, possibly to show they don't acknowledge the background characters around them. 

'Across The Universe' - Fiona Apple

This music video feels similar to the other two in terms of its tone and use of the camera following the artist as they move around the setting, however the style is different. The video is in black and white, highlighting its lack of emotion which contrasts with the destruction happening around the artist. Also, the use of the spinning camera following the artist feels out of the world of the video, which matches their focus on the camera, rather than the silent action of the scene behind them. The stain glass window is the only colour in the video, which is destroyed in the first few seconds. This is similar to the mundanity of the Radiohead video.

Paul Thomas Anderson's visual style

Overall, Paul Thomas Anderson's early style is chaotic and dramatic, while his more recent work has a similar intensity, but is more internal and intellectual. This is interesting as it makes the viewer think a bit more about the messages the films or music videos are trying to convey, which aren't noticeable on the surface. As someone who enjoys analysing symbols and metaphors in films and literature, researching Anderson's work and visual style has inspired me to take a deeper look at this as I begin to create some initial ideas for my own music video.