My name is Jeremy Rice. I write music and sing songs. I also enjoy making videos, like the one for my latest release, World War Three:
Today I’d like to share some other video selections that I hope you’ll enjoy.
For a bit of context. I studied broadcasting and audio production. To keep from becoming a starving musician, I began working as a multimedia free-lancer, particularly for television and advertising. I learned as I went; filming, editing, illustrating, animating, scoring. Basically, if the client asked, I would create the final product from scratch. Needless to say, I worked a lot of late hours. I also learned a lot, and naturally fell into producing the visual complement to my musical catalog. These days, both the song and video go hand-in-hand in my mind, and I often produce them simultaneously. It’s how I worked on the video for Lobotomy:
The following are five videos that have marked me over the years. Either they have influenced me in my creations, or I just find them to be pretty damn cool.
Happy viewing.
Massive Attack - Teardrop
I remember being at a bar with a friend about ten years ago. They guy, who was also a filmmaker, called attention to it, and I was immediately drawn in. The image of the fetus singing was initially a little unsettling, but that feeling eventually gave way to a kind of endearment towards the subject.
It’s also a nice example of practical effects. The fetus is definitely a latex model that exists in the real world, in real light, and I think that makes all the difference. If they had tried to generate the visual with CGI, I don’t believe it would have hit the mark quite as well and I probably wouldn’t be mentioning it now.
Daft Punk - Around the World
I always enjoyed this video, and It’s a strong complement to the song. Each character represents one of the musical elements, so that the visual movement aligns with the aural movement. The experience speaks for itself.
I imagine this was a one-day shoot too. I love those, especially the ones that begin with brunch:
Nirvana - In Bloom
I know the video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is probably more of a popular favourite, but I always got a kick out of imagining this band appearing on an Ed Sullivan-like program. The non-stop mockery keeps me smiling the whole time. I’m also a sucker for recreating a bygone era in pop-culture history. You may have noticed it’s a bit of a theme in the World War Three video.
Supergrass - Pumping on Your Stereo
A fun video for a fun song. You can tell the band is having a laugh with this, and it’s a well-executed shoot too. Once again, these are all in-camera effects, which I feel add am distinct magic and energy to the viewing experience. Also, I fucking love puppets.
Your kids will enjoy this one. They may not even notice the smoking references.
Azalea banks - 212
This video is a wonderfully exemplifies the power of simplicity. I go back to it frequently as a source of inspiration. It proves that it’s possible to do something really cool with very few resources, and it served as a kind of reference during the conception of the video for Arriianne:
Don’t watch this one with your kids.