Directors Previous Music Videos

Phil Griffin

As well as directing Notion by Kings of Leon, Phil Griffin directed some other very popular songs and music videos by Amy Winehouse, including songs Rehab and Back to Black. He specialises in directing documentary's of artists such as Rihanna, Paul McCartney, Britney Spears and Madonna. He hasn't directed too many music videos but he is obviously a great director as these videos are all very popular ones.

Rehab - Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Song

Rehab was written by Amy Winehouse herself and was released as a single in 2006, although it was later part of her 2007 album Back to Black. It was produced by Mark Ronson, the song is about dealing with her drug and alcohol addiction and how she refused going to rehab to sort it out. The song made it to number 7 in the UK charts and number 9 in the US charts. 

Music Video

The music video was directed by Phil Griffin and released in 2006, the video is more performance based as she is singing into a camera whilst her band play their instruments. The video was nominated for video of the year by MTV but lost to Rihanna's song Umbrella.

Analytical

Amy is laying on a bed at the beginning of the video as she starts to sing, she is dressed very colourfully as he band sit at the back of the room playing instruments and she focuses on the camera. The music video features her band playing everywhere she goes as if she if following them and that she can't go to rehab because her band rely on her too much. She is in different locations throughout the video, one is a bedroom, the other is a hallway, the other is outside, she seems to move around alot. The camera is always focusing on her with the band in the background, middle close up shots and close ups on her face to show her emotion. 

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Song

Back to Black was written by Amy Winehouse herself and was released in 2007 as part of her album Back to Black. It received "universal acclaim", the lyrics are about her addiction to alcohol and drugs, claiming that back to black basically means going back to doing these things. Mark Ronson helped produce and write the song.

Music Video

Phil Griffin directed the music video and it features a headstone that reads R.I.P the headstone of Amy Winehouse, this was removed after her death in 2011 as it was deemed disrespectful. The music video was nominated for music video of the year in 2007 but lost out to Kanye West and his song Stronger. 

Analytical

This video is in a black and white format, it is to depict the song name Back to Black and show a representation of darkness and death. Black is connoted with dark, death, pain, funerals etc. Amy herself is dressed in black with a low cut dress, she is looking revealing and sexualised compared to the others attending the funeral. The camera shots really focus on the emotion of Amy singing, they close up on her eyes, mouth and facial expressions. The camera is also looking down at her at some points, to show that she is low and feeling down. The setting is very spooky and mysterious, in an old church in the countryside.

Sophie Muller

As well as directing Radioactive and Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon, Sophie Muller has directed hundreds of music videos all from big popular artists such as Rihanna, Beyonce, Coldplay, Maroon 5, Kings of Leon, Alicia Keys and The Killers. She is one of the best music video directors out there in today's music industry, she is a very popular and well liked director, alot of artists seem to like her and have her directing alot of their music videos, just like Kings of Leon have done with two of their most popular songs.

Stay - Rihanna - Unapologetic

Song

The song Stay was written by Mikky Ekko who also features in the song, it was from Rihanna's 2012 album Unapologetic. The song is about always going back to the one you love and not being able to resist it. The song received positive and worldwide acclaim and made it to number 3 in both the US and UK charts. 

Music Video

The video was released in February 2013, it features Rihanna and Mikky Ekko in the video. The video was of course directed by Sophie Muller, the video was one of the most watched videos on YouTube in 2013 and gained major acclaim. The video was a success and it has over 200 million views on YouTube!

Analytical
The video opens with a shot of running water. Rihanna is then presented undressing and climbing into a bathtub. Throughout the rest of the video, the singer is presented nude in the tub full of cloudy green water; subtle camera angles protect her modesty. She is wearing little make up and the camera is always focusing on her emotions, it is a very emotional and passionate song so the camera is being used to full effect in terms of representing her feelings. Some parts of the video are in slow motion to show greater effect. Rihanna is naked, again showing the tension she has with this man. 

That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

Song

The song was released in 2009 from their album We Started Nothing. The song was written by the group and received high acclaim, it got to number 1 in the UK chart. It made it to platinum in the United States and the United Kingdom. The song is about the lead singer in the group expressing her anger and disappointment in the record industry. 

Music Video

The song has three different music videos which is very strange for a song. I have decided to obviously concentrate on the one that was directed by Sophie Muller. 

Analytical

The video starts with a still image of the band which is moving around, the drum kit with the bands name is on there and the lead singer (female) is holding a microphone. The male in the band starts playing the drum while the female starts to dance. The camera then focuses on the female as she starts to sing, the camera is always moving around to make the song seem very jumpy and fun, which it is. The video is very boring with its white background, the band are dressed up in bright colours to make them stand out more. The background then changes to multiple colours such as blue and then red.