I mentioned in my opening blog post that not everything I’d be writing about would be gift-related, and here is the proof. I love a good music video and I thought these were definitely worth sharing…

One-shot music videos are designed in such a way that all the action everything occurs in front of a single camera in continuous space and time. They present a significant challenge both creatively and technically, but when these are met head on the results have produced some of the most impressive music videos ever made. Here are five ace examples.

OK Go – Here It Goes Again

Four band members, eight treadmills and one shot. Doesn’t sound that inspiring? Wrong. The camera is static and the band members perform a detailed and tightly choreographed dance routine on the treadmills, the result is one of the most creative videos you’re likely to see. As far as one shot videos go, Ok Go are trend setters.

Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy

This is one of the earlier entries into the one-shot music video vaults. Shot in 1991 it focuses on singer Shara Nelson walking along the sidewalk of West Pico Boulevard in LA. She is gradually joined by other members of the band, as she passes all manner of characters from street life. It is notable that the director of photography on the video was John Mathieson who later went on to shoot Gladiator for Ridley Scott.

Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma

This video draws heavily on the work of indie film-maker Wes Anderson and was directed by the Comedian and star of the IT Crowd (amongst other things), Richard Ayoade. That isn’t as odd as it sounds as Ayoade has been behind notable entries into the music video canon for artists that include The Super Furry Animals, The Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The Oxford Comma video features Beau Cole arriving in a field in a car and then proceeding to walk through various setups that are linked both visually and musically.

Coldplay – Yellow

Not dissimilar to Massive Attack’s entry, but rather than on a LA street the setting is a beach in Dorset, England. Although the video was meant to include the whole band, in the end it only featured lead singer Chris Martin. This was due mainly to the fact that the funeral for drummer Will Champion’s mother was held on the same day. It was also meant to be filmed on a sunny day; this too was altered thanks entirely to the unpredictable UK weather. The whole video is in slo-motion which meant Martin had to slip-sync in double time, not an easy task and the transition from darkness to daylight was added digitally in the edit by saturating colour levels. The outcome of all these factors is striking as the sensation is one of soaring melancholy, which was not the intention initially.

Black Keys – Lonely Boy

This one-shot is all about Derrick T. Tuggle a part-time security guard who dances for the entire length of the video in the same spot outside the lobby area of a motel. Initially there was meant to be other dancers and Tuggle was cast as an extra, however he started dancing, the director saw him and changed the shoot on the fly. If you watch closely you’ll recognise some Derrick T. Tuggle versions of moves from routines popularised by John Travolta, Michael Jackson and Carlton Banks?!

Bonus: Ok Go – This Too Shall Pass

I mentioned that Ok Go are masters of the one-shot music video and here is another of theirs. However it’s only added in as a bonus as they had to put in a cut, see if you can spot it. Nevertheless, this video is definitely worthy of an honourable mention…