directed by Christopher Sims
For years the Stone Temple Pilots have been at the forefront of the music scene. Songs like Plush and Sour Girl are staples in any alternative music lovers black book. Their newest single 'Between The Lines' is far from their previous sound. Nevertheless their return to the music scene has brought a vibrant, fast-paced and edgy as ever music video by director Christopher Sims.
Utilising the fisheye lens, continual motion transitions and a POV camera technique Sims has created an ultimately back-to-basics music video for the Stone Temple Pilots. We'll look at these techniques and transitions in more detail below to examine what aspects of this video work and which ones don't.
Let's start by examining the videos colouring. Sims use of the two complementary colours orange and blue are evident throughout the video. Adding two complementary overtones creates that ying-yang balance that further accentuates time and place, yet cohesively threads the video together.
I recently produced and directed a music video that utilised orange overtones to create a retrospective look for one portion of the video. The addition of that colouring re-established the time and place.
Often colouring is an area that gets overlooked when it comes to music videos. But, if you can allocate a little extra time for colouring your video, which we all know is not always available, it can only add to your video. I highly recommend taking time to professionally colour your video.
One aspect that I don't really think worked in this video is the lighting used when they are at the pub. It's a bit cheesy, a bit low-budget disco feel, which I don't really think lends itself to the overall look of the video. The first time I watched this video the pub scene was the only part that stood out of place to me. I'm not sure if this scene was a last minute addition, so the lighting wasn't predetermined, but I think it's just a bit cheap looking.
I may be over stating my point here, but the execution of the lighting at the pub scene is poor, I don't really think there is any reason to sugar coat it. Keep in mind lighting at all times, at all locations. It can effect a videos outcome and is something that does need to be justified and thought out before executing regardless of how last-minute, on-the-go the production may be.
In saying all this Sims use of the continual motion transitions with the POV camera work and quick cuts is really intriguing. I found that the transitions worked so perfectly with the song itself; it keeps the audience moving, the pace of the continual motion, always pushing forward was well done.
I actually found myself getting drawn into the video through the clever POV shots and the interaction with the female and the POV. It made the video interactive in a sense. Movement, always moving forward, always pushing. By the end of the video I felt almost out of breathe and I find that in and of itself incredible intriguing. It's clever. I've just watched the video again to get in the head space and once again I am not disappointed by what I feel at the end. I love the pace of the video, the quickness of the edit, the handheld and POV work, the subtle fisheye lens, the interactions....it really does work on so many levels and so effectively.
Now the song itself is so left field from what the world knows as Stone Temple Pilots, but I think it's still got an edge to it which is reflected in the video. It is that edge that makes 'Between The Lines' a bit less poppy and more like the alternative edginess that is the Stone Temple Pilots.
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