My Favorite Single-Take Music Videos
/I'm a connoisseur of stuff shot in a single take. A lot of music videos are done in this style and below are some of my favorites (favorites in the sense I like the video and it's matched up with a song I love too).
From Your Mouth by God Lives Underwater
You take a competitive eater, have him eat a bunch of shit, then run it backwards so he's pulling a ton of food out of his mouth. Simple idea executed well. And somehow this song is 20 years old.
This Too Shall Pass (Marching Band Version) by OK Go
OK Go is the king of this genre of music video. They have another video for this song that is a one-take Rube Goldberg machine. But I'm giving this version the nod because not only is it one take, but it's also performed live.
Try by Michael Penn
Shot by Paul Thomas Anderson in what is supposedly the longest hallway in North America. Love it.
Love Letters by Metronomy
Directed by Michel Gondry. The band is in a six sided box with different artwork on each side which puts them in different scenarios as the camera travels around the outside of the box. You don't get the full effect until the 2 minute mark.
The Underdog by Spoon
One long steadi-cam shot around the studio while the band and a bunch of percussionists play. The best part of this song is figuring out the syncopation of the hand claps in the chorus and joining in.
Darling, It's True by Locksley
One of the more creative variations on a single-take video that I've seen, paired with one of my favorite songs of all time. Great song, great energy, great video.