03/3/2010
Ah, Corinne. Yes, this happens to be a song that I love, jam to, and dance to without abandon. However, I’m posting this video b/c I’m somewhat disappointed with the outcome. Has that ever happened to you? You listen to a song so many times, and you have your own music video running through your head. All of a sudden, you see the real thing, and it’s just not as rich.
Try this - listen to the song first (Paris Nights / New York Mornings) and then watch the MV. Did you see a disconnect? It’s different for every person…but…
Things I would change:
1) The cafe scene in the beginning: Gorgeous, perfect dress. Great pairing with the boyfriend blazer. But the cafe should not be empty. Her lyrics are loaded with imagery that should be used - checkered greasy tablecloth, slightly askew - coffee and cigarette in hand - lipstick stain on both. waiters bustling, people bustling - steam rising from coffee cups and kettles.
2) The song is about young love. Yet, the video makes her look so alone. Perhaps, she didn’t want to use a male lead in honor of her late husband, which works out fine b/c a random person next to her would look cheesy/contrived. However, I would take more shots as if they were from the eyes of a lover - a close-up of her laughing face looking into the camera rather than away, shooting her figure running from the side or approaching from the front (which they do some of nicely), or even a shot of holding hands (with hands as the focus and faces not shown). Once again - take more advantage of the imagery. In the verse where she sings “Kiss me in the rain by the Rue Voltaire” - there should be a shot of his shoes and her heels in the rain - with one of her feet popped :).The song celebrates a “togetherness” that is just not evident in the video.
3) This is a fast-paced song about the city. The choice of using long, lingering shots of her looking off into the distance or sitting on the bridge just don’t fit. The director should have opted for faster, more action-oriented clips. Short flashes of images, lights, smiles. The panning of the night street cars, hailing a cab, and dancing on the bridge barefoot were good shots. They should have used more of those brief focused clips, varying them with the long ones to have more impact. I feel like more of it should have been shot at night or the sharp light of morning rather than the soft, afternoon sun. At the end, it would be cool to pan out and rest on a blinking, aerial view of the city’s nightscape.
In short: More laughter. More vivacity. Less polish.
Perhaps I make too much of the matter? But it’s all outta love - both for this song and the art of MV-making (which I have no expertise in whatsoever…other than the ones I make in my head ;).
