Vidspam: The music videos of Jake Nava
Here's something few people know; I'm a total music video geek. I've loved watching music videos ever since I was 8 and we got MTV for the first time. That damn channel was like a drug. I used to sit in front of the telly for hours to catch my favorite videos so I could push rec on the VCR. Then I could spend some more hours watching my collection of videos. When I was older I started analysing the cinematography, composition, etc of the vids and you could say my intrest for film was born through music videos.
I have some favorite music video directors, like Hype Williams, Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Joseph Kahn and Dave Meyers. But there are some less known directors that I really appreciate and that deserve some more cred. So will kick off this music video-spam series with the best of Jake Nava.
Shola Ama - You Might Need Somebody (1997)
I'm including this video mostly for the nostalgia. This is one of his first videos and I loved this song when I was a kid. Not an extraordinary video, but it works as a historical reference.
Urban Species feat. Imogen Heap (1999)
In the beginning of his career, he made some classic saturation-blue filter videos for indie/electronica bands, like this one shot in NYC.
Kelis - Milkshake (2003)
(Couldn't find the original song in decent quality so this will have to do)
Some years before this video, Nava made some videos for Ms. Dynamite and Mis Teeq where he would, instead of using a saturation filter, would use bright and high contrast colors. This video for me is one of his best uses of high-contrast colors.
Beyonce feat. Jay-Z - Crazy in Love (2003)
This video is a classic. When this video came out in 2003, the pace of the clips and the colors (mostly high contrast) was fairly new tp the world of popular music. What makes this video special IMO is that Nava is experimenting with camera movement and montage, eventually developing it into a specific form which you can see in his later videos. I also love that his use of different color filters, especially the grayish tones in the beginning.
Enrique Iglesias feat. Kelis - I'm Not in Love (2004)
This video is a lot more conventional than Crazy in Love, but I do like the way he uses colors and lights in this video.
Beyonce and Shakira - Beautiful Liar (2007)
This is my absolute favorite Nava video. This is the first video where I saw him employing the form which he had used only sporadically in earlier videos. He's using rapid but fluid camera movements and rapid montage. Again, you can see his use of colors is gorgeous, although the colors in this video are more subdued. The part between 2:24 to 2:58 is amazing in terms of editing.
Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) (2008)
I will end this Nava hall of fame with yet another classic. Although the choreography is really the star in this video, it wouldn't have looked half as good without Navas directing. Because this video is in b/w, he instead makes great use of contrast/brightness using very basic lighting. The camera is moving most of the time, enhancing the movements of the choreography. This vid is simply an epic WIN.
I have some favorite music video directors, like Hype Williams, Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Joseph Kahn and Dave Meyers. But there are some less known directors that I really appreciate and that deserve some more cred. So will kick off this music video-spam series with the best of Jake Nava.
Shola Ama - You Might Need Somebody (1997)
Click to viewI'm including this video mostly for the nostalgia. This is one of his first videos and I loved this song when I was a kid. Not an extraordinary video, but it works as a historical reference.
Urban Species feat. Imogen Heap (1999)
In the beginning of his career, he made some classic saturation-blue filter videos for indie/electronica bands, like this one shot in NYC.
Kelis - Milkshake (2003)
(Couldn't find the original song in decent quality so this will have to do)
Some years before this video, Nava made some videos for Ms. Dynamite and Mis Teeq where he would, instead of using a saturation filter, would use bright and high contrast colors. This video for me is one of his best uses of high-contrast colors.
Beyonce feat. Jay-Z - Crazy in Love (2003)
This video is a classic. When this video came out in 2003, the pace of the clips and the colors (mostly high contrast) was fairly new tp the world of popular music. What makes this video special IMO is that Nava is experimenting with camera movement and montage, eventually developing it into a specific form which you can see in his later videos. I also love that his use of different color filters, especially the grayish tones in the beginning.
Enrique Iglesias feat. Kelis - I'm Not in Love (2004)
This video is a lot more conventional than Crazy in Love, but I do like the way he uses colors and lights in this video.
Beyonce and Shakira - Beautiful Liar (2007)
This is my absolute favorite Nava video. This is the first video where I saw him employing the form which he had used only sporadically in earlier videos. He's using rapid but fluid camera movements and rapid montage. Again, you can see his use of colors is gorgeous, although the colors in this video are more subdued. The part between 2:24 to 2:58 is amazing in terms of editing.
Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) (2008)
I will end this Nava hall of fame with yet another classic. Although the choreography is really the star in this video, it wouldn't have looked half as good without Navas directing. Because this video is in b/w, he instead makes great use of contrast/brightness using very basic lighting. The camera is moving most of the time, enhancing the movements of the choreography. This vid is simply an epic WIN.