The short film includes opening credits at the beginning of the video, a typical structure of film. Pic: The Last Dinner Party.

There has been a paradigm shift from music videos having the sole purpose of promoting the artist and their song, to music videos (MV) entering a ‘new aesthetic era’, as argued by Vernallis, in turn MV and filmmaking have become interlinked.

Many Hollywood directors like Spike Jonze, started their careers directing MV and have moved to feature length films. For my discussion I will be using the work of contemporary filmmaker, Harv Frost, directing MV for the rock band The Last Dinner Party (TLDP).

The short film includes five songs: Prelude of Ecstasy, The Feminine Urge, Gjuha, Sinner, Burn Alive. Video: The Last Dinner Party

Frost worked on three TLDP MV before directing their short film Prelude to Ecstasy. When she was approached to make another, Frost felt she understood the band’s aesthetic and wanted to create an entire world around it, so these two auteurs said why don’t we make a film? For me this raised the questions of what differentiates this short film from just being five music videos in one larger sequence, posted on YouTube.

Harv Frost is a trans filmmaker and creative. Pic: KODE media

Well, the film consists of a ‘loose’ narrative, connecting five singles together and each music video follows different narratives but encapsulates the overarching plot: the band in a dance boarding school, inspired by Dario Argento’s Suspiria. If music videos are no longer ‘promos’ in a clear way, this means there are clearer relations between music, sound and visual through: added value, complement, conformance, contrast and music and image synaesthesia. Prelude to Ecstasy is artsy and the visuals synthesis with the band’s overall aesthetic, which I would argue is promotion. The bands personal ‘brand’ promotes femininity, melodrama and has a clear aesthetic they are honing into, the short film attests to this.  

Themes of femininity and unrealistic beauty standards can be seen in the film. Pic: The Last Dinner Party.

This raised the idea that MV have become their own art form in the directing scene, which we know intersects through Jonze’s work. Another example of a musicians’ short film is boygenius’s the film, which includes a collection of music videos represented through an overall narrative. I would agree MV, advertising, cinema and television have become frequently interlinked by contemporary creators, such as Harv Frost.

the film by boygenius was directed by Kristen Stewart. Pic: boygenius.

Words by Lucy Snell.

References:

Carol Vernallis (2013), “Music Video’s Second Aesthetic” in: Unruly  Media, New York: Oxford University Press, 207-233.

LBB article: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/harv-frost-is-here-queer-and-taking-on-the-directing-scene-by-storm

Prelude to Ecstasy Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa5gPynokVQ

Kode Media Frost’s biography: https://www.kodemedia.com/directors/harv-frost?category=music

boygenius the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbOQMaJ1r-0

Interview about the Prelude to Ecstasy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERV6Qpi77bs