Sophie Muller Music Video Look

Mike Panczenko · March 6, 2005

I don't know if anyone has seen her work, but every video she's done looks incredibly low con, and it just as soft. It's a really weird look, that I find incredibly distracting. Who shoots her videos, and what do they do to get that look. It is very odd, and I really don't like it. What do you guys think?

Rachel Oliver · March 6, 2005

Hi;

I've worked with Sophie on a couple of shoots. (not as DP) She used Kodak reversal, (Cant remember exactly what type,) and it was very much her call.... she messes around in TK alot too. The cams were Arri SR2's n' 3's with zeiss zooms mostly as I recall. Shes a very nice girl and about as experienced a promo director as there is, it's ALL she does! I must say I rather liked the looks she got on reversal, hope that helps.

Olly

David Mullen ASC · March 6, 2005

I visited a set once for a Sade video she directed and it was being shot by Harris Savides on 5248 using Cooke primes, no filtration that I can recall. She seemed very nice and visually oriented. The final video didn't look milky or anything.

Rachel Oliver · March 6, 2005

I visited a set once for a Sade video she directed and it was being shot by Harris Savides on 5248 using Cooke primes, no filtration that I can recall. She seemed very nice and visually oriented. The final video didn't look milky or anything.

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Hi;

Unfortunately by the time I got to work with her Harris Savides was too busy, She dosent really have a "house style" she just gets a look after talking to the artist. I think she may have recently worked with Savides on a Radiohead video shot with a pin hole/Bolex rig, but it may not have been him? The two shoots I was on were unfiltered too, very much a telecine finish.

Olly

Wendell_Greene · March 6, 2005

She also works a great deal with DP Steve Chivers and with Karsten" Crash" Gopinath, who shot her award winning video for "Underneath It All" for No Doubt. Sophie is also a fan of using rear projection in her music videos: Nelly Furtado's "Try" , The Distiller's "The Hunger" and most recently The Killers "Mr. Brightside".

DavidSloan · March 6, 2005

In "Underneath It All," the last part where Gwen jumps on the bed is freaking amazing. One of the best lighting jobs I've seen in a music video.

Off the topic but does anyone know who shot the Green Day video with the Stan Brakhage-like, blots of paint?

Mike Panczenko · March 7, 2005

The ones I'm referring to, and it shows just how unfamiliar I am with her huge canon of work, were one for Vanessa Carlton- I think it's called "White Houses"- Maroon 5 "She Will Be Loved", and Mr. Brightside. And what was Mr. Brightside shot on-it looks like HD, but maybe even regular DV? And I haven't seen "Underneath It All" for a while, but that didn't seem to have the exact look I'm talking about. The new Maroon 5 video has the same look, too, even though it's not Sophie's work.

Wendell_Greene · March 7, 2005

Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" was directed and photographed by Samuel Bayer

I really enjoyed the ektachrome film, warm antique suede look of "She Will Be Loved" which very similar in tone to the last section of Sarah McLachlan's "Stupid" video which Muller also directed. I rmember reading where she said the concepts for SWBL and the third section of "Stupid" were based on films set in the '1970s [ SWBL-" The Graduate" and "Stupid'"- Ang Lee's " The Ice Storm"]

IMO, Sophie does her best work with No Doubt, Annie Lennox and Sade. Personally, though, I'm more partial to Floria Sigismondi's work as a director.

DavidSloan · March 7, 2005

Thank you, Wendell. I'll have to check this guy out.

Wendell_Greene · March 7, 2005

You're welcome David. FYI, Sam Bayer is most known for having directed Nirvana's " Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video. Check out this interview on Kodak's website:

Sam Bayer

Jeremy · March 7, 2005

IMO, Sophie does her best work with No Doubt, Annie Lennox and Sade. Personally, though, I'm more partial to Floria Sigismondi's work as a director.

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Floria Sigismondi does amazing work, but I'm always partial to surrealism, I guess. Her work is definitely what I refer to as eye candy - dark, surreal eye candy, but eye candy nonetheless.