Be Brave Benjamin's "Devil Fool"

“A videotaped performance of a recorded popular song, usually accompanied by dancing and visual images interpreting the lyrics.” Is this a proper definition for a music video? Oxford Dictionary gives the same definition and Merriam-Webster won’t even acknowledge the term. I guess technically music video is not one word, but it is a noun right? Am I reading too much into this? 

Whenever one is dealing with artistic expression, things aren’t ever black and white. Instead of saying this is the case, let’s just call everything a variation of gray. That’s the way things work in the art world. Music videos aren’t simply art. They are also a medium of communication and a tool for promotion. Why are the official databases the only ones who have the authority to tell us how a music video should make us feel? My goal is to distinguish that a music video isn’t only a short motion picture created with a band in concert with a filmmaking team to promote their message. We are in the age of YouTube, Vimeo and Vevo. The video that Michael Jackson made himself isn’t all one should discuss because ultimately, the audience can be the maker of a video that affects others just as deeply. (And sometimes one has to look at that YouTube video your fat neighbor made featuring shitty claymation of  “Thriller” to learn something new about the song.)

Why do I think this is the case? A music video isn’t a movie and it isn’t a song. The filmmaker and the musician are equally important because sometimes one discovers a band because they have a cool music video. Who truly authored the work and who should get the credit for your adoration? Music videos are tools to sell you on the “look” of a song. Essentially, we are all attempting to see sound.

The format of the “music video” can be video, film, rotoscope, paintings that allude to historical events, art, books, etc., but it can also be a cover song with a live performance, an artist’s work put to music or anything else one can fathom. Feelings can’t always be described through sight or sound. But we do our best to describe a feeling with the tools we have.

I’ll be discussing the opinions of all sides (the musician, the filmmaker and myself) because I do both of these things. I’m warning you now: I’m going get pretty nerdy about movie trivia. Since other ACRN bloggers mention bands that are similar, I’ll be talking about movies a lot.I am first and foremost a filmmaker and storyteller. So I want to discuss truth. Because all music and movies are about portraying some semblance of real life. And I’m excited to finally have a format where my two passions collide. So as an extra chance to help you get to know me, I’d like to discuss my favorite music video of the moment.

A few months ago, I found the music video for Be Brave Benjamin’s “Devil Fool”. Photographer and filmmaker Pablo Maestres directed and Marc Miro shot this gorgeous video. Guys, it's just so cool! Why’s it cool? It’s a beautiful and hyper stylized interpretation of a group of friends flirting with danger. Not all of us can be as brave as Benjamin. So that’s why we’ll let him be brave for us.

The video is better than the song, in my opinion. So it’s more like a soundtrack to a movie. The style of the song is used to twang up the preppy/conservative curry, mint, teal and chocolate video. Agnes Costa did such a beautiful job on wardrobe that this could easily be a fashion video as well. The twang also compliments the typography of the video. It gives a subtle nod to the golden age of the western movie genre.

It’s as if Be Brave Benjamin is telling us to not worry about the consequences. Don’t think, just act. We never see what happens. Do the people die if they are doing something life-threatening? Does it matter? After all, sometimes one has to be young and reckless. The ironic pairing of demure and sweet design with the highly dangerous activities is so sardonically attractive. Artist Genís Argol illustrates cutesy drawings of cars of fire, foxes and ducks hanging from nooses and tall flowers. The dusty color palette and the nonchalant attitude toward destruction resemble a rather strange Greek film called Dogtooth (2009). It’s definitely a good watch if you like the style of this music video, but beware because it’s a bit more disturbing.

When I was watching the video recently, I noticed that most of the framed portraits in the house are the photograph Maestres took of frontman Benjamin Palmer. Due to the similarities in the portrait of Palmer and “Brave Ben” Hall, I’d say the musician got his moniker from the 19^th century Welsh bushranger. Bushranger is a term for an Australian runaway convict. One can imagine that the characteristics of a bushranger mirror that of a cowboy in the Wild West. He answers to no one, but when it comes down to it, he does the right thing. This piece of trivia compliments the twangy guitar motif present throughout the song. Brave Ben the musician currently lives in Barcelona, Spain. This is where the music video was filmed as well.