Jamie Thraves

•Director – Jamie Thraves

•Made short films at University

•Used award-winning short film as a ‘calling card’ to get a ‘foot in the door’ with the video production company Factory Films

•Began by shooting three very low budget music videos – cost about £5,000 each

•As can be seen for many directors in the business it is a precarious existence where their livelihood is dependent on each commission

•Jamie Thraves submitted treatments for his two best known videos and each was accepted

1.Radiohead – Just

•£100,000 budget
•Shot in three days



2.Coldplay – The Scientist
•£200,000 budget
•Shot in three days

•Jamie Thraves – most recent video – Japanese Popstars – Song for Lisa

•Currently videos cost about £20,000

•Shooting time – 2 days

The Japanese Popstars "Song For Lisa"

•Jamie has used the music videos to get into the film business

•Has so far shot three features:

•The Low Down

•The Cry of the Owl

•Treacle Jr

Jamie’s Tips:

•Use the lyrics but try not to be too literal

•Most importantly – go with the emotion of the lyrics

Katie B “Broken Record” Directed Jamie Thraves



Death Cab for a Cutie “I will follow you into the Dark”

•.Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
(e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).

There is a relationship between music and/or lyrics and visuals
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

• The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style and ‘fireworks’?).

 There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, looking into the camera etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. Katy Perry’s videos appear ‘Feminist’ but she also appears ‘sexy’ in parts.

There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc