The development of technology and radio telecommunications has led mankind to the opportunity to shoot music videos at a professional level.
In fact, such an opportunity arose a long time ago, and it takes a considerable amount of money to create a video clip - a short artistic production shot on video with musical accompaniment, and often with the addition of various special effects. Several, or even tens, hundreds of millions of American dollars are spent on creating and processing some music videos. So, in our article we will talk about what is the most expensive clip in history.
Top most expensive music videos ever
The vast majority of the most expensive music videos were shot in the nineties. Special computer effects were very expensive, and, as you know, the United States did not touch on the economic crisis at that time, which allowed performers and their producers not to think about the costs of their musical masterpieces. The fabulous money was spent on making a vivid, catchy video that would take the highest places in all world chats.
It is worth saying that the amounts presented in the collections for the creation of an expensive music video are indicated, given the current currency and its exchange rate. So what is the most expensive clip in history?
5th place
It took almost $ 7 million to make a video for Black or White by Michael Jackson and L.T.B. The video itself was closely involved in the world famous John Landis.
Costs went to actors starring in the video like Tess Harper, Macaulay Culkin and George Wend. You should not even talk about the presence of all kinds of special effects, expensive costumes and quality choreography. Undoubtedly, this video should be included in the rating “Most expensive clip”.
4th place
The list “The most expensive clip in the world” continues with the video shot for the song Bedtime Story, written by the world famous Björk. Filming was not done by anyone, but by Mark Romanek. The song is performed by the incomparable Madonna.
This video cost producers more than seven and a half million US dollars.
3rd place
Third place is occupied by another video clip with a song performed by Madonna - Die Another Day, which means “Die on another day”. The video is the main soundtrack for the eponymous 007 movie.
2nd place
Our rating “The most expensive clip in the world” continues again with a video for Madonna’s song - Express Yourself (translated as “Express yourself”). Filming involved the notorious David Fincher in 1989. The producers spent nine and a half million dollars on the video. This clip is on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of “100 Best Clips”, as well as in “100 Greatest Clips” of the MTV music channel.
Both there and there the video took the tenth position. But Express Yourself was ahead of everyone who came first in the list of Slant magazine's “100 Greatest Music Videos”.
1st place
And finally, the winners of the Most Expensive World Clips rating are Michael Jackson, along with his sister Janet Jackson, from the video for the song Scream. The cost of it amounted to almost eleven million US dollars. In the twenty years since this video was recognized as the most expensive, no one has been able to get ahead of them. At that time, the amount of costs was no less huge - $ 7 million.
It should be noted that the video fully paid for itself, since in the year of the premiere it was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award eleven times, which was the record number of nominations in the entire history of the music industry.
It should be noted that the first video was in the following categories:
- "The best dance video."
- "The best choreography."
- "The best theatrical production."
Moreover, the clip won the Best Pop Rock Video Award at the Billboard Music Award.
False rumors
In 2007, a rumor was launched that the most expensive music video in the entire history of music is a video for the song From yesterday performed by the American rock band 30 seconds to mars, widely known in Russia. It was in 2007 that this video was released, which was created in the Purple Forbidden City in China. According to rumors, it took no less than thirteen million US dollars.
Disputes continued until 2010. However, sooner or later, any lie becomes a reality, and this was no exception. The joint clip for the song Scream, performed by brother and sister Michael and Janet Jackson, was again recognized as the most expensive music video ever made in the history of music.
The most expensive clip in history: interesting facts
The song for this clip was recorded in 1994 for more than a month (from October to December), while it took exactly two weeks to shoot a video for this song. Scream is the first song in Michael Jackson's album, History: Past, Present and Future. A book about me. ” This record received platinum certification from the American Recording Association. Translated into Russian, the name of the song sounds like “Scream” or “Scream”. With this song, Michael ventured his aggression towards those who for many years criticized and tried to provoke, humiliate the singer and his work. Jackson was full of desire to prove to the whole world what he really is.
The video “Yelling” combines two songs: one with the same name, the other - Childhood, which means “Childhood”. "Childhood", according to the performer himself, is a reflection of him - the present. Moreover, this song is one of those that the singer wrote on his own. Scream won the Grammy Award for Best Joint Vocal Pop Performance.
The plot of the clip
In the video, Jackson plays the role of characters from Japanese cartoon characters. In the story, they are locked together on a spaceship and out of boredom study art objects, engage in singing, dancing, meditation, games and slowly but surely go crazy, being isolated from the whole world.
As for the song “Childhood”, in the video for her Michael is in the forest and sitting watching how children in boats sail to the moon in the sky.
What did the money go for?
The shooting of the clip lasted two weeks. At that exchange rate, costs amounted to seven million dollars. Despite this, the video itself is presented in black and white. So what was that kind of money spent on?
Of course, first of all, a considerable amount of money was spent on the purchase and installation of the scenery:
- The spacecraft in which Janet and Michael are imprisoned cost the creators sixty-five thousand US dollars.
- The guitars that Michael played, and subsequently broke, took fifty-three thousand dollars.
- A huge screen cost eighty thousand dollars.
- Lighting turned out to be the most costly, and it took 175 thousand dollars to install and maintain the necessary color atmosphere.
- Art production cost 40 thousand dollars.
- Michael’s makeup cost 3 thousand dollars a day, and Janet - 8 thousand
In total, about 640 thousand dollars was spent daily in order to eventually create the most expensive music video in the world in the history of music, which, incidentally, was subsequently entered into the Guinness Book of Records. It should be noted that to this day, many fans and connoisseurs of music Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson enjoy watching this original video. Apparently, it was not in vain that such a fabulous sum was spent on him.
