5000 Ways to Love You – Page 75 – Exploring the world of NZ On Air music video funding

Head Like A Hole “Good Advice”

The first warning came from YouTube uploader HEADLIKEAHOLENOISE who wrote “Great song with overdubbed sound effects which are way too loud which wrecks the track!” As the video started, it became obvious that someone had got a little carried away with the foley work. It’s a music video – the viewer doesn’t need to hear the flick of playing cards being dealt to get the idea that a tense game of poker is being played.

But it doesn’t stop with that. Something happens that probably required the entire contents of the production fridge to be abused in the name of sound effects. There are zombies.

It’s 2012. Zombies are now a pop culture relic of the late ’00s, along with ninjas and bacon. So while there’s part of me that rolls me eyes and feels like “Ugh, zombies, woteva”, I must recognise that in 1999, zombies weren’t so naff.

So, yeah, there’s a high-stakes poker game, with both money and body parts on the line. And meanwhile, the adjacent bar is full of zombies, including undead doppelgangers of the band. What follows is a sound riot of chainsaws, “braaaains”, moans, growls and other noises that actually manage to drown out the song most of the time.

It’s bewildering. The video looks good and has a fun, early Peter Jackson feel to it. But the torrent of sound effects are poorly done (they sound like sound effects, not natural sounds) and with no restraint. The song itself feels like a contractually obligated afterthought.

If you want to have some acting in a music video, take a break from the song, but never let the song be second to the video. An example of doing it right is what Joint Force got away with in their vid for “Static (Part 1)”.

HLAH disbanded in 2000 and their next funded video wasn’t until their reformation more than a decade later. Given that HLAH have been cranking out rather energetic, fun and entertaining videos since 1992, it’s sad that they ended with this mess. But there’s hope – it’s just waiting for someone to remix the video with the album track.

Best bit: Zombie Tom’s “Lesbian” t-shirt. Duuuude.

Next… smooth moves.

Garageland “Not Empty”

“Not Empty” was the first single off Garageland’s second album. And while guitarist Debbie Silvey had left the band, she made an appearance doing backing vocals on this track. “I wanna be free! No empty!” goes the chorus, in a song about the search for meaning in life.

The video goes with this, focusing on a situation of classic emptiness – the modern office. The band members are dressed up in office finery, but they shuffle around the office with a dead look in their eyes because they are empty.

I don’t quite buy it that there’s an entire office full of people who have become completely numbed by their jobs. Surely it’s far worse to be the only one suffering in an office full of people happy with their mediocre lives.

But, ok, for the purposes of this music video, I will accept the seventh floor of this office is full of extremely unhappy people. That’s not even the focus of the video – the focus is bullet time!

The technique had been popularised by The Matrix, released earlier in the year, but bullet time had first been popularised in music videos, including Michel Gondry’s quite good vid for the Rolling Stones’ 1995 cover of “Like a Rolling Stone”.

The bullet time in “Not Empty” is a little clunky – the shape of the camera perimeter is apparent and makes it feel like a very obvious attempt at a gimmicky effect, rather than something that adds to the story. Is the viewer supposed to feel more sympathy for a man who knocks the mouse off his desk if we see it in 360 degrees?

The video ends with one of the workers jumping off the roof onto Vulcan Lane below. But don’t worry – he’s ok. He survives the fall and – in possibly some Groundhog Day-like cruelty – he gets up, unharmed. It’s much easier to just hand in your resignation.

Update: Commenter Dan reveals the bullet time was faked by getting the actors to stay very still, moving the camera around then speeding up the footage. So that’s why it looks clunky!

Bonus: And here’s a clip of the band performing the song live on Ground Zero.

Best bit: the olden days of massive CRT monitors.

Director: Paul Swadel, Marc Swadel
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next…. brains, and lack thereof.

Fiona McDonald “Damage Control”

Uh oh – Fiona’s in jail. The second single of her post-Chickens solo album sees Ms McDonald locked up in a futuristic prison cell, prisoner number 710N4 (geddit?). A stern, suited man makes his way through a room full of pipes and valves, ready to interrogate his prisoner.

Fiona may be locked up, but she has the upper hand. She’s fiercely confident, self assured that she may not be innocent, but she is not the guilty party. The video, directed by Jonathan King, is shot in black and white, with little spots of colour when the drama needs it.

“Damage Control” is dark, electronic pop, a tail of a soured relationship – not unlike the stuff she was making with the Headless Chickens in their last days. But with this being a solo work, the focus is very much on Fiona looking both rough and glam in her prison cell.

We see the suited man walking through a forest with two others. They come across a terrifying scene, which leads the man do hold a hankie over his mouth – cinematic shorthand for “Eww, an old decaying body!” Oh dear.

What terrible thing happened in the woods? The only hint given is a shot of Fiona sitting with a man lying in her arms. It seems a religious pose, Catholic-y (and now I regret not doing art history at school), and there’s no way of knowing if he’s dead or alive.

Back in jail, Fiona is angry. She hurls and thrashes about in her cell, greatly unnerving her accuser. But in the end Fiona’s collapses on her bed, all angried out.

Best bit: Fiona’s bare prison cell – no cushy flatscreen telly here.

Director: Jonathan King
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a day at the office.

Eye TV “Just The Way It Is”

Worst gig ever. Eye TV are playing at a party, but singer Sean is late and he can’t find a way to get into the party house. This leaves the rest of the band to do their best in his absence with just a bassist and singing drummer, like a pop version of Death From Above 1979. However, none of the partygoers seem particularly bothered. Perhaps they’re all desperate to be seen enjoying this two-piece band exploring new musical directions.

Meanwhile, Sean runs around the house, trying to find a window to get inside. It’s raining, with the rain artfully running down the windows, suggesting the building has poor guttering.

Sean gives up and heads over to the pool whereupon he blows up pool toys, chucking them in the water and having a splash around with a giant shark. This actually looks more fun than the party proper.

Ready to give up on the whole stupid thing, Sean finally spies someone going inside and gratefully chases after him. Finally the lead singer/guitarist is reunited with his band. But so powerful was his experience with the pool toys that he lures the partygoers outside where – OMG – pool party! It’s a low budget vid but there’s a sense of silly fun to the video.

Best bit: the dramatic rainy window action.

Director: Joe Lonie
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… prisoner number 710N4.

Che Fu “Waka”

Che Fu gets romantic. The video starts with Che hanging out with his boys in Freyberg Place, being cool urban dudes. Suddenly a high-powered businesswoman (played by co-singer Teremoana Rapley) comes strutting past. Being a high-powered businesswoman, she’s talking on her cellphone, but the lads are most taken by her swagger and her salmon pink power suit.

Che is especially mesmerised by her and soon the distant sound of palau drumming emerges as Che begins to daydream of an idyllic Pacific Island location (which I’m going to assume is Niue*). He’s alone on an outrigger, clad in potu mats while tapa cloth sails flap behind him.

The video is directed by renowned film director Merata Mita, who brings an artistic eye to things. While sailing the ocean, Che dreams of his wahine, who has a salmon pink flower in her hair. Teremoana is lovely in her salmon pink lavalava, walking through a lush tropical forest. It’s not the cliche tropical paradise setting of sun and sand; it’s more earthy.

Che and Teremoana are not alone in their island paradise. We soon meet a line-up of male and female dancers, all decked out in the same shade of salmon pink, swaying to the tropical breeze.

But while Che has concocted this elaborate fantasy, his mystery girl remains elusive. She’s off in the forest with a friend while Che is out on his waka. Teremoana throws a salmon pink lei into the water, where Che finds it floating on the beach.

Back in the city, the mystery girl again walks past Che. He enjoys a laugh with his boys, seemingly happy to now let his fantasy girl walk on by. “Waka” is a sweet song with a video that paints a sweet picture.

* Actually, scrap all my Niue theorising. I think this video actually might have been filmed in Hawaii. Director Merata Mita was living there, teaching at the University of Hawai’i Manoa, and this video won Music Video of the Year Award at the 1999 Hawaii Music Awards. Aloha!

Best bit: the relatively exotic setting of Freyberg Place.

Director: Merata Mita
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… drums and bass.

Missing videos from 1999

February 1999

Bailter Space “So Am I”

“So Am I” was Bailter Space’s final NZOA-funded video from the ’90s. They took a break and showed up again in 2012.

D-Faction “Take a Little Piece”

After having all their videos online, it’s sad that D-Faction’s final video, “Take a Little Piece” isn’t around. YouTube uploader slydogmania notes the group “disbanded in late 1997 before this final single was ever released”

Head Like a Hole “Hot Sexy Lusty”

Head Like A Hole have “Hot Sexy Lusty”, another single from their sex album, Are You Gonna Kiss It Or Shoot It? Guys, in googling for this video, I saw things I wish I hadn’t seen.

Mika “Angel”

Mika, last seen in Jan Hellriegel’s “Geraldine” video, has his own single “Taniwha Angel”. Here’s a live performance.

Director: Kerry Brown
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

April 1999

Brett Sawyer “When It Happens”

Brett Sawyer has the song “When It Happens”. I’m most interested to discover that he and Pearl Runga sang New Zealand’s official millennium anthem, “I’ll Meet You There”, written by sister Bic and James Hall.

Director: Jonathan King
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Delta “Slather”

Delta! “Slather”! I saw them play a few times and I happily bought the “Slather” single. It was a fun burst of pop that should at least have enjoyed one-hit wonder success. But anyway, here’s Delta performing the song at a 2010 reunion show. Nice one.

Director: Garth Maxwell
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Ma-V-Elle “Angel”

Girl group Ma-V-Elle had lost a member (but weren’t renamed V-Elle). “Angel” was the first single from their new album as a duo. Here’s a Tangata Pasifika profile of the group enjoying their early days of success.

Strong Islanders “Shining On”

Kiwihits notes that Jonah Lomu’s cousin is in “Strong Islanders”. Their song “Shining On” is ok, but their main MC has a somewhat lacklustre delivery.

Director: Joe Lonie
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

June 1999

Ardijah “Do To You”

There’s no shortage of Ardijah videos from the ’80s, but the ’90s are AWOL, including “Do To You”.

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Ma-V-Elle “Never Say Goodbye”

Ominous foreshadowing! “Never Say Goodbye” was Ma-V-Elle’s penultimate funded video.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Trip To The Moon “Sexual Healing”

The final NZOA-funded video for Trip to the Moon is their cover of “Sexual Healing”, a duet by Bobbylon and the ethereally voiced Rachel Weatherly. NZ Herald reviewer Russell Baillie dramatically described it as having “all the charm of a lavish STD-treatment jingle”.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

August 1999

3 The Hard Way “Front Back Side”

Well, I dunno. This song is on the list of videos that were completed, but I can’t find any sign of a 3 The Hard Way single called “Front Back Side”, or indeed any releases from this time. But there might have been some shuffling – there’s a 3 The Hard Way video for their 2004 single “Girls”. It’s set in the same sexy club world as “It’s On (Move to This”), only it’s so much cheesier.

Bike “Gaze”

Bike’s final NZOA-funded single is “Gaze”, which also appeared on the “Scarfies” soundtrack.

Brett Sawyer “Where We Wanna Be”

“Where We Wanna Be” is Brett Sawyer’s ode to his partner for sticking out a decade in Britain with him.

Fiona McDonald “Wish I Was a Man”

Fiona McDonald gets dirty and grungy with “Wish I Was A Man”.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Moizna “Summer Goodbye”

Moizna’s final NZ On Air-funded video is aptly titled “Summer Goodbye”, a sweet tale of a break-up.

Satellite Spies “Please Never Leave”

Satellite Spies apparently had a song called “Please Never Leave”, but it’s ungooglable.

TrueBliss “Freedom”

TrueBliss’s third single was a cover of the Wham song “Freedom”. I’ve found an 2001 Australian documentary about the “Popstars” phenomena that shows a short clip from “Freedom” at 8:01. It features the group dressed in red, white and blue costumes, performing on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

October 1999

DNE “Be There”

DNE was a “cyber collaboration” between Aly Cook and David Horizon – their name for the now commonplace practice of online collaboration. Their old bio at Amplifier promised a fabulous web experience with “CLUBDNE interactive”, and directed viewers to NZmusic.com to watch their video for “Be There”. Sadly all is but a cyber memory now.

Greg Johnson “Beautiful Storm”

Greg Johnson gets drench in meteorological metaphors with the upbeat “Beautiful Storm”. Nga Taonga describes the video as, “Greg Johnson tours an Asian city and sings “Beautiful Storm” to camera as the surroundings move rapidly around him.”

Director: Bernadine Lim
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Ma-V-Elle “Don’t Be So Shy”

Ma-V-Elle have “Don’t Be So Shy”, described by the Kiwi Hit Disk as a “cool slice of original, soulful pop”. It’s the final Ma-V-Elle track funded by NZOA. The duo was to eventually disband, with Lavina ending up in the Australian Idol final 12 in 2006, among other achievements.

December 1999

Ardijah “Way Around You”

I’m pretty used to Ardijah videos not being online, and indeed “Way Around You” isn’t available. It’s a breezy house jam

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Breathe “Sick & Tired”

“Sick & Tired” is another track from Breathe’s second album, the one that seemed really big at the time, but has now faded into history.

Fiona McDonald “Bury Me”

Described in a review I found on a vintage website as a “edgy, emotionally charged” song, “Bury Me” is another single from Fiona McDonald.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Garageland “Good Luck”

Garageland have the blusey “Good Luck”, another track off their second album “Do What You Want”.

The D4 “Come On!”

Another early track from The D4. “Come On!” is an typical piece of energetic rock. Here’s a fan video, setting the song to clips of rally cars sliding around corners.

Director: Alex Johnson
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

The Exponents “Big World Out Your Window”

“Big World Out Your Window” was the final Exponents track funded by NZOA. It was a single off their 1999 album “Hello, Love You, Goodbye”, a half-studio, half-live collection. There’s no sign of the “Window” vid, but I do know it was filmed on Mt Eden.

Director: Andrew Moore

Instead…

Here’s a video from the world of non-NZOA funding. Director Marc Swadel made the “Crystal Chain” video for Flying Nun group The Subliminals for “300 bucks and one re-used 100 foot reel of 16mm film”. As a NZ On Screen commenter notes, 100ft of film is only two minutes, 45 seconds. The solution? “A lot of repeats, keying over footage with footage, and other lo fi tricks”. It’s a moody delight.

Director: Marc Swadel
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Zed “I’m Cold”

Here’s the thing – this video is hosted on the YouTube account for Universal Music New Zealand. The description says it’s the “official video”. But it’s not the official video. I think this is just a live performance from Ice TV.

The proper video itself isn’t currently online, though Nga Taonga enticingly describe it as: “Zed begin playing “I’m Cold” at indoor gig before fleeing from itrate barman/ club owner. They resume on city rooftop.” (Director: Scott Cleator, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision)

But it’s Zed. Zed are strangely growing on me so I feel compelled to properly review this video rather than just throw it in the remainder bin with the other missing videos.

The video starts with some shadow hands announcing that Zed are about to perform on Ice TV. We then meet the band sat in a bare studio, still a three piece, geared up with acoustic instruments. They all look so young and so innocent (polar fleece vest!), and yet there’s Nathan King belting out feelings of emotional numbness. Though he does a little self-conscious eyeroll when he sings “The night is cold and someone’s taken my bed.”

And just when the song threatens to get too moody and too mature, bassist Ben breaks out the rap. It’s a semi-nonsensical ditty (for which I will blame the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and manages to be a delightfully weird counterpoint to Nathan’s big chorus.

So there they were. Three young dudes with a number one album and some decent songs. The only way was up.

Best bit: Nathan’s polar fleece vest – keeps out the cold.

Next… a farewell to the Faction.

The Mutton Birds “Pulled Along By Love”

It’s the Mutton Birds penultimate single, but before I leap into “Pulled Along by Love”, I should jump back to ’96 and ’97. That’s when the group released their single “She’s Been Talking”, first in New Zealand, then a year later in the UK, complete with a video for each release. Both were filmed in the UK, but neither were funded by NZ On Air. It’s a good song (with a killer McGlashan melody on the verses), so go on, have a watch.

But back to the main attraction. “Pulled Along By Love” is an upbeat pop number, which seems to be part of the Mutton Birds long-running plan to break the UK. As the Wikipedia entry for their fourth studio album notes, they tried really hard but it just didn’t happen.

The video is shot in England (London, I guess) and is focused on Don. He’s either wandering the city streets, taking in his surroundings, or superimposed over other footage of the city.

We also see plenty of shots of an Indian woman in traditional dress. She’s busying herself with coconuts, grains, flowers and brightly coloured Indian sweets. It’s an unusual visual to have in a music video, but it’s a very Mutton Birds thing to do and the gorgeousness of her world fits perfectly with the tone of the song.

There are plenty of shots of Don wandering around a train station, alone in the commuter bustle. With the passing of time, this footage ends up being a reminder that the Mutton Birds never quite managed to be household names in the UK, not reaching Oasis-like levels of fame. For all their effort, on the everyday streets they were still just a bunch of ordinary guys with some great songs.

Best bit: the extreme eyebrow acting at the train platform.

Director: Paul Oremland
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… cold and hot.

Tadpole “For Me”

From memory, this song was written in the style of a suicide note. While the music is somewhat uplifting, the lyrics have dark undertones and the music video treads that line.

The video takes place in two locations – a men’s toilet and a fancy apartment. The toilets are the magnificently green-tiled toilets at Hotel DeBrett (thanks to Peter at DubDotDash for IDing these!) and they’ve previously featured in the Cicada “Future Folds” video and in Joint Force’s “Static (Part 1)” vid. But this is the first time a girl has ventured into the men’s room. The band perform the song in sped-up mode, as confused businessmen make their way through the band on their way to have an executive pee.

Meanwhile in the apartment, Renee Tadpole plays a spoiled diva. She’s just won an award and is throwing a party. Her apartment is full of people who are partying like they just don’t care. The diva receives some flowers but she just rips up the card, throws the flowers down and laughs.

In the middle of it, there’s a shot of a man sitting on a toilet, wearing sunglasses, talking on the phone. Who is he? Who is he talking to? Why is he wearing sunglasses?

But soon the party gets out of hand. There’s a tussle over the diva’s award trophy and soon she’s angrily kicking out her guests. She goes to the bathroom to take off her makeup and we discover: one man collapsed in the shower, another man luxuriating in a bubble bath, and another man passed out under a glass coffee table. The diva, blissfully unaware, lays down in her comfortable diva bed and snugly curls up with her trophy.

Whenever I see a video like this, I figure the band probably had a lot of fun making all the party scenes, but yet I think the performance footage in the toilet is a lot more effective.

Best bit: the teen-style gluttonous pizza pig-out at the posh party.

Director: Joe Lonie
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… Don meanders.

Stellar “Part Of Me”

Stellar’s second music video from their debut album takes the band out of the performance setting of previous music videos and instead introduces a science-fiction scenario.

It’s a world of modern architecture, high ceilings, light spaces and escalators with guard rails to stop kids riding down in the gap. The band are clad in white hooded boiler suits and they enter the futuristic building (with the entrance played by That Building On Greys Ave With The Round Door).

After passing through security, we see what top secret plan they’re working on. It involves plants that are being converted into a gooey green liquid (probably Palmolive) and then pressed into pill form. It’s like one of those awesome sci-fi films from the 1960s. Hey, it’s a new and improved form of Soylent Green, now 100% people-free!

There are two sides of the workers. Outside of the white boiler suits, they wear tailored black clothes and all have bright red hair. So what was attention-grabbing on Boh in the “What You Do” video is now run-of-the-mill.

Worker Boh is a little miserable. Almost anonymous in her white uniform, it seems like she’s holding on to one thing that makes her happy. And there it is – through the cracks of a busy concours, the lone shoot of a plant emerges. That’s what kept Boh happy. Let’s just hope a hungry citizen doesn’t snack on it.

Best bit: the green goo – softens hands while feeding the masses.

Director: Jonathan King
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… drama party.