Music Videos Are Not Art (The 2026 Survival Guide)

Mark Pellington: Jeremy, Buzz, and the Director Who Built MTV's Visual Language

Before Jeremy. Before Alice in Chains. Before Nine Inch Nails. Mark Pellington was cutting analog tape in a room at MTV, building a show called Buzz that the rest of television would spend a decade trying to catch up to. In this episode, Maui and Carla sit down with one of the most important directors in music video history — the man behind four of Pearl Jam's most iconic videos, the NIN "We're In This Together" visual, the Foo Fighters' "Best of You," and a lifetime achievement award from the MVPA he received at 37. They talk about the death of the music video budget, why Bruce Springsteen is the only artist still willing to say something, the $20,000 Vegas shoot he told David Fincher about, and the one video from 1991 he wishes didn't exist — the one with a very famous actress in it. Plus: what it felt like to build MTV's visual language on analog tape before non-linear editing existed, and why the medium needs artists willing to raise their voice again.

200K Followers Special: The Golden Age of Music Videos with Quark Henares

We just hit a massive milestone of 200,000 followers, and to celebrate, Carla and I sat down for our first in-person recording with the man who helped start our obsession: director and Emmy nominee Quark Henares. We’re geeking out over the legendary Directors Label DVDs, the technical jump from MiniDV tapes to RED cameras, and the digital era that defined the 2000s OPM scene. Quark breaks down the "Pantheon" of directors—pitting Michel Gondry’s puzzles against Spike Jonze’s subversion and Mark Romanek’s technical reverence. With the rise of vertical video and AI-perfect imagery, do you think the "Golden Age" of music videos is permanently archived, or are we just entering a new, messier evolution? Listen to the full interview on The Music Video Guy Podcast, and Join our Discord or Support me on Patreon! Other Information: * The "Ateneo Brat Pack" (later known as the Prod Madnezz collective) was a group of students from the 2004-2006 batches who carved out a niche in music videos while the local film and commercial industries were still heavily gatekept. * Michael Jackson’s "Scream" (1995) remains the benchmark for "Cash Equity" in music videos, largely because modern stars like Taylor Swift do not publicize the specific production budgets for high-end projects like "Bad Blood." * Quark Henares’ favorite Mark Romanek video is "Rain" by Madonna, which he notes features Romanek himself playing the role of the director within the visual narrative. #MusicVideoAnalysis #QuarkHenares #TheMusicVideoGuy #AteneoBratPack #Filmmaking #Director #90sNostalgia #MusicPodcast

What Makes A Great Music Video?

In our latest podcast episode, Carla and I sat down to answer a seemingly impossible question: What actually makes a music video good? We developed a framework to judge visual art, prioritizing practical dedication and human labor over massive budgets. We break down the "Blind Test" (associating the track permanently with the visuals), the "Silhouette Test" (identifying the artist entirely by their outline, like Devo's energy domes), and the immense power of subverting genre expectations completely. Which music video do you think easily passes the Silhouette Test? Listen to the full episode on The Music Video Guy Podcast, and Join our Discord or Support me on Patreon! #MusicVideoAnalysis #Filmmaking #Director #TheMusicVideoGuy #Cinematography #MusicPodcast

The Hollywood Music Video Awards 2026

For decades, the biggest music awards have handed their trophies to the pop stars. But who is celebrating the crew that actually built those visual worlds? 🎬✨ In our latest episode of The Music Video Guy Podcast, Carla and I sit down with Danny Pollack and Abi Perl, the founders of the Hollywood Music Video Awards  (@hollywoodmusicvideoawards). We discuss the reality of the post-MTV era and the massive ecosystem of creatives it takes to pull off a music video today. Danny and Abi explain why they built a brand new awards platform dedicated exclusively to honoring the unsung heroes of production. We are talking about the directors, cinematographers, editors, colorists, set designers, and choreographers who put in the real sweat equity to create the cultural timestamps we love. If you are a filmmaker, an artist, or a production nerd, this episode is a deep dive into the community keeping the craft alive. 🎧 Listen to the full episode now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube! 🌴 Attending the HMVAs: The 2nd Annual Hollywood Music Video Awards are happening LIVE in Los Angeles next week on March 27, 2026! Ticketing is limited, so head over to thehmvas.com to grab yours and support the people who make movie magic happen. Other Information: * The HMVAs highlight highly technical categories that mainstream pop awards entirely ignore, including Best Color Grading, Best Production Design, and Post-Production Company of the Year. * When pitching the HMVA concept, Danny and Abi went directly to video commissioners at major labels like Columbia, Republic, and Atlantic, who immediately backed the idea, proving the industry desperately needed this platform. * The awards act as a massive networking hub, bringing together the fragmented, modern music video community under one roof for the first time since the golden age of television countdowns. #HollywoodMusicVideoAwards #HMVAs #Filmmaking #MusicVideoDirector #BehindTheScenes #Cinematography #VideoEditor #TheMusicVideoGuy

François Nemeta: Decoding Michel Gondry, Modjo, and the French Touch

In the late 90s, if an artist wanted to bend reality, they hired Michel Gondry. But to actually build those impossible, mind-bending sets, they relied on his First Assistant Director: François Nemeta. This week on The Music Video Guy Podcast, Maui and Carla sit down with the legendary French filmmaker. It all started when François casually dropped into our Instagram comments to correct our breakdown of Massive Attack's "Protection"—and it led to one of our favorite conversations yet. We trace his incredible journey from a teenage music video obsessive staying up late to watch MTV, to tracking down Gondry at a Oui Oui concert, to eventually directing the definitive visual anthem of the French House era: Modjo’s "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)." In this episode, we discuss: * The Origin Story: How a late-night music video broadcast led to a lifelong creative partnership with Michel Gondry. * The "Sick Child" Theory: Why Gondry refuses to throw away a "bad" idea, and how François adopted (and adapted) that philosophy for his own sets. * Finding His Own Voice: How François stepped out of Gondry's shadow of "robotic puzzles and mechanics" to pioneer his own naturalistic, atmospheric style for bands like Kings of Convenience and Modjo. * Industry Survival: Why saying "no" to clients gets easier with age, and François’s ultimate advice for young film students trying to break into the industry today. Plus, François reveals which music video he would put in a time capsule to represent the golden era of French creativity. Links: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/themusicvideoguy/] Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@themusicvideoguypodcast] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/themusicvideoguy] Discord [https://discord.gg/E78AmH7TgE]