Walk in the Dark

Today’s post is going to be a little different than the rest.  The intention of this blog is to bring music videos I find well produced and successful throughout the whole production process into light for you lovely readers.  However, recently I’ve come across a music video so strikingly odd and, what I would consider, terrible in comparison to the song its promoting that I can’t help, but share it with you guys.

Today we are going to look at Beach House’s music video for “Walk in the Park,” which is host to the directing, cinematography, and editing styles of Allen Cordell.  Now this post isn’t here to rag on Cordell at all.  He is a rather successful director for Cause and Effect Productions and has made music videos for Cloud Nothings, Gentleman Drivers, as well as for Beach House’s 2012 hit “Lazuli.”  I am a fan of his other work, but this video just seems to miss the mark.

The video takes a bunch of odd twists ranging from a man with Hypertrichosis taking a walk all the way to this same man pulling a sandwich out of his chest in order to poison his enemies.  Maybe this is a fun concept.  Maybe some people will enjoy the absurdness of what goes down in this video, but bottom line it does not match the song at all.  If I were Victoria Legrand of Beach House I’d be genuinely upset with this project. 

It’s not that the direction is bad or the cinematography for that matter.  Even the editing is well done, but it may be a bit too thoroughly edited.  In fact, the postproduction is just far too much.  People are edited into the foreground, a dog barks over top of the song, and this is all topped off with a “trippy” fake fight sequence that is genuinely awful.  Not to mention none of the actions in this video have anything to do with the lyrics.  Not that this is a necessity for music videos, but the tone of the song and the video don’t even match up. 

Beach House…how I love you, but please don’t let this happen again. Take a look for yourself.

Beach House - Walk in the Park (Official Video) from Allen Cordell on Vimeo.