Flashing Lights

United States

2008

3 Min

Color

1.37:1

English

Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
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PROD Jonathan Becker, Joshua Greenberg

MUSIC Kanye West

Synopsis

Kanye had quite a few great videos this decade, but this Spike Jonze-directed clip has been the most “drop everything, watch now” vid of his career to date. –Pitchfork Media

In total, three separate videos were made for “Flashing Lights” with the one aired on television being the third and final version. The third music video was first unveiled before an audience of two hundred guests at the Entertainment Weekly Grammy Award after-party on February 10, 2008. It was intended to premiere on BET on February 13, 2008, but was subsequently pulled from schedule. West decided to premiere the video on his official blog that same day. The video for was co-directed by Spike Jonze along with West himself and produced by Jonathan Becker and Joshua Greenberg of Bucks Boys Productions. Filmed entirely in slow-motion, the video begins with a Ford Mustang Bullit rolling onto the screen and stopping at dusk in the desert outside Las Vegas, Nevada. As the bright, red taillights turn off, the song breaks into its titular refrain and Houston-based Playboy model Rita G. exits the vehicle dressed in a wig, fur coat and large black sunglasses. Walking a distance away from the car, she strips down to her lingerie and lights her clothes on fire. As she walks back towards the car with flames at her back, West’s vocals begin. Kanye himself finally makes his appearance when the woman opens the trunk to reveal him lying in it tied up and gagged. She gently strokes his helpless, terrified face and gives him a light kiss, before retrieving a nearby shovel. As the camera pans out, the woman raises the shovel over her head and repeatedly stabs it into the trunk. The video then abruptly cuts to the words “Flashing Lights” written red letters against a black screen before concluding over a minute earlier than the album version of the song. –Wikipedia

Director

Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze is regarded as one of the most famous directors of commercials and music videos. He was nominated for the Academy Award in the category of producer and director in television and film. Jonze is well known for his contribution in the movies entitled “Adaptation” released in 2002 and “Being John Malkovich” a 1999 release. Jonze is also the co-producer of the popular program “Jackass” aired through the MTV television network.

Spike Jonze was born Adam Spiegel in Rockville, Maryland on the 22nd October 1969 and brought up in Bethesda, Maryland. Jonze was the eldest son of Arthur Spiegel III and Sandy Granzow. Spike Jonze has a brother named Sam. Arthur Spiegel III was a respected Management Consultant with a decent client list including many big and small corporations; Spike Jonze’s mother was a famous writer, artist and communications consultant. His brother Sam currently is a DJ and producer. Jonze started his education at the Walt Whitman School.

In the late… read more

Spike Jonze is regarded as one of the most famous directors of commercials and music videos. He was nominated for the Academy Award in the category of producer and director in television and film. Jonze is well known for his contribution in the movies entitled “Adaptation” released in 2002 and “Being John Malkovich” a 1999 release. Jonze is also the co-producer of the popular program “Jackass” aired through the MTV television network.

Spike Jonze was born Adam Spiegel in Rockville, Maryland on the 22nd October 1969 and brought up in Bethesda, Maryland. Jonze was the eldest son of Arthur Spiegel III and Sandy Granzow. Spike Jonze has a brother named Sam. Arthur Spiegel III was a respected Management Consultant with a decent client list including many big and small corporations; Spike Jonze’s mother was a famous writer, artist and communications consultant. His brother Sam currently is a DJ and producer. Jonze started his education at the Walt Whitman School.

In the late 1980’s, Spike Jonze created the BMX club named Homeboy with co-editors of popular Freestylin’ Magazine. They also published youth culture oriented magazines titled Dirt and Homeboy. Spike Jonze was a chief photographer for Transworld Skateboarding and Magazine editor for Grand Royal.

Spike Jonze was a zealous BMX freestyle rider during his teenage years. Jonze eventually associated towards Haro Bikes. He earned limited limelight as a BMX celebrity seen in several BMX publications entitled “Freestylin’”. Spike Jonze was also featured in the ‘What Now’ section in the popular Sassy Magazine.

Spike Jonze was the leader of the Torrance Community Dance Group which performed on public platforms. His dance troupe was invited to perform the song for the prestigious MTV Video Music Awards in New York City in 1999.

In 2006 the Directors Guild of America honoured Spike Jonze with a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Commercials for the year 2005. Jonze is noted for his work on “Pardon Our Dust” for The Gap, “Hello Tomorrow” for Adidas and “Penguin” for Miller Beer. Jonze was a co-creator and producer of MTV Jackass-The Movie and Jackass. He also acted in director; David O. Russell’’s 1999 movie entitled “Three Kings”.

Spike Jonze co-directed the Chocolate Skateboards video entitled Hot Chocolate and female Skateboards movie titled “Yeah Right!” He did a speaking role with Dave Eggers for a Beck song titled “The Horrible Fanfare-Landslide-Exoskeleton” in 2006.

Spike Jonze married Sofia Coppola on the 26th June, 1999. Jonze and Sofia were good friends and were known to each other for the past ten years before marriage. They lead a busy life in the film industry, each trying to set a mark in their chosen field. Later they got divorced because of hostile differences in 2003. The film entitled “Lost In Translation” directed by Sofia Coppola was allegedly based on her relations with Spike Jonze. Later Sofia Coppola strictly denounced these rumours in public.

Spike Jonze’s debut video as a director was a very short documentary on Al Gore which was filmed before the U.S election in 2000. His next video was a politically centered short film which showed soldiers on duty in Iraq stealing from the locals.

Most recently Spike Jonze has worked on The 1 Second Film as producer and Where the Wild Things Are as director. —spikejonze.net

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