Music videos have taken various forms and approaches. They have evolved beyond patched-up visuals from stage performances to concert footage to sync with the lyrics and melody of the track playing in the background. Over the years, there has been a rise in high-quality productions and cinematography in music videos supervised by visionary directors. In some cases, extras, cameos, exquisite scenery, and scriptwriters are involved in executing the artist’s concept in bringing the emotion and message of a song to life so that it may resonate perfectly with the audience.
These music videos earn high re-watch value due to the painstaking effort to tell a story alongside rendering a song. No resources are off limits to ensure the final cut leaves a memorable impact that continues to stand the test of time. From Michael Jackson’s Thriller, one of the greatest music videos of all time (per TimeOut), which in itself is a short film directed by John Landis, to Beyoncé’s If I Were a Boy music video that entails an entire three-arc plotline that depicts the double standards women face in society and relationships. Here are 15 music videos that are so good they deserve to be adapted to the big screens for movies or limited series.
15 Jp Saxe (ft. Julia Michaels) — If the World Was Ending
Released in October 2019, a few months before the tumultuous era of lockdowns, masks, vaccines, riots, and social unrest across the globe, the lead single, “If the World Was Ending,” featuring Julia Michaels, for Jp Saxe’s second EP, encapsulated not an open question, but a certainty, as we all thought the world was literally ending. However, in those months of the chaos and calm of lockdown, this solemn ballad and its somber music video accurately represented the relationship status of many. The music video starred the singing duo as two exes returning to the safety of their romance as their country was up in flames. Aside from the life-like narrative this music video mirrors, what brings humanity is the acting prowess and sizzling chemistry of Saxe and Michaels as they find their way back to each other, holding each other tight amidst the surrounding doom.
14 Logic (ft. Khalid and Alessia Cara) — 1-800-273-8255
The cast of this music video alone is enough reason for a script to have been drafted: Don Cheadle, Coy Stewart, from Nickelodeon’s Bella, and The Bulldogs, Nolan Gould (Modern Family), Luiz Guzmán (Wednesday), Matthew Modine (Stranger Things), and others. Cheadle plays the role of a concerned father who must come to terms with his son’s sexuality. The unnamed son (Stewart), whom the story is centered around, struggles to fit in socially and finds solace in a budding romance with Gould’s character. Unfortunately, that fling is cut short when Gould’s dad finds them both in bed and sends Stewart home. This results in a series of panic attacks and depression for Stewart, who feels he lives in a world where he can’t be his authentic self. In the fourth minute of this music video, Stewart demonstrates why he is one of the most underrated young actors in the industry, as he bears all the angst every teenager and young adult relates to on-screen staring at a mirror. While this cinematic visual continues, the soothing vocals of Logic, Khalid, and Alessia Cara assure Stewart and the audience that there is hope. Still, more importantly, there is help by dialing a number, 1-800-273-8255.
13 Jaden Smith — Ninety
Jaden Smith has always been one of those artists with imaginative visuals. Whether it’s “SOHO,” where he and a love interest wander through the hills of Los Angeles, California. Or “BATMAN,” where he parades in a white Batman Halloween costume, Smith’s songs and projects feel incomplete without his signature pink video aesthetics or appealing SYRE clothing lines. However, with “Ninety,” he took his visual storytelling to another dimension.
For theeight-minute music video, The Karate Kid takes the audience through several stages of a relationship that ended in bitter tears and the haunting lesson never to give too much of yourself to a person. As the circling aerial drone shots of an unknown girl, who is the muse of his tragic love poem flickers, the young rapper is seen wandering a bleak environment at either dawn or twilight while thinking back on a lost love in the opening scene of the video, which has the tagline, “This is a twisted love story.” Between his solitary excursions, Smith’s memories of his romantic adventures with his partner flash, with sporadic comments describing his mood. Even as a music video, the slow burn effect is potent — imagine it as an hour-plus film.
12 Naughty Boy — La La La
In this music video largely based on The Wizard of Oz, what begins as humorous rapidly become eerie. While the premise of the music video is based on actuality, it also plays with some very interesting surrealist elements. The English DJ, producer, songwriter, and rapper collaborated with Sam Smith to create this No. 1 smash. There would be plenty of room to explore contemporary issues while maintaining the benchmarks of the legendary fantasy movie’s original plot.
11 Khalid — Young Dumb and Broke
Khalid was a teenage pop star sensation from El Paso, Texas. However, many would rather assume him as the main character for a “Young Dumb and Broke” short film. In the background for the opening scene of this music video is a lookalike staircase that pays homage to the OG high school drama Gossip Girl. Regardless, this symbolism pales compared to the YA feels, montages, cameos, and characters carefully crafted for a coming-of-age Netflix original. The classroom lockers, the football field, the cheerleading practice, and the basketball court begs for more screen time as extras are portrayed with what they were popular for in high school. The visuals for “Young Dumb and Broke” scream nostalgia that young adults in their early-20s would love to relive vicariously through a film right now.
10 Lykke Li — No Rest For The Wicked
Although interracial relationships are no longer merely used as story devices in media, there is still room for that conversation. In the music video for “No Rest For The Wicked,” Lykke Li explores that in a startlingly potent manner. The video’s elements come together flawlessly thanks to the song’s gloomy tone, breathtaking photography and lighting, the story’s pacing, and the riveting performances. It’s a video that makes you think long after it ends, which is a sure sign that the story needs to be explored further.
9 Taylor Swift — Blank Space
Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman. This is a quote Taylor Swift flawlessly portrays in the visuals for this pop classic. Shot and filmed at a historic long island mansion in New York, famously known as Winefield Mansion, The stunning visuals complement Swift’s ego at its peak. The theme for this love-rage song is a blissful romance gone sour due to her lover’s (Sean O’Pry) infidelity. “Blank Space”’s storyline follows the path of flicks set on dysfunctional couple tropes, such as Gone Girl and many more.
Although “Blank Space” received accolades in 2014 for the American Music Award for Song of the Year and the MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video, there is still so much more this music video could inspire. Seeing that the multi-Grammy winner is making bold steps behind the camera, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn she has a studio picture directorial debut for us.
8 Michael Kiwanuka — Cold Little Heart
The fact that a contemporary narrative about a Black person’s mourning doesn’t involve any form of violence is unsettlingly uncommon, which is one of the reasons the “Cold Little Heart” music video is so startling. Lakieth Stanfield, an Atlanta star and one of the best up-and-coming actors, plays a big brother character in the film, lending support to the two young guys in what appears to be a pleasant connection. The mysterious connection between Stanfield’s character and the weather leads to powerful performances from both actors. It is a moving concept with a gorgeous song by Michael Kiwanuka that is wonderfully rendered.
7 Zayn Malik (ft. Sia) — Dusk Till Dawn
With Zayn Malik’s performance in the “Dusk Till Dawn” music video, the former One Direction heartthrob proved he was more than a pretty face and charming singer as he demonstrated he had the potential to break into Hollywood if the right opportunity knocked. In this action-crime-esque storyline that unfolds as the song plays on, the pillow talk crooner and Girls actress Jemima Kirke find themselves as fugitives of the authorities and a crime syndicate. What cements this music video is the engaging car chase scene that ensues as the song reaches its bridge and the peaceful ride into the sunset as the song reaches its close.
6 The Lumineers — Sleep on the Floor, Angela, and Cleopatra
The Lumineers launched a trilogy of loosely related music videos in 2016 centered on three women’s apparent out-of-body experiences. While each of the videos, most notably “Sleep on the Floor,” could likely serve as the basis for their endearing independent films, the connection between the three characters would make for the most compelling story. The videos show the same woman at several points in her life as a way of investigating what may have occurred if she had made different decisions, according to one of the most well-liked theories among fans and music blogs. It would be quite exciting to see an adaption with a non-linear timeline that only provides oblique signals that the women are similar until a particular point in the movie.
5 Michael Jackson — Thriller
The 13-minute epic for “Thriller” is arguably the most renowned music video of all time and almost passes as a short film starring the King of Pop himself and Ola Ray. If you combine those dancing zombies and YA plot, you’d have the most sophisticated horror feast ever.
4 Seafret — Oceans
Despite being a mostly unexplored film genre, offbeat superhero flicks have what it takes to compete with summer blockbusters, as the “Oceans” video demonstrates. An adolescent girl is the focal point of the narrative in this novella. The video’s star, Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones, gives a moving performance that truly brings the role to life. A coming-of-age story in the manner of Chronicle might be made into a rather intriguing adaptation, though it wouldn’t be nearly as grim.
3 Beyoncé — If I Were a Boy
In black and white, the music video for this R&B classic explores the sexist double standards applied differently to men and women in relationships. The narrative has a plot twist that will reflect deeply on how relationships work differently for men and women in our society. “If I Were a Boy” features Beyoncé in a Freaky Friday situation that enables her to experience certain male privileges as the lyrics of the song emphasize how much of a decent and understanding man she’d be contrary to her cop husband.
2 Benny Blanco (ft. Juice WRLD) — Graduation
The music video for producer Benny Blanco and late rapper and singer Juice Wrld “Graduation” is a star-studded film that writes itself. The top cameos from Justice Smith, Hailee Steinfeld, Maddie Ziggler, Dove Cameroon, Kaitlyn Dever, Ross Butler, and more reflect the stereotypes of high school. The nerd, the party girl, the jock, and even the displeased lunch lady are all present. This high-budget production offers a glimpse into fictional students’ future lives, drawing inspiration from classic teen movies. After multiple rewatches, it is impossible not to imagine this music video as a film.
1 Kodaline — Brother
The music video uses the lyrics as a springboard to convey a gripping tale about how a little boy is adjusting to the death of his elder brother. In addition to the song’s endearing theme, “Brother”’s music video is emotionally compelling and ripe for a further story because of the skillfully executed visual effects. A longer video can easily be imagined as an emotional family drama or an incredibly slow-burn psychological thriller that confronts one of the most obscure concepts known to man, death.
