On the Current State of the Music Video
Short Film Block
Why are artists still making music videos? In our post-VH1 era of self-generated social media, with attention spans growing ever shorter and broadcast platforms disappearing, the prospects of this medium seem to be growing ever dimmer. Given the hard work and high skill level it requires, why would an artist opt to make a music video? In this panel, we will explore what it means to stick with this art form against the odds. We ask what it is music videos accomplish artistically, and what creative opportunities have emerged amidst the waning support of the mainstream.
Featuring work by:
Sasha Solodukhina (@sardinenotsorry), is a director living in New Orleans who spends her time making impossible worlds for others to occupy. She collaborates with production designer Sarah VanDerMeer to build worlds using texture, costume, and practical effects to subvert expectations and transport audiences into landscapes that are beautiful but fleeting. Her work has screened at Cleveland International Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, and New Orleans Film Festival, amongst others, and her recent music video for Joanna Tomassoni’s “Tell Me A Story” won awards for “Best Music Video” at HollyShorts (2021) and San Luis Obispo Film Festival (2022). Sasha has made music videos for artists including Tasche de la Rocha, Maggie Belle, Blato Zlato, and The Tumbling Wheels.
Leyla McCalla is a Haitian-American multi-instrumentalist based in New Orleans. In addition to her solo work, McCalla is a co-founder of Our Native Daughters (with Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah and Allison Russell), and was the cellist for Grammy-award-winning string band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Leyla’s latest release Breaking the Thermometer (ANTI), is the album companion to a multidisciplinary music, dance and theatre work which follows Leyla’s personal journey as she uncovers the history of Radio Haiti, and was named among the Best Albums of 2022 by NPR Music, PopMatters, Variety, Barack Obama and more.
Nate Edwards is a Houston native multidisciplinary artist whose first love is filmmaking. His work can be described as “magical realism” – specializing in short form content through projects with artists such as Pharrell Williams, Scoot Mcnary, Doja Cat, Tobe Nwigwe, Summer Walker, Bryson Tiller and Mereba along with entities such as the Jimmy Kimmel show, Amazon Music, Google, Hyundai, Spotify, REI and YouTube. Nate’s work has included productions across the spectrum from travel documentaries to live action samurai short films. He finds joy in finding new ways and tools to tell stories as a genre bending artist.
Moderated by Nic[o] Brierre Aziz
