Video killed the radio star in 1979. But did internet kill the video star in 2011? Take the Sarah Bareilles video “Uncharted” for example. For those who have not seen it, the video features clips of fans and even a few familiar faces singing along to the song in their webcams. Stars like Benjamin Folds of Ben Folds Five, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Tegan & Sara and Mr. viral video himself, Keenan Cahill, make appearances.
Instead of a mash-up of piano shots, happy b-roll and Sarah Bareilles close-ups, “Uncharted” takes on new media to create a successful, fun music video. Sarah pops up on the screen only a few times throughout the video, but it works. She has given others a chance to express their love of the song and, well, their webcams. “Uncharted” becomes something very much relatable because who doesn’t love to sing along and dance to their favorite songs?
Another artist taking the idea of incorporating fan-made videos into a project is Lady Gaga. Just in time for her third album debut, Gaga's Google Chrome Commercial has hit the airwaves. I may be a little biased because I am such a huge fan, aka Little Monster, but the commercial really has a cool concept.
The Google Chrome slogan is “the web is what you make of it” and that is exactly what this piece shows. As Google has become the number one search engine, this commercial features Lady Gaga googling her fans to see what they have put on the web. This too is relatable, not only to fellow Gaga fans but to anyone who uses Google.
The moral of the story is, we the people of the internet, are becoming the focal point in artist materials. It is a cool, new take on video creation that could be a stepping stone to something awesomely innovative in the future. It's the nextevolution from brands asking customers to create content, like the Doritos Super Bowl commercial. So the internet didn’t necessarily kill the video star, the internet just shifted the stardom a little bit.
How do you like the “Uncharted” video and Gaga Google Chrome commercial and the use of fan-made videos?
Jessica Mosley, Little Monster
