Kanye West's 2010 song 'All Of The Lights' is first and foremost a wonderful creation that provided commercial success, as well as 2 Grammy awards. The video, however does divide opinion with some people saying they were fans of the visual styles and homages to different media including the 2009 French film 'Enter The Void'. However, some said it seemed rushed and didn't do the song justice, with many commenting on their disappointment considering it was directed by Hype Williams, one of the most celebrated music video directors of all time, particularly in hip-hop. Personally, I am a fan of the video but can see why people have negative opinions about it. I may potentially just be fan because I love the song, but I admire the use of fast paced editing and the use of titles in a way I have rarely seen before.
I admire the shot of the built up areas, which are probably the 'housing projects' because along with the use of the piano melody, it creates a strong juxtaposition between the hip-hop influence that Kanye provides (the urban 'housing projects') against the beautiful music that plays and the small girl being shown in black and white (the innocence and the purity).
I also like the first shot of the video, the shot of the board with a list of names on it. This resembles a board that could be seen at an airport or train stations, reflecting different destinations. I wanted to include a shot like this in my film, however I was unable to access anything that looked similar enough, which was a shame as my song talks about different 'destinations'.
The part of the video I like the most is the opening, where the prelude is played which precedes the actual song. The visual style is wonderful, as we see a little girl roaming the snowy streets of a big American city, looking lonely and potentially vulnerable.
The use of black and white creates a phenomenal mood, which I feel is synchronous to the music that plays (All Of The Lights Interlude) which has a subtle, classical feel to it. This is definitely something I have taken inspiration from and I have used something similar in my music video when the two main characters are involved in the argument, using a song (Avril 14th) that resembles the interlude and also using black and white to display a real drain of emotion.
