Rising South London talent Misty Miller is keenly aware of her visual identity.
Each video, each press seems carefully chosen, artfully shot to make the maximum impact. New single 'Happy' – out on July 10th – comes equipped with visuals from acclaimed director Sophie Muller.
Inspired, Misty Miller picked out a few more gems from the film maker's catalogue.
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Weezer – 'Say It Ain't So'
When I spoke to Sophie on the phone for the first time before working on the video for Happy together, we talked about videos that I liked and one of the first that came to my mind was 'Say It Ain't So' by Weezer. I didn't know that she had directed it. It's simple but so effective. It's all about their individual performances and how they shine through the simple set up and minimal camera angles. I use the word simple but in fact they're genius, it's the best example of 'less is more'. It's the little things that make it, the looks to camera, the juice carton at the end…
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No Doubt – 'Don't Speak'
This video takes me back to being a little girl. I remember thinking Gwen was the coolest girl ever, unlike a lot of females musicians around at that time. I wanted that dress so bad and who can forget those bindis? Aside from the nostalgic connection I have with it, as a video its just really beautiful. The colours draw you in and again it has 'live' performance in it, but done so well…with a story being told underneath the performance.
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The Jesus And Mary Chain – 'Sometimes Always'
'Sometimes Always' as a song is pretty simple. Like a lot of Jesus and Mary Chain's stuff (which is something I love about their music). It's also only two and a half minutes so you couldn't imagine a really elaborate video to go with it. I love the set up they chose though; it fits perfectly with the narrative and is a breeze to watch. The way the two sit at the bar miming along to the words is charming.
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Blur – 'Beetlebum'
Again, another 'live' performance based video, something Sophie is very good at. She manages to get something special out of the artists which I too experienced from her. I wonder if the guys chose the positions they went to and the little movement they made or if she placed them there and told them too? Either way it looks great. Sophie said to me she wants the videos she makes to match the feel of the song and not necessarily relate fully to the narrative. And this song is a perfect example of that. It really looks like what it feels like to hear, especially in the chorus.
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Rihanna – 'Stay'
When I was asked to choose my five favourite videos by Sophie I originally had a list of about ten and a lot were performance based, but this one is different. I remember when I first saw it I was like "Finally! Someone's done it!" I may be the only one but I have been in the bath before and acted out videos and performances. I guess instead of singing in the shower, I sang in the bath. When I met Sophie I wanted to ask her… "So who's idea was it to put Rihanna in the bath? It's genius". But I never got round to it.
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