Welcome BACK to the Magic of The Music Video feature! We have been having a break from this but now it is back and this time it is on the new day of Saturday afternoons! Every month we will take a look at the music videos of certain artists and bands more in depth to explore just why I love them.

I am a Video Editor – and one of the things (probably the main thing) that inspired me to work in television post production was actually music videos.

Music videos are one of my favourite things in the world and I spent hours and I MEAN literally hours when I was growing up watching them Even now in the modern world, I can find myself getting lost on YouTube watching music videos for hours on end – they are an addiction.

This month we are delving into the world of George Michael and taking a look at some of the videos that I personally feel have some great editing techniques.

Careless Whisper – George Michael

Why did you choose this particular video?

This is one of my favourite songs by George Michael and it also holds a special place in my heart as it is the first song I taught myself how to play properly with two hands on the piano. The video has a real romantic element to it that makes it feel film like and thrown in are some nice edits that I really like.

So, what is the narrative?

George is singing in a room discussing about a holiday where he cheats on a girl that he is seeing and regrets it.

Favourite parts of the video

The most striking part of the video for one is the shots with George with the black background, a sparkly white top, black blazer and the white rope. It is such a simple shot but it is so striking that the cinematography on it, whilst simple makes it look really good. The way it fades between the lightly coloured shots mean it creates a sense of emotion and focus when you see them.

The fade. So many music videos use them as an easy option to jump between shots but this video uses them so right. It is used to create space between the narrative and the telling of the story. It is also used so well that it is created to heighten the emotion that you want to see from the video with a song like this.

The brightly coloured shots tell the story of George’s character cheating. The editing is so simple that it get to create this powerful narrative that makes it feel like a short film and it really reels you in.

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