New book explores “cult” music videos from Lauryn Hill, Jamiroquai, and more

A new book has been released exploring the history of “cult” music videos from the likes of Lauryn Hill, Jamiroquai, Radiohead, and more.

Short Form: 40 Years of Music Videos, Ads, and the Art of Moving Images gives a “behind-the-scenes” look at some of the most heralded music videos over the past four decades.

Featuring the storyboards, stills, script notes and ephemera behind iconic short films and music visuals, Short Form aims to “reframe how we see the practice of filmmaking”.

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“This book dives into those cult short-form films that have informed and galvanised the cultural landscape of cinema and beyond,” reads a blurb.

Music videos featured in the book include Jamiroquai’s ‘Virtual Insanity’, Lauryn Hill’s ’Doo Wop (That Thing)’, Radiohead’s ‘Karma Police’, The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, FKA twigs’ ‘M3LL155X’, and more.

Short Form also explores TV commercials for the likes of Guinness, Levi’s, and Channel 4, and looks into the art of short-form storytelling by British production company Academy Films.

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Speaking to Dazed on the book, writer and editor Claire Marie Healy explains: “I think one aspect that becomes clear [in the book] is that music videos and even advertising were an arena for creativity in a different way in the ‘90s through to the 2000s.”

“Bigger budgets, sure, but also risk-taking and nurturing commissioners at record labels, and creative directors at advertising agencies, who would really trust the often strange ideas of people like Jonathan Glazer, Martin de Thurah, or Walter Stern to create brilliance.”

Find out more about Short Form: 40 Years of Music Videos, Ads, and the Art of Moving Images here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter