Winners Selected for “Elton John: The Cut”
A Global Competition to Create the Official Music Videos for The Iconic Songs - “Bennie and the Jets,” “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer” - supported by YouTube.
With Judges Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Melina Matsoukas and Barry Jenkins.
Final Videos to be Revealed Later this Month
In celebration of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s 50th anniversary of their songwriting partnership, Elton John, supported by YouTube, is giving undiscovered creative talent from all over the world the chance to create the official music videos for their most iconic songs: “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer,” and “Bennie and the Jets.” As these songs were released before the rise of the music video, this competition gives aspiring creators the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase these best-loved hits like never before. The winning videos will then live on YouTube for fans around the world to watch and enjoy them.
On December 12th the global search was launched. The competition received entries from over 50 countries. Bernie Taupin says the winners “are all too talented to fail.”
On February 28th the full judging panel for The Cut, made up of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, along with Barry Jenkins (Oscar-Winning Director), Jeffrey Katzenberg (CEO and Founder of Dreamworks Animation) and Melina Matsoukas (Grammy Award-Winning Music Video Director), gathered in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. They were joined by the YouTube mentors for each category, Kurt Hugo Schneider (Live action – Tiny Dancer), Parris Goebel (Choreography - Bennie and the Jets) and PES (Animation – Rocket Man) who presented their shortlist of 5 choices for their category to the judging panel. A final winner was selected for each category winning the opportunity to make the official music video and $10,000 to support future creative endeavors.
When asked about the winning ideas, Oscar-Winning Director Barry Jenkins says, “It was very clear [they all had] really thought through the idea - taken the essence of the song, the essence of the brief - and manifested it in their own voices. To me, that was the thing that united all the winners.”
The final videos will be revealed later this month. The winners are:
BENNIE AND THE JETS
Jack Whiteley (Director) and Laura Brownhill (choreographer/artistic director)
SUPPORTING JUDGING QUOTE
“I was really impressed by [Jack and Laura's] references and their knowledge of music and history and art...everyone immediately seemed to gravitate towards their idea.”
- Melina Matsoukas
BIO
Jack is an award-winning music video and commercials director based in London. He is signed to the acclaimed production company Rattling Stick where he has been part of the team for three years now. He studied film at the Manchester School of Art, graduating with a First-class honours degree, before moving to Liverpool where he met Laura on the city’s burgeoning art scene. Jack’s work is defined by its rich imagery, high energy and grounded emotion. He has a strong sense of rhythm and pacing and a keen eye for detail.
TREATMENT
We want to tell the story of the formation of Bennie and the Jets. To do this we will tap into the mythology of the song through its lyrics and themes. In essence, what we’re proposing is a futuristic talent show that takes place on a giant carousel-cum-zoetrope-style set. Bennie is the judge and sits atop a raised central platform. Below her, around the base, sits a four-piece automaton in-house band, fronted by a robot Elton John. The show is introduced by a compère.
Then one by one, different contestants enter the set and perform a voguing-style improvised dance routine around the carousel to try and impress Bennie in the hope of becoming one of her Jets. Eventually, Bennie finds her Jet and clones her eight times. Then Bennie and her newly formed Jets perform a spectacular synchronised dance sequence around the set. Our story is told through the eyes of the winning Jet, whom idolises Bennie. She is our emotional anchor and we follow her as she gets ready backstage, cross-cutting between her and what’s happening out front, leading up to her performance. Aesthetically, we’re in the future as if imagined from the past. The set and central structure takes influence from the sci-fi/constructivist/minimalism from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. The large-scale nature of the performance and the synchronised choreography is inspired by Busby Berkeley films. The camera work, lighting and black and white aesthetic is a nod to films of the classic Hollywood period.
TINY DANCER
Max Weiland
SUPPORTING JUDGING QUOTE
“Tiny Dancer...needed to be Californian. Max just gave us the best treatment possible. He just captured the essence of what the song’s about. And he was nearly chosen for the choreography category as well so he’s clearly a very talented young man.”
- Elton John
BIO
Max Weiland is a director from the UK represented by Somesuch. He has directed music videos for The Vaccines and Rejjie Snow and has also written and directed ‘An Arm’s Length’ a short film, which won first prize in the Young Directors Awards at Cannes and premiered at SXSW. Max is currently in development on a comedy series for Tiger Aspect, and has just started writing his first feature film.
TREATMENT
LA is famous for its traffic jams. Cars trapped bumper to bumper. Petrol fumes hazing. Road rage simmering. The long days get longer. And those stretching queues are completely democratic. In one section of traffic you are likely to find all walks of life. In this video I want to capture one section of a gas station queue. A slice of real LA. Each car has its own story and we move in and out of the cars, jumping from one story to another. Our scenes capture a snapshot of these people’s lives. Each rich with subtext. Imbued with narrative. This is a melting pot of completely disparate lives brought together by the fact they are stuck in the same traffic jam and that they are all listening to the same song…‘Tiny Dancer’. It’s their shared soliloquy. The hymn of the city. From the stoners to the agents to the young kids in the back seat, we find real LA characters. No stereotypes. Only archetypes. Real people, heightened by the drama of the lives we’re giving them. Eventually when the gas station runs out of petrol, our motley crew of characters abandon their cars and walk along the side of the highway back to the city.
ROCKET MAN
Majid Adin
SUPPORTING QUOTE
“In the animation category, I was particularly blown away...[Majid] found in the song something so important and relatable to him in his life and his journey. I’ve never thought of the song in that context and he did something really quite special and moving with it.”
- Jeffrey Katzenberg
BIO
Majid studied fine art at university in Iran, and after his BA chose to Major in animation, because it combined his two passions - film/cinema and fine art. After graduating, he worked for several animation production companies, until events in his life took a different direction. For ten difficult years he didn't pick up a paintbrush and finally, in great danger of persecution, was forced to flee his home. After journeying across Europe in the midst of the refugee crisis in 2015, he arrived in the Calais Jungle. After being granted asylum and the right to work in 2016, he is now building a new life and a career as an artist in the UK.
TREATMENT
Rocket Man is the story of a journey, and someone separated from those they love. “I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife” As I listened again and again, I heard the story of a refugee. His family, his journey, his new life. Many refugees cross borders in search of safety, but find disorientation, loneliness, separation in a new world. “Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids” I want to represent this experience. The rocket is not just a rocket; it is a boat, a lorry, a train. The rocket is movement, Mars is London, a new city, a new world. The rocket takes him further and further away from home, but he only thinks memories about the people he loves and left behind. “And I think it’s going to be a long, long time” I will draw on my own experiences. I hope that my video allows people to understand. I believe art can do this. Finally, I want to find the hope of the Rocket Man. Even though it is difficult, there has to be a feeling things will get better, that touch down brings him home, and people can understand you.
Elton John: The Cut is being produced with the help of digital agency AKQA, and production studio Pulse Films.
About YouTube
Launched in May 2005, YouTube is the world's most popular online video community allowing billions of people to discover, watch and share video. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube is a Google company.
www.youtube.com
About Pulse Films
Pulse Films is an award-winning, independent, modern-day studio encompassing the
development, production, financing and distribution of cross-platform content for audiences worldwide. Dedicated to creating moments of culture through innovative storytelling, Pulse operates in Film, Television, Branded Entertainment, Music and Commercials. For more information see: http://www.pulsefilms.com/
About AKQA
AKQA is the ideas and innovation company that uses the imaginative application of art and science to create ideas, products and services. www.akqa.com
Watch a highlight reel from the judging day below
