What makes a music video good?

1. It must be unique and interesting. Really relate to the song and don't overdo it, there's worse than a great song ruined by a lazy and overdone music video,

2. Make sure a story is told, after all that's what music is all about. It can be a strange and doesn't make much sense until the end, but one must feel satisfied at the conclusion (Everlong by Foo Fighters.) 

3. The artist or director must not feel confined to matching the visuals of the video perfectly with the lyrics
In some cases I personally feel this works but it all depends on the song, most of the time it can make it seem almost 'false' and too 'cliche'.

4. Makes a lasting impression and/or is memorable. This applies more to the older music videos, the forerunners to great music videos, that might not have the best production values but people still remember them and are often sampled by other artists & mediums. An obvious example is Aha's originalTake on Me and Family Guy's version. 

5. One must realize that a great music video does not mean a great song with a mediocre video, but a fabulous mv can have a mediocre song. There are some fabulous and iconic songs with okay music videos (some being uploaded to this spot) but this soapbox article is a tribute to those videos that stand out. Do you think of the music video long after you've seen it, even if you've only seen it once? Did it captivate you when you first saw it? These should be the questions you ask yourself when determining whether it is great! 

(adapted from http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/music-videos/articles/247/title/what-makes-great-music-video)

I decided to research some music videos that will inspire us for our music video.


Firstly, this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxNYvk_0Onw

Please Don't say You Love Me - Gabrielle Aplin.

This video captured my attention with the adorable storyline along with the brilliantly composed set up, the shots and camera angles really sold this music video for me at a very high standard.

Having built a big fanbase via her videos online, Gabrielle Aplin has turned to Joshua Sanger, the director the video for Home, one of her biggest YouTube hits, to direct the video for her first release on a major label, Please Don’t Say You Love Me.
The video is a narrative about a couple (played by Iain De Caestecker and Ophelia Lovibond) who hit a rocky patch, while out for a country drive – with Gabrielle as the observer of a tricky situation where one person is demonstrating a lot more affection than the other.
“We wanted to make this video a natural progression from the previous video for Home,” says Joshua. “It was evident that Please Don’t Say You Love Me has a strong narrative dialogue built into the song and so we felt a narrative approach was key to creating a video that complemented it.
“Other than writing the script itself, casting was the most important element of bringing it to life. We were honoured that Iain De Caestecker and Ophelia Lovibond liked the script and song enough to come on board and from there it all fell into place. Both Iain and Ophelia brought the honesty and subtlety to their characters that I felt was necessary to make the relationship relatable and believable.”
http://www.promonews.tv/2012/10/05/gabrielle-aplin-please-dont-say-you-love-me-by-joshua-sanger/