You may be familiar withPaul Thomas Anderson’s(PTA) body of work in terms of his feature films, including cult favorite’sThere Will be Blood, andLicorice Pizza, but what you may not know is that throughout the years he has directed some incredible music videos. From theHAIM/PTA universe to hisFiona Appledays, the American director has created an array of works that carefully showcase an intersection between film and music videos.
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Some of the very best music videos ever created are cinematic in their own right and PTA offers aesthetically crisp clips with visually interesting symbolism. Featuring his quintessential directorial motifs, like someone strutting down a long street or hallway, the Los Angeles skyline, and fourth-wall breaks accompanied by cheeky grins, PTA has some of the best music videos in the industry.
“Man from the Magazine” — HAIM
HAIM’s “Man from the Magazine"is an infuriated feminist outcry from the LA trio’s third studio albumWomen in Music Part III. The video sees lead singer Danielle behind the counter of Hollywood’s famous Canter’s deli (where HAIM played their very first show in 2000) slinging pieces of meat to male customers as she sings. The song is a simple yet jarring statement outlining the sexism the band has been subjected to, at every corner of the music industry — the man from the magazine is equally repellent in his insulting remarks as the condescending man at the music shop.
Danielle’s tired and disenchanted demeanor creates the perfect atmosphere, rolling her eyes despite the men in front of her and offering sarcastic glances towards the camera. Her performance is captivating and is made all the more impressive by the fact that she is singing live in the deli.Man from the Magazineis one of the band’s most honest and bare collaborations with PTA.Shot on 35mm, in simpleshot/countershot coverage, the same day that PTA shot the cover for the highly anticipated album; it’s a beautiful visual depicting a women’s necessity to portray politeness while fighting off misogyny.
“The Steps” — HAIM
Co-directed by lead singer, Danielle, the music video for HAIM’s “The Steps"is full of frustration, passion, and the kind of sloppiness women have always been told they’re not allowed to be. It depicts the HAIM sisters as they get ready in the morning, each of them causing a mess with precision and force. They let toothpaste drip all over their faces as they brush their teeth, throw clothes all over the room, rub lipstick everywhere. It’s bursting with energy and strength.
The Stepsexplores the frustration of putting everything into a relationship, only for your partner to happily let it die. The video shows the band meticulously messy, grubby with frustration. It’s depicting that universal feeling of tiredness from trying to be perfect and being the only one to clean everything up in a failing relationship. Danielle slamming on the drums in a tank top grubbed up with pink lipstick is the perfect, raw, aggravated ending that epitomizes the song.
“Divers” — Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsomand PTA’s second video together, “Divers” is a testament to the authenticity of practical effects. Newsom sings head-on to the camera, surrounded by a magnificent, ethereal landscape of aureate clouds and mountaintops. Her angelic figure drifts in and out of opacity as she sings about a great love. As the song develops, the golden clouds swirling around her burst into purples, reds, and oranges.
PTA filmed Newsom in front of an empty aquarium and created the clouds by pouring dyed sand into the water. The underwater effect is fitting to the themes of the song, and the use of practical effects creates a stunning, heaven-like, emotion-evoking visual.
“Now I’m In It” — HAIM
Another HAIM venture offWomen in Music Part III, “Now I’m In It” is the quintessential PTA/HAIM collaboration. The video encapsulates all the defining features of a PTA/HAIM video — the camera tracking the band as they strut down the street, Los Angeles, the sisters helping one another through hard times. The video follows Danielle as she leaves a club in a hurry, enters a diner, sheepishly spills coffee into customers' mugs before running out and into a thrift store, collapsing onto a stretcher as Este and Alana carry her to a carwash.
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The song explores Danielle’s struggle with depression, and the video cleverly depicts her sisters helping her to get through. The video matches the song’s chaotic and dissociative tone. Danielle is disconnected from her surroundings and wades through her environment unattached. It’s a realistic portrayal of a lack of connection and depicts the beauty of having a support system to help you through.
“Hallelujah” — HAIM
“Hallelujah” is an elegant and harmonic song reflecting the beauty of sisterhood, a theme prevalent throughout the HAIM discography. The video depicts the HAIM sisters gliding around an empty theater, each singing their verses as the camera follows them sullenly around the stage. The trio guides the camera and each other across the room, with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hand gestures and visual effects.
The video is gorgeous in its simplicity. It has a stripped-back, undemanding feel, but is also extremely intricate and visually complex. PTA is known for clean, strong scenes and camera movements, and the “Hallelujah” video is a testament to this. The camera moves through heartily, acting as a fourth character. The lighting in this video is ingenious and creates a visually stunning metaphor for the light a sibling relationship can create in life.
“Daydreaming” — Radiohead
PTA often evokes techniques that make the camera feel like another character, placing you in the scene. In “Daydreaming,” he flaunts this effortlessly, as the camera followsRadioheadfront-man,Thom Yorkethrough various recognizable, but unexpected settings. Yorke steals direct glances at the camera as it tracks him, matching his tempo. You feel like you are there with him, following this daydream as he walks through doors and in and out of different, unconnected locations — from a stairwell to a snowy mountain, a bedroom to a beach.
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It’s one of many collaborations between PTA and the English rock bandbut is hailed as his most existential and experimental. Avid fans have pointed out that Yorke walks through 23 doors throughout the video, a nod to the 23 years he and his ex-wife spent together before their divorce.
“Across the Universe” — Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple’s rendition ofThe Beatles’ 1969 hit, “Across the Universe” has stood the test of time as a universally beloved cover. Recorded in 1998 for the soundtrack of Gary Ross' fantasy comedy-dramaPleasantville, Apple’s cover brings a more entrancing, thoughtful, feminine energy to the track. The video is set in thePleasantvilleuniverse — Apple walks through a black and white diner as a group of teenagers lute and wreaks havoc around her.
Apple remains the focus of the camera’s attention, even as absolute chaos persists in the background. The juxtaposition between her calm, almost cheeky demeanor, and the disarray engulfing her is a brilliant visual representation of the song; nothing will change her own personal world as she traces through this strange, unforgiving universe. The black and white color scheme, incredible camera shots (such as Apple slowly turning upside down), and Apple’s cinematic facial expressions make for an excellently crafted PTA feat.
“Summer Girl” — HAIM
Another HAIM collaboration featuring the sister’s iconic strut down the streets of L.A. “Summer Girl” is a fun and flirty track offWomen in Music Part IIIequipped with a jazzy saxophone to boot. The video follows Danielle, Este, and Alana as they stride down the street, candidly removing layers of clothing - initially rugged up in winter coats, they strip down to more California-suited attire.
Stopping into various locations, includingQuentin Tarantino’siconic New Beverly Cinemaon Beverly Boulevard. PTA utilizes fast-paced dolly shots, golden lighting, and costume to portray his beloved Los Angeles in such a joyous, uninhibited tone.Summer Girlis a song about joy; Danielle wrote it to cheer up her partner who was suffering from cancer, and along with the video it delivers the kind of ethereal, free feeling reminiscent of high school summers.
“Hot Knife” — Fiona Apple
Another one of many PTA/Apple collaborations, “Hot Knife” is a complex and demanding piece of cinema. The song, off of Apple’s 2012 albumThe Idler Wheel…, is almost ana cappelladitty exploring the different ways in which chemistry can present itself between two people.
The video, which was Apple and PTA’s first collaboration together since their split in 2000, opens in black-and-white with Apple thumping on a large drum, singing the passionate track. It then sees Apple singing alongside her cabaret singing sister,Maude Maggart.The video drifts in and out of black-and-white and color shots, harsh and soft lighting, split and full-screen shots; and seems to be a fierce display of dichotomy.
“Try” — Michael Penn
As PTA’s music video directorial debut,Michael Penn’s1997 “Try” might also be his most quintessential. Anderson uses his signature dolly tracking to follow Penn down the hallway of “The Infinite Corridor”; the longest hallway in America. Penn sings as he floats along, stealing direct glances at the camera and being handed instruments along the way. The scene turns into something out of a fever dream, as an assortment of strange people come in and out of the frame, the lights shimmy between neon hues of red and blue, to starry white disco ball effects, and confetti fills the air.
Tryis a true triumph and a testament to the incredible ways in which film and music video artistry can interact. It was filmed in one long take, and the energy it emits implements it as a timeless work of art. PTA loves to re-connect with past collaborations, and Penn is no exception. Notably, the American musician scored two of Anderson’s early films,Hard EightandBoogie Nights.
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