At the end of last year, Elton John announced a competition for undiscovered creators, with the support of YouTube – the chance to make the videos for three of Elton John’s most famous songs, Bennie and the Jets, Rocket Man and Tiny Dancer, which have not yet had videos created for them.
Elton John: The Cut is being produced with the help of digital agency AKQA, and production studio Pulse Films.
Submissions are open until January 23. Everything you need to know to enter is here. The competition is open to anyone over 16, subject to local terms and conditions.
Among the judges is writer-director Barry Jenkins, who just won the Golden Globe Best Picture (Drama) for his film Moonlight, Dreamworks Animation chief executive officer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Grammy Award-winner Melina Matsoukas.
YouTube creators, Kurt Hugo Schneider, PES and Parris Goebel will shortlist the entries and present their selections to the judges.
Elton John and his co-wroter of 50 years, Bernie Taupin, will choose the final three winners.
“Artists like me have to embrace technology, because it’s the only way forward,” says Elton John. “One of the reasons we are doing this project with YouTube is to encourage young filmmakers to create visual ideas for these songs, and it gives us the chance to share these songs with younger fans. I’ve always had a passion for youth and passion for the new. This is very exciting because we’ve never seen videos for these songs.”
Schneider, PES and Goebel have put together their own ideas to kick things off. Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker, PES, used his stop-animation style to create his inspiration for Rocket Man.
“Like countless millions of others around the planet, I’ve been a fan of Sir Elton John since Tiny Dancer made a giant impact on music lovers everywhere,” stated Jeffrey Katzenberg.
“But in the early ‘90s, it was my extraordinary good fortune to get to know him personally when he wrote the incredible songs for The Lion King. Since then, not only have I gotten to continue to work with him, but I’ve had the privilege of calling him a friend. So, I can think of no better way to start the new year than to embark on this new journey with Elton, as he brings phenomenal creativity and innovation to YouTube.”
Melina Matsoukas, the video director behind Beyonce’s Formation and Rihanna’s We Found Love added, “I grew up on music videos in the MTV era. Having the space to experiment and learn as I was getting started in my filmmaking career was vital to my success. It’s a dream to be part of this program which is providing that opportunity for emerging directors and redefining the relationship between such an iconic artist and his fans through video.”
Barry Jenkins noted, “Music is core to my films and to my creative process. The Cut is so exciting to me because it combines a number of things I’m passionate about. As a filmmaker whose first film was made with the DIY tools of digital cinema, I love how the democratisation of the filmmaking process and platforms like YouTube enables people to tell stories that in previous generations simply could not be told. I hope to see ideas for this competition that push boundaries and defy expectations.”
A donation of $20,000 will be made in honour of each judge to a charity of their choice. Jeffrey Katzenberg has selected the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF) and Barry Jenkins has selected African Heritage Cultural Arts Center. Melina Matsoukas will announce her charity at a later date.
You might also like
