Elton John is offering undiscovered talent the chance of a lifetime, supported by YouTube. It’s he chance to make the official music video for Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer and Bennie and the Jets.
These three songs were released before music videos, so the official music videos for them have never been made.
The competition, Elton John: The Cut, has also been created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Elton John and Bernie Taupin writing music together.
Elton John: The Cut launched at YouTube’s end of year show Brandcast, hosted by James Corden, on December 12, 2016. Entries officially opening to the public on January 9, 2017.
Contest details and advice on how to enter the competition are here.
Music video entries for each of the songs will feature different artistic elements. Submissions for Rocket Man will feature animation, Tiny Dancer will be live-action, and Bennie and the Jets will feature choreography.
Elton John and Bernie Taupin will select three winners with a panel of YouTube creators and top music and industry judges, from a shortlist put together by three YouTube creators, each with experience in animation, choreography and live-action. The final judges will be announced in January. Winning entries will premiere on YouTube mid-2017.
YouTube will provide those who submit the three winning ideas with the resources they need to make their videos – from funding production to use of the YouTube Space facilities.
The production of the final music videos will be supported by Pulse Films (It made Beyonce’s Lemonade – and that won an Emmy nomination).
YouTube will also award the winning creators US$10k to support future video projects.
Elton John commented, “We’re excited to partner with YouTube to bring together generations of artists and music lovers around a shared passion for storytelling. YouTube is a rich tapestry of creativity, and I can’t wait to see how the breadth of talent from the dance, live-action and animation communities apply their vision to these cherished songs.”
Vivien Lewit, YouTube’s global head artist content & services added, “This is a dream project that puts iconic music from a legendary artist in the hands of new creative talent, to reinvent these classic hits. We’re beyond thrilled to partner with Elton John and Universal to enable this program and bring to life a new way for the passionate fan community on YouTube to experience these songs that have inspired generations.”
The shortlist judges are:
Tiny Dancer: Kurt Hugo Schneider, a filmmaker and musician with over 7.8M subscribers.
“I’ve been sharing my interpretation of popular songs with the world for nearly a decade on YouTube. I am so humbled to be part of this initiative and I can’t wait to see how Tiny Dancer is brought to life by filmmakers and music lovers alike.”
Rocket Man: PES, an Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker.
“With such a wealth of talented young filmmakers and artists on YouTube, I can’t wait to see the ideas and help make them a reality.”
Bennie and the Jets: Parris Goebel, the director and choreographer behind Justin Bieber’s “Sorry (PURPOSE : The Movement)” dance video, with over 2B views on YouTube.
“I can’t wait to see how dancers from all over – whether they are fans of hip-hop, ballet, pop, or any other genre – choose to visually express themselves in Bennie and the Jets.”
The competition closes on January 23rd and is open to anyone over 16, subject to local terms and conditions.
Everything you need to know to enter is here. www.eltonjohn.com/thecut.
