If you’re looking for the latest and greatest in modern independent music video, look no further than the Los Angeles Music Video Festival, coming up November 5th thru 8th at several venues. Festival co-directors Sami Kriegstein and Colleen Curlin told us that they believe that music videos are the most universal, accessible and entertaining art form in the world.
I Love L.A.: Sami Kriegstein and Colleen Curlin, co-directors of LA Music Video Festival, show off their swag
“LAMVF is a film festival for music videos, complete with categories of competition, a roster of professional judges, prizes, panels, keynote speakers, workshops, screenings and live music performances.” said Colleen. “Now in it’s fourth year, LAMVF is setting its sights on becoming the premier American music video festival, bringing together independent musicians and independent filmmakers like never before.”
“As a proudly grassroots festival, we’ve grown each year by word of mouth and a dedicated fan community. We attract submissions from 34 countries, host events with universities and partner festivals all over the world, and offer a unique platform to surface new talent and celebrate the established pros, because everyone deserves a little love.”
“LAMVF offers an alternative to the standard music video experience of sitting alone in your room, watching videos on your tiny laptop with your crappy speakers. We put videos on a big screen in a state-of-the-art movie theater with perfect sound and an audience of living, breathing people.”
We spoke with the co-directors about their experience putting it on this year, and got a bonus RAVES & FAVES out of them as well.
How long has this festival been around?
This year marks our 4th annual event, we’re so lucky to be growing steadily year after year. We started in 2011 with a one day festival, we’ve now grown to 4 days across 4 different LA venues.
How many entries do you usually get?
This year was our highest number of submissions, we received 600 music videos from 34 difference countries. That has grown from 200 in 2011. Another milestone for LAMVF, this is our most internationally represented year as well – as part of the screenings we have a special Foreign Language showcase screening that will feature select videos from around the world.
Are there any trends in music video entries this year?
We’ve got a new category this year that is part of a growing trend for music videos online, lyric videos. We noticed that so many artists are putting more creativity into these visual introductions to their songs before the official videos are released.
What is the one key thing that you believe every good music video has?
We definitely watch/judge each music video individually for competition, but we always ask ourselves, “Did this video make me feel something?” No matter if it is a narrative, performance, or animated video, it should make the viewer feel something in the combination of the music and visuals.
And the 5 favorite videos, they are not pre-1993, but close!
Click here for their RAVES & FAVES, and check out all the info on the Los Angeles Music Video Festival on their website, Facebook & Twitter.
