It’s Friday, the working week is reaching another conclusion, so let me encourage you to take three minutes and twelve seconds out of your day to watch the video below. Trust me, this is worth it, and who among us really can’t take three minutes out of our day, right? The song is ‘Valentino‘ by Diane Birch.
This video is ingenious. It was shot in just one take and uses absolutely no digital trickery. To get a sense of just how complicated the video would have been to shoot, take a look at the equally entertaining behind the screen video which shows how precisely choreographed the whole thing was.
In an interview with Spinner UK Birch revealed that she doesn’t consider herself to be a natural dancer. “When I saw the behind the scenes clip, I thought, ‘This all looks so easy. They won’t even realize how much work I put into this,'” Throughout the video the 27 year old singer songwriter makes several outfit changes. “It was one of those things where I kept telling myself, ‘Pretend that you’re having fun. Remember, this is supposed to be fun. Don’t let people know it’s the 15th hour you’ve been doing the same thing and it’s the 57th take.'”
The video is somewhat similar to the style of the viral videos produced by OK Go. Their innovative ‘treadmill video‘ on YouTube brought them notoriety, and their latest video, ‘This Too Shall Pass,’ is mind bogglingly wonderful. (If you haven’t seen those videos you should!)
I have to admit I hadn’t heard of Diane Birch before I saw this video on a friends blog (thanks Bob!). I’ve now downloaded her debut album, ‘Bible Belt‘ and while it’s difficult to peg her style or make comparisons, I would say that she’s sounds loosely like Norah Jones meets Amos Lee; a funky foot-tapping mellow sound.
Anyway, I think this is a fun song for a Friday, or indeed any other day of the week. I hope you enjoy it (and the video) too.
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[Video] Valentino – Diane Birch
[Video] Behind the screen of the Valentino video
[Video] Meet Diane Birch in the studio
Official website
Diane Birch youtube channel
Diane Birch: The ‘Bible Belt,’ In Eclectic Song from NPR.
Diane Birch live in concert from NPR station WXPN.
That song in your head
Wrote the following comment on Apr 9, 2010 at 12:49 pm
It’s cool, someone sent the video to me too, so it wasn’t my discovery either.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 9, 2010 at 12:59 pm
What an absolute delight that video and song are! I watched the behind the screen one too, and even the ‘in the studio with Diane’ one as well!
Thanks for introducing her to me Simon, I’m now listening to more of her stuff on her website and I think I might also buy this album. It’ll get added to my playlist as I paint my new flat in Notting Hill this weekend.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 9, 2010 at 3:06 pm
What a fab video and a happy happy sounding song.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 9, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Yeah it is sort of a ‘happy happy song’. I think the video does it much more credit as it would have sounded like every other teenage myopic song. Sorry if that sounds like I’m pissing on it…I might even steal the idea myself, like it.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 10, 2010 at 7:47 pm
What a lovely song.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 11, 2010 at 2:28 am
The ability to organize the set up for this one-take video, as well as hit all the marks regarding timing, is absolutely brilliant. Yaaay for talent and creativity!!
Thanks for sharing this Simon.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 16, 2010 at 2:55 pm
it’s friday – a whole week later. and yes, the video was worth it. thanks for sharing.