Elton John, in collaboration with Youtube, has launched a contest for emerging creatives to create music videos for his most iconic songs.
John’s most classic singles were released “when rock was young”. Back then, music videos weren’t really a thing yet, but this worldwide search for animated, choreographed video submissions is doing justice to the saying we should all live by: better late than never.
Elton John: The Cut, launched on December 12, is a campaign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the singer’s song writing partnership with Bernie Taupin.
John is obviously a busy dude, still playing packed stadiums, funding his own charities and writing his memoirs. That’s why he’s appealing to the creative talent of the world (yes, that means you) to design a visual accompaniment to his most famous anthems.
“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.” John said in a statement.
With entries officially opening to the public on January 9 2017, the contest calls for fresh film makers to submit their own visual interpretation of the hits Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer and Bennie and the Jets.
“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,” said Vivien Lewit, YouTube’s global head of artist content and services.
The three winning entries, chosen by a panel of prolific judges, will earn the title of “official” music video. The final production of the films will be supported by Pulse Films, the brains behind Beyoncé’s Lemonade.
The creator will also get to pocket a nice little $10,000 cheque from YouTube to support future creative endeavours.
More information on the competition can be found here.
