Bruno Mars, Grenade
Beastie Boys, Make Some Noise
Tyler, The Creator Yonkers
Adele, Rolling in the Deep
Katy Perry takes on the boys—and Adele—for the night’s biggest award. “We live in a viral culture where the consumer drives what they think is cool, so there’s a reward for artistry,” says DaveMeyers, director of “Firework.”
KATY PERRY
, FIREWORK
Director: Dave Meyers
YouTube views: 224,675,355
Meyers shot the video in Budapest, thanks to Perry’s endorsement deal with Deutsche Telekom, which financed the $500,000+ production. While the fireworks effects posed obstacles (they were shot separately, then made to look like they were exploding directly off Perry, among others), Meyers loved shooting in Palace Square. “I wanted to create a euphoric feeling,” he says. “By joining people together, we created a city-wide experience.”
BRUNO MARS
, GRENADE
Director: Nabil Elderkin
YouTube views: 199,962,083
“Grenade” employs a musical metaphor to tell a tale of overcoming obstacles — Mars lugs a piano through downtown LA and into East LA. Director Nabil Elderkin sought a scenario that fit with the song’s emotional darkness. “He was actually pulling the piano!” Elderkin tells The Post in an e-mail from Kenya. “I gutted it, so it weighed a lot less [than usual]. The fact that it was actually heavy helped sell the idea, and showed his struggle.”
BEASTIE BOYS,
MAKE SOME NOISE
Director: Adam “MCA” Yauch
YouTube views: 2,831,810
MCA recovers from cancer, then returns in grand style to direct this video, which features a Who’s Who in comedy. Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen, and Danny McBride play the young Beasties circa their “Fight for your Right” days, as they stumble across Ted Danson, Steve Buscemi, Will Arnett, among others. As the video ends, they encounter Will Ferrell as the band’s worst nightmare — the older Beasties of today.
TYLER, THE CREATOR
YONKERS
Director: Wolf Haley
YouTube views:18,394,327
Perhaps the artsiest of the nominees, “Yonkers” shoots the hip-hop star in blurry silhouette against a white background. As he speaks the lyrics he eats a bug, pukes, threatens to stab Bruno Mars, and then finally hangs himself. Why was the video’s director so harsh on the young rapper? Director “Wolf Haley” is actually Tyler himself — or, as he’s called him, his evil white alter-ego.
ADELE
, ROLLING IN THE DEEP
Director: Sam Brown
YouTube views: 115,064,583
Adele sits in an abandoned house while a ninja dances in flour and dust (that’s choreographer Jennifer White). There are also a ton of broken dishes. “Rolling in the Deep” was nominated for 7 Video Music awards. Adele told Spinner.com, “I wanted the feel of it to be somber but still wanted an icy vibe about it, too, so it matched the song. I’m not really into doing themed videos with dance moves and proper story lines because I’m not very good at it.”