My Favourite Music Video: Daniel Brereton selects Daft Punk's Da Funk

Date
13 January 2014

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In times gone by, Dan used to go by the moniker of Daniel has Potential for all his creative sign-offs. Now, in the new year he has stripped it back to his actual name, Daniel Brereton, to turn over what looks like a very professional new leaf. He’s been featured on the site more times than we have fingers to count on, and consistently delivers the wittiest and most watchable music videos we get to sit back and enjoy. So who better to kick off our new weekly music video feature than Dan himself? Here he is on his favourite music video, Spike Jonze’s masterpiece for Daft Punk’s Da Funk.

I never try to analyse things that I like, if I like something I don’t want to spoil that initial magic it creates. This is why I won’t watch certain films more than once. But this video is one that I go back to all the time, often for inspiration, and each time it hasn’t spoilt the viewing - maybe it gets better. So I’ll do something I don’t normally do and try to briefly sum up what I like about it.

I watched this video in the 90’s on MTV and I think that’s part of the reason I love it. Maybe MTV had an influence over my chosen profession? Probably. I love the ambiguity, the way the dog blends into the New York night life and then at the same time is ridiculed and outcast. It’s hard to tell in what way the people in the video see him. Do they see him as one of their own, but just crippled? Or is he part of a dog race that inhabits New York?

And It’s great that it’s set in New York as you could see someone looking like this being totally ignored. The music feels like a soundtrack, it’s almost equal to the visuals, which makes me think the band aren’t precious about the song. I also love the dog mask, the styling, the use of 16/35mm film, and the story. It’s so open-ended it leaves you asking all sorts of questions.

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Daft Punk: Da Funk. Directed by Spike Jonze.

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Daft Punk: Da Funk. Directed by Spike Jonze.

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Daft Punk: Da Funk. Directed by Spike Jonze.

Above

Daft Punk: Da Funk. Directed by Spike Jonze.

Above

Daft Punk: Da Funk. Directed by Spike Jonze.

Above

Daft Punk: Da Funk. Directed by Spike Jonze.

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About the Author

Liv Siddall

Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

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