Site New Answers Search Boards ILE ILM Answers New Question New Questions New Poll Blog View Register Login

What the fuck is Mark Romanek babbling about?

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
I'm watching my Mark Romanek Director's Label DVD, and he's complaining(!) that his video for Michael and Janet's "Scream" is widely known as the most expensive video ever made ($7 million)

But then he said: "That is not true. There is another music video that cost millions of dollars more."

All Google roads point to Mark. What is he yapping about?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Sunday, 8 January 2006 06:46 (twenty years ago)

"Steal My Sunshine" by Len must have cost some bucks.

― Gordon Lightfood, Sunday, 8 January 2006 06:49 (twenty years ago)

Moped rentals ain't cheap.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Sunday, 8 January 2006 07:12 (twenty years ago)

it seems really silly now that all these mega-budget videos of the 90s seemed to be so only because they featured some lush CGI (which could probably just be done on one Powerbook now).

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 8 January 2006 18:11 (twenty years ago)

but then the action scenes in Tron took three months to render (or something).

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 8 January 2006 18:12 (twenty years ago)

How much did that B.I.G. video with the yachts and speedboats and helicopters and whatnot cost?

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 8 January 2006 22:39 (twenty years ago)

About the price of an After Effects user license.

― [tuvan throat singer's profound lyric sheet-must read again] (nordicskilla), Sunday, 8 January 2006 22:41 (twenty years ago)

would be interested to know the budgets of Gondry's most celebrated videos.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 8 January 2006 23:10 (twenty years ago)

How much does a box of Legos cost?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Sunday, 8 January 2006 23:48 (twenty years ago)

http://cache.lego.com/images/shop/prod/4496-0000-XX-13-1.jpg

― R. J. Greene, Monday, 9 January 2006 00:14 (twenty years ago)

I have failed.

― R. J. Greene, Monday, 9 January 2006 00:15 (twenty years ago)

What about those Gn'R videos?

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 9 January 2006 00:22 (twenty years ago)

i bet hes talking about the aborted cisco vid, with godzilla or whatever

― noizem duke (noize duke), Monday, 9 January 2006 01:03 (twenty years ago)

smooth criminal cost 4 trillion dollars.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 9 January 2006 01:08 (twenty years ago)

"Waterfalls" was up there, too, wasn't it?

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Monday, 9 January 2006 01:48 (twenty years ago)

According to the always accurate Wikipedia.org (in a list i THINK was cribbed from an mtv special), here are the 10 most expensive music videos ever made.

1. "Scream" - Michael Jackson (featuring Janet Jackson) $7,000,000
2. "Victory" - Puff Daddy (featuring Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes) $2,700,000+
3. "Heartbreaker" - Mariah Carey $2,500,000
4. "What's It Gonna Be" - Janet Jackson (featuring Busta Rhymes) $2,400,000+
5. "Larger Than Life" - Backstreet Boys $2,100,000+
6. "Miami" - Will Smith $2,000,000
7. "She's a Bitch" - Missy Elliot $2,000,000+
8. "Unpretty" - TLC $1,600,000+
9. "November Rain" - Guns N' Roses $1,500,000+
10. "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" - Blackstreet (featuring Janet Jackson)

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 01:56 (twenty years ago)

did mariah transform into a robotic dinosaur or something?

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Monday, 9 January 2006 02:02 (twenty years ago)

heartbreaker had animation, a ninja catfight, and jay-z in a tub.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 9 January 2006 02:05 (twenty years ago)

I remember that once i read somewhere that at one time "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails hailed as the most expensive video of all time, this was around 1994 and that it was the first video to passed the million dollars plus mark. It was also directed by Mark Romanek.

― elgolfo (elgolfo), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:35 (twenty years ago)

This is purely from my godlike trivia memory, but I'm pretty sure MC Hammer's "Here Comes The Hammer" was the first video to cost over a million dollars.

There's NO WAY Closer cost anywhere near a million dollars. It was filmed on hand-cranked silent cameras!

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:38 (twenty years ago)

I recall reading in ego trip's book of rap lists (of which my copy is in another state right now and thus uncheckable), that the TOO LEGIT 2 QUIT by Hammer cost a few million dollars as well, although I don't remember the exact amount now, thus making me worthless, but yeah, it would fit in on the list above methinks.

― ranchdipset, Monday, 9 January 2006 03:42 (twenty years ago)

it was like 1.3 million... the most expensive in it's day (1991), but since dwarfed by computer animated Backstreet droids, TLC yoga pods and post-apocalyptic Missy space islands

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:50 (twenty years ago)

There's NO WAY Closer cost anywhere near a million dollars. It was filmed on hand-cranked silent cameras!

IIRC, "closer" used a rare film stock. i know, its not what bumped up the entire budget, was probably was significantly more expensive than usual film stock.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:52 (twenty years ago)

FYI: "losing my religion" spent 1M on a donkey that appears for one second.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:53 (twenty years ago)

Here's the total specs on "Scream"

Computer-generated spaceship: $65,000
Breaking guitars: $53,000
Morphing artworks: $50,000
Michael's makeup: $3,000
Janet's makeup: $8,000 a day
Choreography: $40,000
Giant video screen: $80,000
Lighting: $175,000
Cost per day: $636,000 (about 11 days)
Total cost of 11 sets: $5,000,000

...but something, according to Mark, is more expensive!!!

Maybe "My Heart Will Go On" if you include all the Titanic footage?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:54 (twenty years ago)

x-post... What's a million-dollar donkey?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 03:54 (twenty years ago)

Can I also take a minute to say how fucking incredible the Mark Romanek DVD is. That Audioslave video with the fireworks is totally slept-on!

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 04:04 (twenty years ago)

Did you know that the stage in "Are You Gonna Go My Way" was based on Satyricon?!

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 04:08 (twenty years ago)

cocaine is a hell of a drug

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Monday, 9 January 2006 04:25 (twenty years ago)

also i think "rare" film stock = they soaked it in the bathtub for a couple days

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Monday, 9 January 2006 04:26 (twenty years ago)

Jess speaks wisdom on many levels.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 9 January 2006 04:27 (twenty years ago)

hahaha

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 9 January 2006 04:36 (twenty years ago)

Janet's makeup: $8,000 a day

This is the only thing in that list that shocks me.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 9 January 2006 05:14 (twenty years ago)

it's not the amount as much as it is that her makeup cost was higher than MJ's

― gear (gear), Monday, 9 January 2006 05:20 (twenty years ago)

For the "Closer" video, they used vintage cameras, so I assume they used vintage film.

But to get that grainy effect, Mark and friends took the film out, played with it, burned it, scribbled on it, scraped it in a parking lot, etc.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 05:21 (twenty years ago)

But then he said: "That is not true. There is another music video that cost millions of dollars more."

All Google roads point to Mark. What is he yapping about?

-- Whiney G. Weingarten (christopher...), January 8th, 2006.

he is talking about the video he WANTED to film, but MJ thought it was too "out there" and excessive.

― latebloomer: Let's just say I do for bullshit what Stonehenge did for Rocks (lat, Monday, 9 January 2006 17:50 (twenty years ago)

not sure if it was supposed to be the most expensive video ever or not, but I seem to remember that there was some multi-million dollar video made for Toni Braxton's "Let it Flow" (the double-a with "Youo're Making Me High") that for some reason never saw the light of day.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Monday, 9 January 2006 17:54 (twenty years ago)

10. "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" - Blackstreet (featuring Janet Jackson)

this is just them bluescreened over CGI pinball fun iirc - why does this sort of thing cost so much money?

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 9 January 2006 18:07 (twenty years ago)

Michael's makeup: $3,000
Janet's makeup: $8,000 a day

hang on a minute...

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 9 January 2006 18:08 (twenty years ago)

Men W/O Hats, "Safety Dance": SCA don't work for free!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 9 January 2006 18:14 (twenty years ago)

Where is Chicago's "Stay The Night" on this list? Vintage Olds 442s don't come cheap!

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Monday, 9 January 2006 19:06 (twenty years ago)

Can I also take a minute to say how fucking incredible the Mark Romanek DVD is. That Audioslave video with the fireworks is totally slept-on!
-- Whiney G. Weingarten (christopher...), January 9th, 2006.

word.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Monday, 9 January 2006 19:17 (twenty years ago)

All I can say is that someone somewhere must be laughing their asses of all the way to the mf-ing bank...

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Monday, 9 January 2006 19:22 (twenty years ago)

When I talked to him, I think Romanek claimed most of the "Scream" cost overruns were because things got planned and started to move only at the last minute. I imagine when things happen at the last minute that also involve multiple Jacksons, and therefore their entire collective entourages, then the price adds up quite quickly.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Monday, 9 January 2006 20:51 (twenty years ago)

I like that everyone made a big deal of Justin saying "fuck" in that Snoop Dogg song, when MJ said "fuck" in Scream like 10 years ago.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 9 January 2006 21:03 (twenty years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.
Site New Answers Search Boards ILE ILM Answers New Question New Questions New Poll Blog View Register Login