Price James (pictured right, that’s him in the glasses) burst onto the British music video scene last year with his highly imaginative micro-budgeted videos for the likes of Simian Mobile Disco, Lost Penguin and Shitdisco, and then signed to RSA/Black Dog.

Price knows his music video stuff, so we asked him to make a playlist of his favourite videos. So of course he’s mostly gone for the work of his young video-making east London chums and, it has to be said, a fair amount of micro-budgeted work…

In this era of low budget music videos, the network you need of friends and helpers who will drop everything and help out is the most important element of the whole process. Everyone I know in east London is in the same boat, and supporting each other is the only way that videos get made at all. It’s kinda like a music video Byker Grove.

There is no keeping DoP’s numbers to ourselves like hiding our poker cards. This movement isn’t precious. We are adaptable and unselfish, we share information and try to support each other…

Commercials are for money, making music videos is a passion that we itch and crave, and I think its incredibly exciting at the moment. Yeah, there are a few touchy subjects that a lot of people picked up on after Dan Millar’s comments on PromoNews a few weeks ago. But as I’ve only been in this industry just over a year and still a ‘rookie’, the most important thing for me is creating good work and being excited by others.

Its obviously a transition period for the industry which is always scary, but on the other hand its also immensely exciting to be part of it.

These New Puritans
Elvis
Director: Saam Farahmand
Watch: Quicktime
I honestly believe this is Saam’s finest video. Obviously the song is absolutely killer but I just love the simplicity of it, its so powerful and just grabs you. You don’t need compositing and lens flare, just an amazing song, striking band members and some swinging lights and compressed air… awesome.

I Was A Cub Scout
Pink Squares
Director: OneInThree
Watch: Quicktime
Bugsy Riverbank Steel and Ross Cooper (aka OneInThree) plan everything to the finest detail and are soooo tech, Ross’ diagrams give me headaches. This video was absolutely no money, shot in our flat (I live with Ross) and I think its rad. A really successful video: simple, bold, that’s all you need. And it also looks great on YouTube.

The Teenagers
Homecoming
Director: Kinga Burza
Watch: Dirty version Quicktime
Incredible song, and the video just fits so well. I know it was £500 and its way better than most stuff being made out there. I think Kinga captured that sincere innocence, it’s really believable. Also it has the hottest girl in east London starring in it… she makes me mumble my words when I see her. Ha.

Lost Penguin
Pleasurewood Kills
Director: Price James
Watch: Quicktime
This is a blatant plug for my first ever video, made last year for £111. One of the nicest bands I’ve ever worked with – sooo patient and tolerant – it made the three days we were stuck in complete darkness in my friends flat a complete joy, even when I said they couldn’t get stoned as we were gonna shoot close ups of their eyes and they might be bloodshot!

Guy Stephens shot the stills and my favourite designer Nova Dando made the incredible outfits. We were both working at a call centre at the time and had to have meetings about the design of them in our lunch breaks. Everyone there thought we were total weirdos.

Jo Apps the legend of editing stayed at my flat for a week cutting it. We never saw daylight. Big up to everyone on that shoot – and RIP Lost Penguin.

I Was A Cub Scout
I Hate Nightclubs
Director: Dan Lowe
Watch: YouTube
Another Cub Scout video!! Dan is probably the techest guy I know. He’s part of teamSTUSH and a good friend of mine. He has such great ideas, really simple and always really well executed. This video is an animated ‘one shot’ of an evening at a gig: so good, and Dan managed to make Mother Bar look really slick, when in fact it’s kinda scummy…

MGMT
Time To Pretend
Director: Ray Tintori
Watch: Quicktime
Don’t know anything about this one as I kinda only watch friend’s videos that we send to each other. But this video is utterly pimp, so visual and so much energy, it just takes you on this acid journey… The song is crazy good, they are gonna be huge. If you haven’t already seen this, watch it now.