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Pause Again

By Holly Willis
January 16, 2010
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For years, one of my favorite resources was the Submarine Channel's music video compilation titled Pause. (The site title echoes my favorite music video book, too: Pause :59 Minutes of Motion Graphics, by Julie Hirschfield, Stefanie Barth, Peter Hall and Andrea Codrington, from 2000).The site was recently relaunched as 2Pause: Freezing Music Video Culture, and features a terrific compilation of more than 100 music videos made since 2006 divided into six somewhat enigmatic categories: Netherclips, which are videos made in Holland; Electric Cinema, which includes "cinematographic" music videos; Sonic Animation for animated clips; No/Lo Budget videos; French Wave for videos from France; and Stop Motion, for videos made using that technique. I'm a bit baffled by selection criteria - none are really articulated - and there are stunning omissions if the only criterion is truly to showcase "the most visually exciting music videos." The curators could be far more explicit about the site's choices and limitations, and to me, it seems that the site either needs more curatorial input and contextualization, or a 2.0 interface that lets users create that material... That said, the site is pretty, and remains a terrific location for exploring the music video form.
Image: from "What Is Happening," by LA-based artist-to-watch Toben Seymour.

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