I think this is the first music video I’ve featured on this site, but Kanye West is an exception to a lot norms. I know a lot gets made about the man’s ego, and this might be hard for some to grasp, he’s just being honest with you. That type of confidence and ego is not only necessary but it’s expected when you’re as good as he is. He IS the greatest producer, he IS a great rapper and keeps getting better, and he IS a thoughtful artist who has the ability to show his flaws and strengths at the same time. I’m not trying to be a total fan boy about this, but I think Kanye has become an icon because of this and the conversation is always geared around a love/hate discussion. This video has everything a usual music video does: swagger, exotic locations, and cool cinematography. However what really strikes me is the mise-en-scene of the project, most notably the way the camera pans,beautifully edited into subtle tracking shots. They are almost unnoticeable but they make the video stand out from the rest of the frantically paced videos that are usually made. The video flows from shot to shot and has a sense of movement in the absence of that much actual movement. That is what great filmmaking is about, through technique, telling a story. It is really rather special to see a music video that looks so cool but has more layers underneath the shiny enamel.

Amazing from kwest on Vimeo.