NME's top 10

1)Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Just because; the moonwalk is still ruddy amazing nearly 30 years after the fact. SHA-MO!
Music Video

2)Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler
Seemingly your typical tits and ass dance video, and then it turns into something much more sinister and thought provoking half way through. 'Sexy Time' gone a bit wonky.
Music Video

3)Lykke Li - Get Some
A bit of 'And God Created...Lykke' as Ms.Li sheds her little girl image and becomes a determined, cave-woman on an angry mission.
Music Video

4)Flaming Lips - Watching The Planets
Lots of hipster nakedness on show, on this before 'Born This Way' take on birthing a new nation. Wayne Coyne sneakily manages to keep his clothes on.
Music Video

 5)Jay-Z - Big Pimpin'
Like the song, the video from renowned hip hop director Hype Williams, is a celebration of excess and a wish fulfilment of Jay-Z's to be the biggest rapper in the game.
Music Video

 6)Blur - Parklife
At the time this felt like a brilliant mix of comic set pieces and social commentary, before they went too 'Lahandan'.
Music Video

7)Radiohead - Street Spirit
 A master-class of moodiness with it's black and white speed varying shots of a cast that includes a shut eyed Thom Yorke, some dancers, a small boy and a dog.
 Music Video

8)Janelle Monae - Cold War
A lesson in economy. The camera stays on a close up of Monae’s face performing the track, channelling the spirit of both Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ clip and D’Angelo’s ‘Untitled’.
Music Video

9)Rage Against The Machine - Sleep Now In The Fire
It caused the New York Stock Exchange to be closed and Rage were taken from the scene by security after they tried to gatecrash the Exchange. Literally 'the Machine' being raged at.
Music Video

10)Madonna - Borderline
She would go on to make much more complex music videos, but this one worked because of the way it captured the spirit of early, downtown Madge. Post-feminist kudos too for spurning her boyfriend for the rich photographer dude.
Music Video

These videos were able to show and provided ideas that influenced our own production. However, as they are mass and we are aiming for an niche audience we have not used a consistent amount of intertextual references.