A simple use of the light-bending properties of a glass of beer from Magico Nakamura is only a slightly foamy taste of the genius she’s been involved with in the recent past:

Click here to view the embedded video.

This brilliant fan-made hypercubist work is a phenomenal example of the way in which choreography and graphic concepts can collide using analog methods.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Two versions of a video for the song This Lamb Sells Condos and then a making-of video/music video set to the Arctic Circle showcase a nice combination of live action with overhead transparency and shadow puppets. Admirably choreographed single takes encompass all the various elements aided by focal adjustments. Thanks for the tip from Zeesy Powers, the female performer in the videos.

A nice combination of slides and digital postproduction give this a vaguely 60s feel, reminiscent of The Thomas Crown Affair’s split-screen collages, while also functioning as a rebus for the lyrics.

A quirky lo-fi mix of highschool portrait-style photos intermingled with analog typographic signs bearing lyrics and “navigation” lend this video a funny moment of 90s nostalgia. Thanks to Natalie for the tip. And yes, there’s a bit of stop motion thrown in there as well.

Although you might be inclined to think this technique was achieved with lighting and keying in postproduction, the Berlin-based Pretty Monkey Studio clarify:

We shaved three monkeys and tricked them into believing they are human, dressed them in spandex catsuits and gave them hats. Put them in a room with a bicycle, super-glue, a selection of musical instruments and some other thingamajigs and asked them to make a video for Jamie Cullum’s new track “wheels”. Despite the rumours, we most definitely DO NOT get our monkeys high on hallucinogenic drugs.

All jokes aside, the work is beautiful in its minmal approach. Check especially the laying down of pieces of fabric to simulate the “shadow” of the “window”. And as is often the case with some of the best analog technique, the creators can’t resist a peek behind the scenes in the final seconds of the video.

A brilliant use of pop-up book puppetry directed by Price James to create a humorous and unusual effect for a music video. The white-gloved hands are a nice touch. Thanks to Maria Hennig and Jonas Weissbrodt for recommending this video.

With its gorgeous closeups of unidentifiable analog technology malfunctioning combined with synchronized edits of fingers flicking switches and pushing buttons, this video creates a dark and compelling retro-future aesthetic. The futurism is pushed further by the parallel storyline of a female android who is ostensibly being assembled or programmed by all the retro junk. Particularly tasty are the shots which reveal the individual pixels of a computer screen as it displays the song’s lyrics (annunciated by a computer running MacinTalk). Complete with a surprise ending that even Max Ernst would like.

Oh, and check out Air’s website for a higher quality version of the video.

This beautifully gestural video from Berlin’s Pfadfinderei for the Moderat project makes delicate use of the human body obscured by generous amounts of supple fabric to create haunting and elegant motion.