Music videos have become part and parcel of the entire music package. Release a single, release a video, make it a spectacle. It’s how it works. SA music videos have a history of being – to say the least – pretty lame. There are a few which stand out for me, and as I sit here typing, I cannot think of one that I can say is memorable.

The ten MK Music Video Project (MVP) is about to change all that. Last week, bands, videos and vodka slush puppies came together to change the face of the South African music video scene.

Recognising a need to invest in the South African music and production industry, MK recently commissioned 10 local music videos. Out of 196 pitches, 10 artists and production companies were selected by the MK panel. Each pitch was awarded R55 000 to produce a creative music video and behind the scenes footage for one of the bands’ as yet to be filmed tracks.

Of the top ten, I found four to be outstanding, though all ten did something special for the standard of music videos. No longer the live band type of video, these ten videos are equivalent to South African music as Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing was to MTV.

Kiss and Tell by The Cavalier submitted by Tough Sunday Productions was fun with the whole teenage boy and x-ray glasses and all. I wish it wasn’t such a tits and arse show, but the concept was there.

Will Mono ft. Jax Panik with Ken My Nie submitted by Foml Films was also fun, and I enjoyed it for what it was, but also lacked that spark, and got tiring and predictable after a while.

The only non-rock entry, MC, Earl & Algemi’s Dakskroef submitted by Blixem Productions was your typical rap-and-bling video, with bright lights, half naked dancing girls and a flashy car. I don’t like this kind of thing but it definitely will up the standard of these types of videos in South Africa. I’m not that fazed.

Steering Ships by 4am, submitted by Unleashed had a cool concept and although it could have been pulled off better, the video has a certain something to it, even though the song didn’t.

Then came out the big guns. Thieve ft. Die Heuwels Fantasties with Way To Go submitted by The African Attachment was an awesome concept and was very, very well executed. It’s a shame this video was up against the others and didn’t quite hit the mark. I put this up there with early 00s house videos I used to pretend to study to in Matric.

Jack Parow’s Tussen Stasies video submitted by Ten10 Films was a good concept, but the narrative was not all that clear. I liked seeing the more serious side to Parow, who makes me laugh but has yet to impress me.

Foto na Dans’ Die Vloed submitted by Admit One Productions, was a bit of a letdown. This band is as epic as Coldplay and as cool as Razorlight. The idea behind the narrative about ‘love at first fight’ is real but was depicted…too literally.

My top three, steering well clear of the others were CrashCarBurn’s Long Live Tonight submitted by 7Films, which I equate with the awesomeness of The Bloodhound Gang’s The Roof is on Fire. Not just because of the awesome old people, but because it’s a video that suits the song, and paints a picture while being excellently filmed and carried out. Maybe it’s just because I love CCB. Forgive the bias.

Second on my list was Winterstasie’s, Los My submitted by The Magic Factory. Filmed at Old Park Station, the story of a young ginger kid getting superpowers from genetically modified milk is just SO cool. Having been filmed with a Phantom camera, it was nothing short of sterling. However, the follow-through was weak and for god’s sake if you’re gonna have a dog in the video, have a trained one who obeys commands. And that was possibly the scariest kid I have seen in years, including the kid from The Grudge.

Number one for me was Bring Me Love by Heroes Wear Red, submitted by Mannequin Pictures. Also filmed in Old Park Station, the story is about two gifted kids who led separate lives surviving in a post-apocalyptic world where love is seldom come by.

The video narrates their first encounter with each other, discovering the powers inside them that love has unleashed and experiencing the feelings of love for the first time against the backdrop of devastation. It gave me goosebumps. As for the music, the song is not the band’s usual style and certainly not their best but will make for damn good viewing and listening all in one fell swoop.

Tim Kroon of Heroes Wear Red says the standard of videos isn’t lacking in South Africa. “I think the MVP project is proof that we are not only capable of competing, but we can set the standard is some cases… [we need to] keep investing in our artists, directors and production companies. Wherever there is money, there is progress.”

As much as the industry is progressing, Kroon also notes that there are difficulties in being in the music industry here. “We work in a very small industry. And people struggle to work together in confined spaces, so I guess this can work against us. But overall I think we’re in a good place and if the past 5 years are anything to go by, we are definitely on the right track.”

Victor Edward Eckard, head of content at MK says: “MVP was created to expose the wealth of talent that the South African music industry has to offer…”

“We hope to grow this project and if the quality of the videos we received is anything to go by, we can look forward to some interesting and powerful collaborations and of course, exceptional content in 2011.”