Sophie Muller is a music video director born in London who gained a Foundation Diploma in Art and Master's in Film & Television. She regularly works with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Blur, Gwen Stefani, and the Eurythmics. Her videos typically feature the artist alone in a dimly lit room and use techniques like silhouettes, clouds, and choreographed dancing. While she works with various genres, her videos for hit songs like "Use Somebody" and "Promise This" prove she directs successful artists. The document analyzes some of her most iconic videos and praises her ability to craft videos specific to each artist without an overbearing personal style

1. Sophie Muller

2. • Born in London where she gained a Foundation
Diploma in Art before Mastering in Film & Television
• Her videos usually involve the singer or band being
inside a dim, isolated room.
• She regularly collaborates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Blur,
Gwen Stefani and the Eurythmics.
• Recently she has worked with Cheryl Cole, Ellie
Goulding and Kings of Leon.
• She doesn’t seem to specialise in any particular area,
her videos are for a wide variety of both
popular/commercial and less known artists. However
videos to hit songs such as “Use Somebody” and
“Promise This” proves that she does generally make
videos for successful artists alongside her regular
collaborators.

3. • Studios are used in her videos which often contain
performances but this can vary between the artists – as
can be evidenced in the Cheryl Cole video to “Promise
This”.
• She makes videos which are specific to each artist
without any overbearing personal style but there are
common elements throughout – such as the artist
being in a dimly lit room.
• I like her work because she has worked with some of
my favourite artists and I particularly like her video to
“Promise This”, because I like the fact it’s filmed in a
studio but doesn’t appear as contrived and also the use
of silhouettes and cloudy backgrounds comes across as
dramatic, suiting the tone of the song. There are many
iconic scenes to the video.

4. Cheryl Cole – Promise This
Dimly lit room, artist is isolated
Clouds used for dramatic effect
and to contrast with the clothing
of the artist.

5. Silhouettes used cleverly and to break up the
pattern of choreographed dancing
Kings of Leon – Use Somebody
Live performance – shows versatility of Muller
as a director and is likely that the artists had a
say in the direction of the video. Also suits the
genre of music and stereotype of a rock video.

6. Beyoncé – Broken Hearted Girl
Close up of artist shows importance placed upon
them to “sell the record”, and is likely to be as a
result of pressure from the record label to sell the
artist along with the song. Black and White is typical
of a love song and R’n’B and allows the focus to be
on the artists emotions and actions rather than the
colour of the environment around them.
Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean – Hips Don’t Lie
Again the artist is isolated with the focus being
placed entirely on them as a performer and as a
person – also typical of Muller’s style with the artist
being isolated, however not in a dark room, rather a
darkened studio with light being placed upon the
artist, as if it was too dark then it wouldn’t comply
with the music and would look out of place.