Runaway (2010 film)
Runaway | |
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Directed by | Kanye West |
Screenplay by | Hype Williams |
Story by | Kanye West |
Produced by | Jonathan Lia |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Kyle Kibbe |
Edited by |
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Music by | Kanye West |
Release date |
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Running time | 35 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Runaway is a 2010 American musical short film directed by Kanye West.[1]
It serves as the music video for a compilation of songs from West's album,
Synopsis
The film opens with Griffin (West) running down a road in a forest with his shirt unbuttoned, with "
An upset Griffin responds with a performance of "
Production
Runaway was filmed in Prague over a period of four days in the summer of 2010.[13] The script was written by Hype Williams, while the story was written by West.[2] Vanessa Beecroft served as the art director with Jonathan Lia producing; also with Creative Consultants Virgil Abloh, Alexandre Moors, and Jason Last. Yemi A.D. was responsible for the choreographical element of the ballet dancers in the Runaway song sequence. West describes the video as an "overall representation of what [he dreams]" and a parallel to his music career.[13][14] Speaking to MTV News, West said he wanted women in his life, including his mother and ex-girlfriends, represented in the video and for them to "connect with the different emotions".[14] According to model Selita Ebanks, who co-stars in the video, the moral is "the world doesn't accept, or they try to change, what is different, instead of trying to understand it".[10]
Kyle Kibbe was the cinematographer, he explained that West was looking to adopt a flexible approach. "Kanye wanted a lot of flexibility in terms of being able to go to these locations and be open to whatever creative impulses took place,". The camera used for filming was the Arri Alexa.[15]
Release
The teaser trailer for the film debuted during the
two days later.Critical response
The music video was praised by Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker, calling it "a carefully modulated art-film made by a man on a mission", noting the usage of dominant colors as well as the imagery in the film.[3] Jozen Cummings of The Wall Street Journal described the video as "a cross between an epic music video and a charming indie-house flick", stating that the greatest achievement of the video was how it "brought West's music to life".[18] Will Dean of The Guardian called the video as a creative promotional tool, praising the video's scope and creativity, noting that it was "ridiculous, ostentatious and egotistical", citing that it fit perfectly into West's aesthetic.[19]
Nicole Jones of MTV Buzzworthy stated that the majority of the video was nonsensical and added up to little coherently, but wrote that regardless of its true meaning, the video was "really pretty to watch, the music is great, and it reminds us once again why there is only one Mr. West.”[20][21] Clair Saddath of Time listed the video amongst the best of all time.[22]
Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has also praised the video for its stunning complexity, adding in "Kanye West is my favorite rapper since i've come into America and Runaway moved me to tears" [23]
Accolades
The video was nominated for Video of the Year at the BET Awards 2011, and West was nominated for Director of the Year.[24]
References
- ^ Concepcion, Mariel (October 7, 2010). "Kanye West Premieres 35-Minute-Long 'Runaway' Video In London". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c Kaufman, Gil (October 7, 2010). "Kanye West Screens 'Runaway' In London". MTV.com. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken (October 23, 2010). "Kanye West and 'Runaway' music film, a review: Arty, sweet, shrewd, sexy. Good music, too". Entertainment Weekly. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- MTV Networks. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ Muhammad, Latifah (October 22, 2010). "Kanye West Looked to Karl Lagerfeld for Film's Inspiration". The Boombox. AOL. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
- ^ MTV Networks. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the originalon October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- MTV Networks. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ MTV Networks. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ a b Barshad, Amos (October 19, 2010). "Vulture Talks to Selita Ebanks, the Star of Kanye's Movie". New York. New York Media Holdings. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "Kanye West Puts His Ego in Check at Rodarte". NY Mag. September 14, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- MTV Networks. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c Concepcion, Mariel (October 7, 2010). "Kanye West Premieres 35-Minute-Long 'Runaway' Video In London". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
- ^ MTV Networks. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "ALEXA shines on Kanye West's 'Runaway'". ARRI. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ "Kanye West". kanyewest.com. September 12, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- MTV Networks. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- News Corporation. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
- ^ Dean, Will(October 25, 2010). Kanye West's Runaway: Purple Rain or bird brains?. The Guardian. Retrieved on November 19, 2010.
- ^ Jones, Nicole (October 25, 2010). "Watch Kanye West's Provocative Short Film, 'Runaway'". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "URB.COM". Urb. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010.
- ^ "The 30 All-Time Best Music Videos". Time. July 28, 2011.
- OCLC 594940530.
- ^ "Video of the Year | BET Awards". BET. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
External links
- Full-length film on YouTube
- Video version on YouTube
- Extended video version on YouTube