Top 5 most expensive music videos
Scream- the space-themed music video is the most expensive till date
1. Scream – Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson
Production cost: $7 million
The space-themed music video is the most expensive till date. $7 million was allocated to produce the video, which was directed by Mark Romanek. Produced in 1995, the set of the video was on board a computer-generated white spaceship. The song was included in Michael Jackson's album History Past, Present and Future, Book I.
2. Die Another Day – Madonna
Production cost: $6.1 million
Madonna recorded an OST for James Bond's 20th film 'Die Another Day'. The accompanying music video for the song had a lot of fight and action scenes. Madonna performed her own stunts, including some fight scenes with herself. To make it more compelling, Madonna underwent fencing training to make her a legit sword fighter for a few moments. The video cost $6.1 million to produce.
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3. Express Yourself" by Madonna
Production cost: $5 million
Taking inspiration from the 1927 classic film Metropolis, the music video was clearly Madonna's way of expressing her thoughts and ideas on several social issues stemming from power and gender. David Fincher (who also directed Fight Club and The Panic Room) led and steered the production crew in the making of this video. His fee alone required a huge sum from the total budget allocation.
4. "Bedtime Story" by Madonna
Production cost: $5 million
The queen of pop, makes her third entry in the list with this classic. Michael Jackson's Scream video director Mark Romanek was also at the helm of this one. While the shooting took only six days, the post production process went on for weeks. The finished product was touted as one of Madonna's most experimental music videos and has been kept by art and music galleries around the world.
5. "Estranged" by Guns N' Roses
Production cost: $5 million
In the early 90's Guns N' Roses was the biggest band in the world. Their marquee music video was shot on a grand and lavish scale. It delved on themes of divorce and separation, and was 10 minutes long. Produced in 1993, the video was highlighted by several "expensive" scenes such as Axl Rose leaping off the deck of an oil tanker and Slash emerging from the bottom of the ocean. Also, the video also showed the band boarding a transport aircraft.
