Our favorite music videos directed by Hollywood filmmakers

Filmmaking isn’t just limited features and TV shows: it’s a major aspect of music videos. While the music video somewhat lost its relevance in the cultural zeitgeist, social media’s ubiquity has given back some cachet to the medium.

But in the music video heyday, some major directors jumped at the chance to work with big name artists. And budding filmmakers used the music video as launching points for their own careers.

So as we gear up for the 885 Countdown of the Greatest Songs from Movies and TV, we’re dropping some of our favorite music videos directed by notable filmmakers.

Fatboy Slim ft. Bootsy Collins — “Weapon Of Choice”
Dir. Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze is a prolific director who got his start making skateboarding videos. He’s worked with dozens of artists on music videos, including Weezer, Beastie Boys, Pavement, Sonic Youth, and too many more to name. Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon Of Choice” is a standout in that it stars Christopher Walken, who in vibing with the song ends up weightlessly floating around a hotel lobby. More like Christopher Flying.

Bruce Springsteen — “Dancing In The Dark”
Dir. Brian De Palma

The video that launched one thousand episodes. Not really, but it did launch Courteney Cox’s career, which included 236 episodes of Friends. In 1984, Brian De Palma—best know for crime thriller films—shot two live Bruce Springsteen performances to serve as the song’s music video. Cox was plucked from (relative) obscurity to play a fan who The Boss pulls onstage with him. Iconic music video moment.

Madonna — “Vogue”
Dir. David Fincher

Before he began working with Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor for his film scores, David Fincher got in on the music video game, directing three Madonna videos: “Express Yourself,” “Oh Father,” and “Vogue.” The video was filmed in just 16 hours due to the singer’s touring schedule, but its impact has lasted decades and brought aspects of queer culture into the public consciousness. Pure camp. Pure Madonna.

The White Stripes — “Fell in Love With a Girl”
Dir. Michael Gondry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michael Gondry’s got tons of music video credits: Beck, Radiohead, Sinéad O’Connor, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and so many more. But the stop-motion Lego video for “Fell In Love With a Girl” from The White Stripes’ third album is maybe the most iconic in his filmography. The band asked Lego about including Jack and Meg sets in the album packaging, but Lego said they “don’t market our product to people over the age of 12.” In 2026, that response is laughable.

Phoebe Bridgers — “Lost Boys”
Dir. Lance Oppenheim and Pablo Rochat

Lance Oppenheim is so hot right now. This year he released his first feature film, Primetime, and the groundbreaking and heavily discussed documentary You Can See Everything, which comedian Nathan Fielder co-directed. He also directed the video for Phoebe Bridgers’ song “Lost Boys,” the title track of her much anticipated and acclaimed 2026 album. Bridgers co-stars in Primetime with Skylar Gisondo, who also appears in the “Lost Boys” video. We’d love to see these three collab more!

Kenny Loggins — “Danger Zone”
Dir. Tony Scott

Top Gun was a massive hit in 1986 and still holds a strong presence in pop culture. And, as with many films from the era, Kenny Loggins was on the soundtrack. But what makes it a bit unique is that Top Gun director Tony Scott also directed the “Danger Zone” music video. We could be wrong, and please correct us if we are, but only one other filmmaker has done this. And that is…

Public Enemy — “Fight The Power”
Dir. Spike Lee

Spike Lee directed both Do The Right Thing and Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power,” which made its debut on the film’s soundtrack before being released on the group’s third album. The video features both real and staged political rally footage, as well as a performance from the group. And this is actually the second version of the song’s video; the first feature scenes from Do The Right Thing. Lee later directed “Revolution” by Arrested Development, which was featured on the soundtrack to Lee’s 1992 film Malcolm X.

Ben Folds — “You Don’t Know Me”
Dir. Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim

Temple grads Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim after finding success with two Adult Swim shows, directed and starred in the video for Ben Folds’ 2008 song “You Don’t Know Me.” It’s the only video Heidecker—who has released some really great music himself—has directed, but Wareheim has directed videos for Charli XCX, Depeche Mode, Phantom Planet, Beach House, and more.

Radiohead — “Karma Police”
Dir. Jonathan Glazer

Before winning the Academy Award for Best International Film (and many other awards) for his harrowing film The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer directed a handful of music videos for artists such as Blur, Jamiroquai, Massive Attack, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and, obviously, Radiohead. “Karma Police” is the standout in his music video catalog, and he also directed the video for Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” in 1996.

Michael Jackson — “Thriller”
Dir. John Landis

John Landis got his start in the comedy world, then moved into horror way before Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger made it cool to do so. He teamed up with Jackson for maybe the most iconic music video of all time: “Thriller.” Like some of Jackson’s other videos, “Thriller” is more like a short film that also includes a music video. The dancing, the zombies, the outfit, and the “twist” at the end all on top of the song being a pop banger make the video truly unforgettable. Landis later directed Jackson’s “Black or White.”