Elton John Invites Young Filmmakers To Make Videos For 70s Hits - Noise11.com
Elton John by Ros O'Gorman

Elton John by Ros O'Gorman

Elton John Invites Young Filmmakers To Make Videos For 70s Hits

by Music-News.com on December 13, 2016

in News

Elton John has launched a competition for young filmmakers, asking them to make official videos for three of his hits.

Sir Elton wants creative young film enthusiasts to make videos for his songs Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, and Bennie and the Jets, all of which were released in the early 1970s before promotional clips accompanied tracks.

Elton has launched the competition in partnership with YouTube and alongside longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, 66, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their partnership.

“In 2017 Bernie and I will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of our songwriting partnership,” he said in a video posted to YouTube. “So together with YouTube we’re giving you and undiscovered filmmakers from around the world the chance to create the official music videos for Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, and Bennie and the Jets.”

Bernie and Elton will be joined by a panel of music and film industry judges to select three winners and fund professionally made versions of their music video ideas. Winners will also receive $10,000 (£7,900) to support their future as filmmakers.

“We’re excited to see creative ideas that push boundaries, tell compelling stories and give viewers something they have never seen before,” Elton added.

Elton and Bernie have stipulated that each video has a theme to its content, with the Rocket Man video having to feature animation, Tiny Dancer a live action piece and Bennie and the Jets choreographed dancing.

Elton’s partnership with Bernie began in 1967 when both men answered an advert placed by record company boss Ray Williams in Britain’s NME magazine.

music-news.com

Related Posts

Russell Morris at Hamer Hall Melbourne 27 August 2025 photo by Winston Robinson
Russell Morris The Farewell Tour Is A Treasure Trove Of Hits and Rarities

Russell Morris was almost apologetic when he stepped onto the Hamer Hall stage in Melbourne for the first night of The Farewell Tour on Wednesday (27 August 2025). He admitted to his fans that a 60-year career can look confusing from the outside. The truth is, Morris was never one to sit still.

14 hours ago
Steve Martin and Alison Browne photo from Compass Records
Steve Martin and Alison Brown Unite for Safe, Sensible and Sane Out October 17

Steve Martin has spent decades balancing comedy, acting, writing and music, but his love for the banjo has always been more than a hobby. On October 17, Martin will join forces with banjo trailblazer Alison Brown for their new collaborative album Safe, Sensible and Sane, a star-studded roots music project set to be one of the year’s most intriguing releases.

3 days ago
Tom Waits supplied by Anti
Tom Waits To Reissue 1975 Classic Nighthawks at the Diner For 50th Anniversary

Tom Waits’ Nighthawks at the Diner is being reissued for its 50th anniversary on October 24, with ANTI- Records pressing the landmark album onto three limited-edition yellow vinyl variants. More than just a re-release, this marks a celebration of one of the most unusual and defining recordings of Waits’ early career.

3 days ago
Queen autographed A Night At The Opera
Why Queen’s Quietest Member John Deacon Chose to Become a Recluse Until This Rare Return

For fans of Queen, John Deacon has long been the enigma of the band, a brilliant musician, masterful songwriter, and humble presence behind the scenes. Since the early 1990s, Deacon has shunned the spotlight, retiring quietly after Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991. But now, years later, he has quietly resurfaced, lending his signature alongside bandmates Roger Taylor and Brian May on a charity auction item, signalling, perhaps, that even the most private of souls can still make their mark in unexpected ways.

4 days ago
Patti Smith Horses 50th Anniversary
Patti Smith ‘Horses’ Gets 50th Anniversary Reissue With Unearthed Demos and Live Cuts

In 1975, Patti Smith entered Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York City with a vision: to fuse the jagged energy of punk with the fluid imagery of poetry. That vision became Horses, one of the most groundbreaking debut albums in rock history. Now, half a century later, Sony has announced the 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition of Horses, a release that both celebrates the legacy of the record and offers fans newly unearthed material from Smith’s early years.

4 days ago
Bruce Springsteen Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run Album Turns 50

On 25 August 1975, Bruce Springsteen released Born To Run, the album that transformed him from a New Jersey barroom songwriter into one of the most important voices in rock history. Fifty years later, the record still stands as a landmark, both for its ambitious sound and for the way it defined Springsteen’s career.

4 days ago
Lionel Richie Rod Laver Arena on Sunday 8 April 2017. Photo by Ros O'Gorman
Lionel Richie’s Beverly Hills Home Becomes A Crime Scene

Lionel Richie found himself at the centre of a crime scene last Friday morning when his Beverly Hills mansion was the target of an attempted burglary.

5 days ago