Curiosity, animosity, high philosophy...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

This week it's not movies, it's music videos, the best of which can seemingly be like short films, in honor of yesterday's announcement of the VMA nominations. We were assigned to pick our favorite shots from the videos that were nominated for Best Cinematography. Onwards...

"Never Catch Me" by Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar

This was probably my favorite video of the bunch, because I just loved the juxtaposition of the kids' joyful dancing with their funeral. The shot of them sitting up out of their coffins is probably the best shot, but my favorite shot is of a close-up of the girl's dress as she's running out of the church. The camera goes in and out of focus a bit, but in those moments of focus, her bright dress is like a light in the dark.

"Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran

I have to admit, that like most couples who are getting married this year probably, this song has been stuck in my head for awhile. It's super cheesy, but in a heart-on-your-sleeves kind of way and I thought the dance routine was quite beautiful and sexy. So with that said, I went with an equally cheesy favorite shot of the the couple on the floor with a heart spotlight on them.

"Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar

There's been so many things written on Taylor Swift already and the hype around this song (any of her songs really) is usually deafening so I kinda just went with my gut on this one and picked an early shot that highlights my feelings of being hit over the head with Swift. Yes, it's her surrounded by broken glass and her name in huge letters.

"Two Weeks" by FKA Twigs

Who is FKA Twigs, because wow? I went from rolling my eyes on the nearly one-shot video to absolutely being mesmerized by it and the song by the end. She's presented as some goddess queen surrounded by her followers and it's all pretty fierce. My pick for favorite shot is of her feeding one of her followers with water coming from her. It's so surreal and perfect.

"Left Hand Free" by Alt-J

I'm still not exactly sure what this song is about. The video is just as non-descript featuring young people just hanging out, swimming, drinking beer, driving around, etc. My pick for favorite shot is a brief moment in the video of two girls. One of them is coming out of the water while the other is recording her. It's random, but it makes me want to know more about them, their relationship.