Brandon just completed editing a series of promotional spots for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards that celebrate the show’s return to New York City. The videos pay homage to the theatrical classic musical West Side Story, featuring show host Russell Brand and VMA-nominated musicians performing a recreation of the signature tune Tonight throughout a series of original Manhattan sets.

The spots were produced individually and then edited together as one fully-mixed anthem. Each have a distinct look and feature some of the biggest names in the music business belting out a hope-filled tune in anticipation of the night ahead. Ne-Yo, in classic Michael Jackson-style attire dances his way through a graffiti-laced junkyard. Swanky Katy Perry hustles up an attitude in a rooftop garden. Glamorous Taylor Swift sings in the rain out of the open window of a taxi. Cobra Starship slams through the Subway in a musical parade while Leighton Meester sings on the steps. And a cane-swinging Russell Brand sings about the awaiting night’s events through the city’s gritty backstreets. Each of the bits uses the network’s iconic spaceman statuettes, a hallmark of the VMAs since their inception.

Client: MTV
Spot Air Date: August 2009
Agency: MTV
Director: Seyi Peter-Thomas
Producer: Kris Walter
Visual Effects: Click 3X