Hilary Duff - Fly

What this video is

Released August 10, 2004, as the lead single from Hilary Duff's self-titled third studio album via Hollywood Records, 'Fly' arrived at a key transitional moment in early-2000s teen pop. Written by Kara DioGuardi and produced by John Shanks (who received a 2005 Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical), the track was positioned to capitalize on the success of 'Come Clean' and pivot Duff toward a moodier,…

Why it matters

A textbook example of the mid-2000s teen-pop-to-rock crossover video grammar: the dual-register B&W/color split visually coded vulnerability and power simultaneously. The fast editorial pace (avg 2.19s shot length, 109 scene changes), low brightness, and concert-doc framing aligned Duff with the…

The director

Chris Applebaum (b. 1970, Los Angeles) studied film at Hampshire College, Amherst, MA. He became the youngest director signed to Satellite Films (a Propaganda Films division) at age 21, directing over 250 music videos. He is a multiple MTV VMA…