This Day in Pop: 'Till the World Ends' music video premieres in 2011 (April 05)

[PokemonSpears]

 

Remember when the world ended on December 21st, 2012? Well, Britney gave us a teaser the year prior, when she released the Till the World Ends music video on April 05, 2011. The second video off the Femme Fatale era, was directed by Ray Kay, who would later direct the Twister Dance Remix of the song in 2012, and it was filmed in the basement of a meat plant, in Los Angeles.

During I am the Femme Fatale, we could see a bit of the behind the scenes of the video. Britney described the set as being grimy and gross, and looking "like there was poop everywhere" but it wasn't poop though, just sweat.

She also explained that she likes to watch the playback after filming each scene: "it's just to make sure it's right and that the costume looks right and the dancers are together and we all look in unison. It's an energy and it looks fresh. It has a certain vibe with it and it makes sense."

At some point, she changed her heels for ugg boots, during the scenes where her feet weren't showing, to be more comfortable.

According to an interview Britney did for the VEVO certified ceremony, her goal for Till the World Ends was to do something "mystical and urban and underground". She and Ray Kay came up together with the concept, along with her management, to put all these elements together. Britney also confessed that this was one of her most difficult videos to shoot. The director also explained the day of December 21st came from the Mayan calendar which noted that date as the end of the world, but also noticed they wanted to give a message of hope with the ending of the clip.

 

The apocalyptic video shows Britney, who wears a leather jacket, and her dancers having an underground party as they wait for the world to end. The hot and heavy environment is reminiscent of her I'm Slave 4 U video, released 10 years earlier, as well as the scenes where she's seen in front of an illuminated background, with similar predominant colors.

Throughout the video we see them performing a choreography, while buildings fall down as the entire city collapses above them due to the meteors and earhtquake. In the end, we see Britney now wearing a red bodysuit, getting sprayed with water along with her dancers as the sun rises. Britney then comes out of a manhole smiling, looking at the outcome of the catastrophe from the day before.

 

The following week, on April 14, a different version of the video, ditching the apocalyptic scenes in favor of the choreography, was released as DANCE Till the World Ends.

 

The music video was nominated at the 2011 VMA's for Best Pop Video, which it won, and Best Choreography, which lost to Beyoncé's Run the World. In July 2012, it became Britney's second video to get certified for more than 100 million views on YouTube.

There's also another version of the video for the Culture Shock Remix, exclusive to Apple Music and TIDAL

 

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[NastyT]

One of my favorites! And favorite songs. It’s the “I’m a Slave For You: The Sequel” music video

[MissSpearsSaysSo]

This video came out in like, the middle of my time through US Navy Boot Camp. I was so obsessed with seeing it for the first time.  

At the end of boot camp after you finish your last tests and stuff you’re allowed to use computers and buy snacks and stuff. So I immediately grabbed a computer and got on BreatheHeavy to watch the new video, I heard no news for like 2 months, and was hoping it was really good..     

I didn’t have any headphones or speakers to listen to the audio so my first watch was a half loaded glitchy no sound but half enjoyable moment. I wasn’t able to recognize the 2012 end of the world vibe the video was going with, but I saw she looked good and I liked the dancing.  
 

I was so embarrassed that I had just graduated boot camp and the first thing people saw I me doing was watching a Britney Spears video. . But then I saw some other guy on WOW, so I didn’t feel so Geeky .  

Whatever, her music and story gave me strength and motivation to start a fun little military career moment, and that’s cool.  

[Isla]

The spiritual successor to the Slave video for me. 

[Frankie8]

Great video but the body double drama always pops into my mind. The Slave elements definitely had to be incorporated on purpose and I like they did that because this is like another take on the addicted to the music theme. Also the red outfit at the end makes me think it is like an updated style to the red catsuit.

[Midnight]

Flop fan confession, I have never seen this whole video 

[PokemonSpears]

30 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Flop fan confession, I have never seen this whole video 

[On_Mah_Raydah]

39 minutes ago, Midnight said:

Flop fan confession, I have never seen this whole video 

Neyde is not happy 

[Midnight]

13 minutes ago, PokemonSpears said:

 

3 minutes ago, On_Mah_Raydah said:

Neyde is not happy 

I was just saying the truth 

[britney_rocks]

One of my least favorite Britney videos. She just was so off during the Femme Fatale era, and she looked kind of miserable during this shoot. Plus the whole body double killed the vibe of the video for me. 

[Princessmimi]

Wow I cant believe this video is 10 years old, I remember it coming out.

I honestly think its one of the best videos from Femme Fatale.

Its definitely the sequel to Slave

[DignifiedLove]

One thing I can’t deny about this video were the detailed costumes and production  You can also tell how much work they put into the post-production and editing. The transitions from each scene flow so well and smooth. 

[Lil-Jay]

5 hours ago, britney_rocks said:

One of my least favorite Britney videos. She just was so off during the Femme Fatale era, and she looked kind of miserable during this shoot. Plus the whole body double killed the vibe of the video for me. 

One of my least favorite Britney videos as well, just watching it once a day these days because I want it to reach 200m views fasterit was a big hit and definitely deserves it, STREAM IT BIT*HES!

 

But can someone explain this 'body double' story to me? I don't know about it

 

[PokemonSpears]

2 hours ago, Lil-Jay said:

But can someone explain this 'body double' story to me? I don't know about it

there are some shots of the choreo scenes where there's a stand-in instead of Britney, and it shows even in the final edit.

[SJK]

I was obsessed with this song. One of the best off of Femme Fatale. 

[thebritmaster]

11 hours ago, Midnight said:

Flop fan confession, I have never seen this whole video 

[Adriannn]

I love this music video. I remember a friend of mine all hyped up about saying: “imagine if we were cast as dancers” lol and then did the whoa oh oh oh oh ohhhhh 

[CindyTheTVisLeaking]

If they aren't playing this masterpiece on my funeral, I ain't dying 

[Look But Don't Touch]

Not a big fan of this music video tbh, Britney seems to be so tired and angry, like she didn't want to be there and just something is off with her

[ERIDER]

BEST music video from the BEST song on her BEST album, FIGHT ME *****ES