The truth about the Gimme More video

[OneTrackMind]

Where did this whole "funeral" theory come from? I remember it was supposed to be Britney (brunette) killing another Britney (blonde) as if "the old innocent Britney" was mur***ed by the new (or orginal ;)) Britney.  Her sitting on the bed was supposed to show us that's she's watching the news which said that Britney was dead. Which would make far more sense than the "britney and her girls are having fun at a bar and woops now she's on the bed with a cat". 

Was it just some fan fiction? Or was there actually some storyline with "Gimme More"? I liked the whole "Death/Rebirth" imagery, it fit with the narrative that the old Britney was gone.

 

[descg]

52 minutes ago, OneTrackMind said:

Where did this whole "funeral" theory come from? I remember it was supposed to be Britney (brunette) killing another Britney (blonde) as if "the old innocent Britney" was mur***ed by the new (or orginal ;)) Britney.  Her sitting on the bed was supposed to show us that's she's watching the news which said that Britney was dead. Which would make far more sense than the "britney and her girls are having fun at a bar and woops now she's on the bed with a cat". 

Was it just some fan fiction? Or was there actually some storyline with "Gimme More"? I liked the whole "Death/Rebirth" imagery, it fit with the narrative that the old Britney was gone.

 

Because that hat is typical of funerals (and with the black dress it seems (not really to me) a funeral look but it is also typical in (rich) cocktail parties. The first people who saw the photos of that look (journalists or bloggers or some fan of a forum) they would say it's a funeral and that's where the rumor would start.

These three looks are called cocktail look when you see the photo. In wikipedia also

Cocktail hat - Wikipedia

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

And also people going to funerals:

Or maybe she put it on because she liked it or maybe because the gel extensions she had were very obvious:

They put tape type of extensions above to make it look better

You can see here

this type ones

And the rumor "Britney (brunette) killing another Britney (blonde)" was that, a rumor. At that era of the pop music and the forums it was all rumors, now if you don't see it you don't believe it. 

[OneTrackMind]

22 hours ago, descg said:

Spoiler

Because that hat is typical of funerals (and with the black dress it seems (not really to me) a funeral look but it is also typical in (rich) cocktail parties. The first people who saw the photos of that look (journalists or bloggers or some fan of a forum) they would say it's a funeral and that's where the rumor would start.

These three looks are called cocktail look when you see the photo. In wikipedia also

Cocktail hat - Wikipedia

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

And also people going to funerals:

Or maybe she put it on because she liked it or maybe because the gel extensions she had were very obvious:

They put tape type of extensions above to make it look better

You can see here

this type ones

And the rumor "Britney (brunette) killing another Britney (blonde)" was that, a rumor. At that era of the pop music and the forums it was all rumors, now if you don't see it you don't believe it. 

 

So if she wore a different hat, no one would have thought that the mv is supposed to be completely different? Oh man... this is why I wished she had talked way about her career in her book just to clear many things up. 

[NJ jeans]

In fact, according to the director, it was the record label that asked him to re-shoot the video because the first day of filming was a mess, but the second day was also chaotic. At that time, Britney was in charge of the video idea and concept, with the record label only approving. The funeral scene never existed; it was all fan fiction created by fans after seeing her in a black outfit on the street. The entire concept of the video was simply Britney portraying a stri**er, inspired by one of her wild nights when she visited a strip club in New York and was so fascinated that she even asked to borrow their costumes to try them on.

[Gypsy Woman]

On 7/23/2024 at 3:05 AM, descg said:

I don't remember read that she says that in the book or also I haven't even read it anywhere. She says that "the video looks like that" having fun with friends, but not that there was not plot.

“I quit doing business the way I always had before. I started doing videos on the street myself. I would go into bars with a friend, and the friend would just bring a camera, and that’s how we shot ‘Gimme More.’”

Seems to me like it was just a spur of the moment, let's just shoot in this bar with a simple concept but not put much thought into it. 

[Alio]

Very intersting thread. I will always love when we talk about the mysteries throughout her career.

Am I the only one who loves when we FINALLY talk about her carreer instead of her private life ? 

 

Anyway thank you for all the research, Gimme more remains one of the most fascinating moments in terms of mysteries.

[Alio]

Also there was this article from that website Gigwise.com (not sure if what they say is true though) :

 

 

It's well known that Britney had a traumatic time during 2007, from shaving her head to public meltdowns - so it was a surprise for everyone when she released the video for her single 'Gimme More', and looked nothing short of amazing in it.

It turns out that we have make-up artist Mikal Sky to thank for that, and Britney didn't exactly make it easy for her.

Sky spoke to the website Money Making Makeup Artist about working with Britney, revealing the the singer actually tried to sabotage the entire shoot, completely ignoring any input from the director.

Sky said: "One of the defining moments of my career was working with Britney. I was her personal MUA for the Gimme More music video and a couple of photo shoots. She had just shaved her head and was getting a nothing but bad press.

"She sabotaged the director by refusing to perform and follow the script. So, what we got was her dancing on a stri**er pole with her friends."

However, it wasn't all bad - Sky went on to add: "It was an honest and playful performance during a very rough time and I am proud of how gorgeous she was."

As well as Britney herself, Sky also worked with Lady Gaga herself, taking care of the singer's makeup for both the video for 'LoveGame' and for 'Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)'.

"I have had the great pleasure of working with Sharon Gault since 2007. She has opened a lot of doors for me," Sky explained. "I have gotten to work on David LaChapelle and Lady Gaga sets with her."

 

 

 

Now the article talks about the rumoured plot, they got it from a so called Skadoll Tumblr blog and when you check where this Tumbler bog got the info from.......................well............from a thread on....Exhale !  

So anyway that's what Exhalers thought the plot was back in the day : 

 

"It's gloomy .. and everyone is looking down, except Britney who's looking around through her veil at the people …She then looks into the camera and says “Its Britney *****” ..She slowly starts to move away from the crowd .. hoping no one sees her, but makes eye contact with a guy in the funeral

…She starts moving a little faster, hiding even a little .. and he starts to follow her … she jumps into her car drives off .. she parks somewhat illegally on a curb .. and begins walking down and then opens a deserted door.

The door open into a dark club ..

She starts walking down a hallway and there are people kissing and dancing on both sides .. and then the camera zooms to one side where there is a Britney dancing on a pole.

The funeral Britney who has now changed into another dark outfit continues her walk down the hallway, then stops and looks around ..Then we see in the distance another white and red dressed brighter Britney dancing with dancers on a stage .. which is the main dance scene …Then the Britney walking through the hallways gets pushed into the wall by the guy who was at the funeral … but when he turns the girl around its not Britney … and now that Britney is lost among dancers in the crowded club … she starts to move through them … while the other Britney is on the stage dancing with the dancers …

Suddenly the on stage Britney is kidnapped and ends up in a dark room with bad pipes and leaking water .. She's tied to a chair with her arms behind her back while girl -who we only see from the back but is assumed to be another Britney- is roughing her up , slapping her.. just being violent .. to the point where eventually we think Britney dies …

We then flash back to the funeral … and somehow we realize there no one in the coffin .. and we're left with the man ..

Going back through all the steps he realizes that the girl on the pole wasn't Britney …The girl rouging up Britney wasnt Britney …And then the man seems lost …The camera zooms out out of Britneys eye while she blinks, throws off her funeral hat onto a bed … and the video fades out"

Of course back in the day Exhalers didn't know about the ultimate guest in the video : the cat ! 

[Princessmimi]

On 7/22/2024 at 5:33 AM, Wendy Williams said:

Wtf? 

She just have bad video taste, i love this video  

The fact that she says this is her worst video when Make Me, Perfume and Pretty Girls exist l

[justin4britney]

Honestly, she could’ve wrote an entire book on Blackout. That would be amazing. 

[Princessmimi]

1 hour ago, justin4britney said:

Honestly, she could’ve wrote an entire book on Blackout. That would be amazing. 

Agree!

Imagine if she wrote a book for every single album era, that would be great 

[Jup1ter]

On 7/22/2024 at 10:29 AM, MissDebbie said:

Yes. I'm talking about her walking down the streets with the funeral look. I don't know, I think it could have been more interesting to have them in. We got some leaks, but a proper editing could have been great.

 

is this amy lee? lol

 

AND so crazy tthat I was here already, 17 years passed by IM EMBARASSED

[Jup1ter]

This video is so bad I remember how shcoking ti was ruining her videography

but it turns out iconic and I LOVE IT

[descg]

https://exhale.breatheheavy.com/forums/topic/729955-photographer-on-set-of-britney's-"gimme-more"-music-video-recalls-the-mysterious-shoot/

"But what about that infamous funeral concept? The scene where Britney was burying her former self would emerge a new woman. "I kept hearing that on my Instagram. I never really knew, or was privy to, a funeral scene," he admits. "Nobody told me about it or talked about it. The scene I posted of her on the bed with the cat — that was one of, like, three or four scenes. I didn’t know what was going in or what got cut.""

 

[A.a.A]

15 hours ago, Princessmimi said:

The fact that she says this is her worst video when Make Me, Perfume and Pretty Girls exist l

Except she loves pretty girls, the whole concept, execution was all her. She actually gaf about that one, which is hilarious and cute. Even though the video is cheesy, she actually looks good in most scenes 

[BritneyWiki]

IMO Britney's book didn't mention very many specific career moments, so unless she puts out another book, don't expect any answers on this. Plus the real story is probably very unflattering to Britney. She was refusing to do what the label wanted her to do at the time, and maybe she's not proud of the video? 

[Gaydar]

I never believed the entire funeral and fighting herself plotline but obviously more scenes were filmed that we never got.

Even beyond the leaked/alternative cut there were other outfits and set ups, even within the strip club.

I don't think there was ever much of a plot to the video, but it's odd scenes were scrapped making the final video so repetitive. 

[Princessmimi]

2 hours ago, A.a.A said:

Except she loves pretty girls, the whole concept, execution was all her. She actually gaf about that one, which is hilarious and cute. Even though the video is cheesy, she actually looks good in most scenes 

Hm true.

I would say that video out of the 3 I mentioned is the only watchable one.

The only reason I mentioned it is because it doesn't compare to her old videos in her prime.

[knee Queen of pop]

On 7/24/2024 at 1:06 PM, Alio said:

Also there was this article from that website Gigwise.com (not sure if what they say is true though) :

 

 

It's well known that Britney had a traumatic time during 2007, from shaving her head to public meltdowns - so it was a surprise for everyone when she released the video for her single 'Gimme More', and looked nothing short of amazing in it.

It turns out that we have make-up artist Mikal Sky to thank for that, and Britney didn't exactly make it easy for her.

Sky spoke to the website Money Making Makeup Artist about working with Britney, revealing the the singer actually tried to sabotage the entire shoot, completely ignoring any input from the director.

Sky said: "One of the defining moments of my career was working with Britney. I was her personal MUA for the Gimme More music video and a couple of photo shoots. She had just shaved her head and was getting a nothing but bad press.

"She sabotaged the director by refusing to perform and follow the script. So, what we got was her dancing on a stri**er pole with her friends."

However, it wasn't all bad - Sky went on to add: "It was an honest and playful performance during a very rough time and I am proud of how gorgeous she was."

As well as Britney herself, Sky also worked with Lady Gaga herself, taking care of the singer's makeup for both the video for 'LoveGame' and for 'Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)'.

"I have had the great pleasure of working with Sharon Gault since 2007. She has opened a lot of doors for me," Sky explained. "I have gotten to work on David LaChapelle and Lady Gaga sets with her."

 

 

 

Now the article talks about the rumoured plot, they got it from a so called Skadoll Tumblr blog and when you check where this Tumbler bog got the info from.......................well............from a thread on....Exhale !  

So anyway that's what Exhalers thought the plot was back in the day : 

 

"It's gloomy .. and everyone is looking down, except Britney who's looking around through her veil at the people …She then looks into the camera and says “Its Britney *****” ..She slowly starts to move away from the crowd .. hoping no one sees her, but makes eye contact with a guy in the funeral

…She starts moving a little faster, hiding even a little .. and he starts to follow her … she jumps into her car drives off .. she parks somewhat illegally on a curb .. and begins walking down and then opens a deserted door.

The door open into a dark club ..

She starts walking down a hallway and there are people kissing and dancing on both sides .. and then the camera zooms to one side where there is a Britney dancing on a pole.

The funeral Britney who has now changed into another dark outfit continues her walk down the hallway, then stops and looks around ..Then we see in the distance another white and red dressed brighter Britney dancing with dancers on a stage .. which is the main dance scene …Then the Britney walking through the hallways gets pushed into the wall by the guy who was at the funeral … but when he turns the girl around its not Britney … and now that Britney is lost among dancers in the crowded club … she starts to move through them … while the other Britney is on the stage dancing with the dancers …

Suddenly the on stage Britney is kidnapped and ends up in a dark room with bad pipes and leaking water .. She's tied to a chair with her arms behind her back while girl -who we only see from the back but is assumed to be another Britney- is roughing her up , slapping her.. just being violent .. to the point where eventually we think Britney dies …

We then flash back to the funeral … and somehow we realize there no one in the coffin .. and we're left with the man ..

Going back through all the steps he realizes that the girl on the pole wasn't Britney …The girl rouging up Britney wasnt Britney …And then the man seems lost …The camera zooms out out of Britneys eye while she blinks, throws off her funeral hat onto a bed … and the video fades out"

Of course back in the day Exhalers didn't know about the ultimate guest in the video : the cat ! 

I think what happened was the video was originally supposed to have a different concept (which we’ll probably never know of) but Britney wanted to rebel and do things her way, which is probably what she meant when she said “I started doing videos on the street myself”. She purposefully ignored what her record label wanted her to do and did something fun. The scene with the funeral veil was probably a leftover from the original idea for the video, but since that was all that they filmed pertaining to that concept they decided to leave it out of the final version because it didn’t make sense with everything else that was filmed.

[PrinceAli89]

I don’t find the “Gimme More” video as mysterious as people make it out to be. It was just a chaotic time in her life/career as we all know. I doubt there was any sort of concept to it or if there was Britney didn’t follow it and did her own thing. Which is a pretty punk rock move of her to do, similar to the M&M’s tour.

The most funeral footage we have is in the leaked Director’s Cut version, but even that one doesn’t seem to have any sort of clear concept or storyline. 
 

 

[YellowPaperSun]

On 7/25/2024 at 4:11 AM, Princessmimi said:

The fact that she says this is her worst video when Make Me, Perfume and Pretty Girls exist l

Not the Pretty Girls slander?