Fatboy Slim — 'Praise You' Music Video, Westwood, Los Angeles

The music video for Fatboy Slim's 'Praise You' (1999) was filmed guerrilla-style outside a movie theatre on Broxton Avenue in Westwood, Los Angeles. Directed by Spike Jonze (credited under his dance pseudonym Richard Koufey), the video depicts a fictional community dance troupe performing an awkward, enthusiastic routine in front of bewildered real moviegoers. Jonze himself appears as the troupe's earnest leader, and the performances of the 'dancers' — deliberately amateurish, joyful, and oblivious to the confused reactions of passersby — are both hilarious and oddly moving.

The video was shot on a handheld camera for virtually no money, and its lo-fi aesthetic was a deliberate contrast to the glossy, high-budget videos that dominated MTV in the late 1990s. Spike Jonze had the crew perform multiple times outside the theatre while hidden cameras captured the reactions of real people. The Westwood location — a busy cinema district near UCLA — provided a steady flow of unsuspecting audience members. The video won three MTV Video Music Awards in 1999, including Best Direction.

The cinema on Broxton Avenue in Westwood (then the Mann Festival Theatre, which has since changed names) continues to operate. The 'Praise You' video is considered a landmark in guerrilla filmmaking and one of the cleverest music videos of its era. Spike Jonze went on to direct Being John Malkovich (1999) and Her (2013).