VMA professional categories: Who will win craft awards for cinematography, choreography and more?

Jaime Rodriguez
·4 min read
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In my opinion, the most interesting categories at the VMAs are not the most publicized ones like Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. Instead, they are the professional categories, voted on not by fans but by music insiders. Indeed, this is where quality generally prevails over popularity. So let’s consider who the winners in these categories will be.

Best Visual Effects

The nominee that might stand out the most in this category is Melanie Martinez’s “Void,” just based on the volume of effects used for worldbuilding. However, last year multiple similar videos lost to Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby,” which used its effects in a more supporting role. So I’ll go with Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” here; it’s subtle, but it’s also using visual effects in an interesting way. Plus, since the effects serve the story, voters might appreciate it more.

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Best Editing

If this award were for the most editing, then Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” should take the cake here. And frankly, it could; Rosalía’s “Saoko,” N.E.R.D and Rihanna’s “Lemon” and Beyoncé’s “7/11” won with some of the most conspicuous editing out of their respective lineups. However, the winners here are typically sophisticated instead of just flashy, so Miley Cyrus’s “River” might be the frontrunner. However, there is a chance that SZA’s “Kill Bill” upsets here due to its switching between split-screen, animation and fight sequences. I’ll bet on Cyrus, with the other two next in line.

Best Art Direction

This is a tough category to predict this year. Winners tend to have colorful sets and props, but there have also been exceptions to that. SZA’s “Shirt” might stand out the most here, especially being in a similar cinematic vein like past winners Saweetie and Doja Cat’s “Best Friend” and Snoop Dogg’s “So Many Pros.” Doja Cat’s “Attention” and Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” are also colorful videos with great production design and color coordination, so either could upset SZA here.

Best Choreography

Megan Thee Stallion’s “Her” features not only great group choreography, but it’s a very creatively shot video in a way that enhances the choreo. Dua Lipa‘s “Dance the Night” might be the runner-up here, especially with how beloved its dance scene in “Barbie” is. However, the VMAs also seemed to dig Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s “Unholy,” nominating it in five categories. I’m going with “Her” here, but there’s a chance for Lipa or Smith/Petras to take it.

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Best Cinematography

This category typically goes to one of the top Video of the Year nominees. Out of the three videos that fit that criteria here, Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers” might be the one to stand out. Its cinematography is a highlight. Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” also has an interesting visual approach, switching between shooting styles. So it’s a toss-up between the two, with “Flowers” having the slight edge; past winners like Harry Styles’s “As It Was” and Beyonce’s “Brown Skin Girl” tend to be on the sleeker side, like “Flowers.”

Best Direction

This award typically goes to a Video of the Year nominee, so Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Megan Thee Stallion might have to sit this one out. Out of Doja Cat’s “Attention,” Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s “Unholy,” Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” and SZA’s “Kill Bill,” the last two might best fit this category’s history of winners. They’re both smash hits, and both videos feature storytelling, something present in a lot of past winners (like Swift’s “All Too Well” and Lil Nas X‘s “Montero”), as well as visually striking elements (like Lamar’s “Humble” and Beyonce’s “Formation”).

Since Swift has won twice here in the past three years, maybe voters will go for “Kill Bill” to switch things up, especially with “Anti-Hero” perhaps not being as acclaimed as “All Too Well” or as socially relevant as “The Man.” So I’ll predict SZA here, although it’s still possible Swift prevails yet again. “Attention” could be a dark horse due to how well shot it is despite its lack of a storyline.

PREDICTthe VMAs until September 12

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