Novemeber Rain is probably one of my favorite music videos of all time, featuring a dress I have wanted ever since i was a little girl and Guns and Roses being one of my favorite bands since i was two years of age.
The video (directed by Andrew "Andy" Morahan) portrays Axl marrying his then-girlfriend , intercut with a live performance in a theatre. Particularly, it can be noted for its large budget (about $1.5 million, including a dress worn by Stephanie Seymour worth $8,000) and stunning cinematography. It is one of the most expensive music videos ever. Lead guitarist Slash is prominently featured in some of the video's most memorable scenes, including an epic sequence of helicopter shots swooping around him as he plays the first guitar solo and a later scene where he plays the third solo while standing on Axl's piano onstage. Casting co-ordinator Mark Roberton observed; "the camera-man had a lot of responsibility, as the crane-cam was so close to Slash, precariously stood atop a piano that was near the stage edge. One wrong twitch and the guitarist would've had a long drop!". The video for "November Rain" uses the full version of the song as opposed to an abridged version. A theatre in downtown Los Angeles was acquired for an evening shoot that went several hours into the night, and, unlike usual common practice, they didn't mime for any of the takes. Between several differing versions of "November Rain", while the cameras on cranes that swooped close to Slash's frets were reviewed and set up for the next shot - the band entertained the 1,500 extras by playing more of their songs.
