28 Years Ago Today, an Iconic 1998 Music Video Was Shot at the Birthplace of a Genre-Defining Film From 1978

In 1998, the release of Britney Spears’ debut single set in motion a pop revolution ahead of the new millennium. On September 29, 1998, Britney Spears released her debut single “…Baby One More Time”. Ahead of the successful single’s release, Spears shot her first music video on August 7 and August 8, 1998. Video director Nigel Dick, who had previously worked with Guns ‘N’ Roses and Oasis, initially wanted a cartoon approach.

Spears went against this, wanting the video to directly reflect the realities of her fans. She wanted the video shot in a school setting. Thus, they abandoned the cartoon in favor of Spears’ idea. Ultimately, Spears was right, as her vision was an iconic concept that introduced us to a new pop star. Her iconic music video set forth a new bubblegum pop craze.

“…Baby One More Time” became a worldwide No. 1 hit, topping the charts in over 20 countries. With over 10 million copies sold, it remains one of the best-selling singles of all time. In 1999, it was the best-selling single of the year. The song was the first in a set of successful singles by Spears, which propelled her to the forefront of pop in the 2000s. In 2000, Spears received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist due to the single’s success.

OTHER music videos and movies filmed at venice high school

The 1998 music video is set at the same school used to film arguably the most iconic musical movie of all time. Filmed in the summer of 1977 at Venice High School, Grease shares the same school grounds. Venice High School is in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles and remains an active school today. Grease was a massive commercial success in 1978, filmed on a measly $6 million budget and grossed $400 million worldwide. It became the highest-grossing musical film of all time.

Venice High School is a common film location, also used for the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street. Additionally, the school was used in American History X, Matchstick Men, and Heathers. Other music videos filmed at the school include “High School Never Ends” by Bowling For Soup, “Principal’s Office” by Young MC, and “Oath” by Cheryl Lloyd. In 2012, Glee used the high school to re-create scenes of Grease.

Photo by: L. Busacca/Getty Images