"cry" was promoted by a music video, or "short film," as jackson would refer to it. the video was directed by photographer nick brandt, who had previously directed "earth song" (1995), "childhood" (1995) and "stranger in moscow" (1996), all of which were featured on jackson's "" album. the video was filmed in six different locations, all were filmed in california. people featured in the video included members of a real life gospel group. the video begins with dozens of people of different ages, ethnicities and races holding hands. long lines of people were stretched over mountains, across highways, in a forest and on the beach. everyone stands in silence for a majority of the video. following the bridge, everyone begins singing the chorus. towards the final chorus, the group collectively clap their hands along with the song, taking hands once more as the song ends.