I love these 3 videos. They’ve got a massive amount of style points. I want to watch them all the time. So I got to asking, why? why are these videos so great? why do they have such great style?
They all have a few key elements in common, but they also have a lot that differentiates them from each other. Here’s some of the commonalities:
- Raw. They’re real performances put on by exceptional people. They’re not cut and glamorized official music videos that seem sterile and antiseptic. The raw feel makes the artistic provocations more real, more edgy.
- “Environmental aura.” That phrase popped into my head. It seems to fit. The environment that these performances take place in is just as important as what the actors are actually doing.
- Narrative structure. There’s a story going on.
- Good music with a strong baseline.
To dig into each of these, in order of complexity…..
(i’ve made up these titles for descriptive purposes)
Magic Headphones
The setting appears to be a gas station or a small convenient store. But it could’ve just as well been any place where people are walking around through their day-to-day. The narrative focuses on a pair of headphones left outside, where 3 unknowing individuals discover them, and try them on. The headphones act as the muse of the performance. And it’s funny, this gimmicky device somehow evokes a strong sense of the magic of discovery and serendipity.
I love the people walking in an out of the store. They may have been planted, but it doesn’t matter too much. It’s believable.
Dance of Desolation
It starts with a simple overture of driving through what appears to be a healthy middle america (gas for $2.59!)
Now, I can’t be sure, and I don’t want to sound like a high school literature teacher that reads into things way too much, but when i first watched this, I got the feeling there was something being said about hard economic times. Notice that the car drives into a well lit, bright and clean gas station (gas stations seems to be the place to dance). But then the scene fades to a rundown, dusty, deserted gas station. It’s desolate and lonely.
The music is soft and strong. The performer’s attire is the clothing of a working class, rural male — he’s got the vibe of a hustler.
These elements really resonate well. And the video seems quite impromptu. Almost like the guy had his camera with him, decided to stop at this location, let the film roll, and said “this is how I feel now.”
Notice some of the details: the camera view is slightly off, he’s fairly far away which brings out the environment, and the car door is on the screen. I consider these enhancements to the raw, real life feel.
I don’t know if it was by design, and I almost hope it wasn’t, but I think this video is artistic brilliance.
Sinister Showdown
I find this one mind blowing.
Really in your face. Sinister. Cocky. Mischievous.
The setting is some sort of ornate hall with columns and chandeliers — something I saw in a history book. The performers are wearing clown masks, somewhat like they used to wear in old plays long ago. This causes the performers to seem anachronistic, ahead of their time, and a bit alien. Like they came from some other dimension where people are brash and dance really well.
The actors are a bit threatening. Almost like they wouldn’t be afraid to rob you, but that’s probably because they remind me of the Joker’s thugs.
Enjoy.
-Kevin
9.24.2011
