I haven’t done a friPod post in what feels like a millenia so there’s been a lot of music I’ve discovered that I haven’t discovered with you. Call me a selfish, greedy hoarder. I know most of you do anyway. But I’m sharing this one because I recently became apart of the Spotify craze and also just discovered SBTRKT… which I’m assuming is to be pronounced “subtract” and they are of the dub-step brand… a genre of music I was introduced to a few months ago but never cared for until I stumbled upon it on my own. Anyway, this song “Wildfire” in particular I had on repeat a few times and I tried imaging what I could use it for let alone what a music video would look like. I couldn’t think of anything, so once I was done thinking about how awesome I was, I decided to Google this artist and I come to find they already have a video for this and I assume is their lead single.
The video in itself is weird and kinda trippy, which it probably why I kinda dig it. Having been dosed with so much editing tricks lately, I can gather an idea of how this video was put together. But rather than spoil the magic, I just let myself sweat along with way this music sounds and how much this cutie is suffering.
Thoughts? I’m still listening to their album on Spotify. It’s pretty good. I mean both Spotify and SBTRKT.
I don’t know what happened but I felt like I missed a couple of days. Once again, I dropped the ball on my Oscar recap which now seems pointless to talk about other than correctly predicting 14 out of 24 winners. My prediction post left out the short films but I made educated guesses before the telecast and scored a bunch of “points.” I also had my first ever Oscar party with only a couple friends. I also tried to stay on Twitter as much as possible and remain a good host. At least now I know it can be done and where I can make improvements.
The following morning I was reminded about Lady Gaga’s new video premiere “Born This Way” but after viewing it, I didn’t have time to write up my snap judgement due to a meeting about school financing and official enrollment. But even after I got back, I ended up speaking with close friends who are also Little Monsters and both had contrasting views on the song itself but hadn’t seen the video. I find myself in the middle, yet we all agree that it sounds just like Madonna.
As for my thoughts on the video? Typical Gaga I suppose. It was weird and got weirder. There was a story but I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on. I did declare her as taking Michael Jackson’s place when it comes to music videos… but I don’t wanna jump the gun on that since Kanye is still rewriting visual music too. The message is clear and I can definitely hear this being played while drag queens do their thing and it fills the space on gay night at the club. Yeah, I was there once. Not necessarily a highlight of my life but it was an experience. I’m not a fan of clubs at all to be honest. But back to the song, it’s an anthem to be who you are or what you are. I’m all for self empowerment or encouraging songs. I think the only thing, like many others I talked to, it just sounds too much like a song I’ve already heard. But I’ll take it as it is, and I have a feeling the other songs on the album I may like more than this one. I did like the “once upon a time” mythology storyline it started out with. I just wasn’t sure where it was going afterwards.
Besides those events I meant to write about, I had to get all my paperwork together: applying for a scholarship, applying for loans, taxes and unemployment. A lot of the paperwork all needed similar things I couldn’t find like past school loan info and car loan info… then my bank’s website wouldn’t work. Oh yeah, I also had to get some articles done for Patch… but that’s another story for another day even though it’s been related for the past few days. To cap off that story for now: I got my first decline for an interview. In the guy’s defense, he must be really humble.
Added on to the dog pile of work I’ve cut out for myself and a deadline for all of it by Friday, I get attacked with some sort of a cold. My dad had been sick for the past few days so maybe I caught the bug. But if I can’t sleep, what’s the point of staying in bed? So I got up and did what I needed to do which included stopping by my grandmother’s house to deliver a shovel she no longer required. But at least that gave me the chance to stop by Dunkin Donuts to finally try that Big n Tasty sandwich. It was indoob quite tasty. I could make it at home though.
My mom is all about me getting rest, and I would have been doing that but thanks to me being so proactive this morning, I’ve been getting non-stop calls all afternoon. I’m not complaining. The calls were quite welcoming. It was just the dramatic shock of being snapped back into reality and then composing yourself to answer the phone and not sound like I just came back from the dentist. Or perhaps that’s just the effects of the drugs? Or maybe my body just badly needing, no, craving the rest it needs in order to recover from whatever ailment is tormenting my body? Either way, I should take it as a sign and throw up the white flag for the day because I’m not enjoying sneezing so hard that I fart. I don’t foresee getting much more accomplishments done today other than sleeping more than 10 minutes. At least my throat no longer feels like I has swallowed a few Brillo pads.
Plus I’m out of DayQuil. And orange juice. Both are vital to my speedy recovery. Oh, and sleep, of course. (NyQuil is always on stock.)
I loved this song the first time I heard it, which happened to be during Kanye’s Runaway short film. Those who follow music much more closely than I do have known about the awesomeness of “All of the Lights” before the rest of the world did thanks to leaks and the like. But I spoke more specifically about the song when I reviewed the album. So as a recap of what I already said: the song it absolutely awesome and if there’s the off-chance I’m rummaging through radio stations and I hear it, I’ll stop to listen to it. It’s one of those songs I’ll listen to in my car, and if I’m a block away from my house, I’ll keep driving until it’s over.
So, like many other songs I love, I tend to either wish or envision a music video. I didn’t exactly have in mind what Kanye did with this song, but I still approve. I’m just glad there’s even a video for this at all. I feel these are one of those songs that’s more about the music than celebrating the celebrity making it. Making music for musician’s sake, if you will. I also feel this is a song that can’t quite be limited to “hip hop” or “rap” because of the way it sounds. All of this is my opinion by the way. But enough of my jibber jabber, let’s watch the video! I guess there is a minor caution to those that may easily suffer from epileptic seizures…
I wasn’t expecting to see all artists involved that contributed to this song, but that would’ve been awesome. I was glad to see their names in shiny blinking lights by the end. I already know Rihanna’s wardrobe might be subject to discussion. As a guy, I’m fine with it. I recently read something somewhere about putting a stop to this “suspenders look” that seems to be trending at award shows and photo shoots. And I may not be a huge fan of her music, but she is nice to look at. Kid Cudi continues the trend of being filmed from behind. And of course there’s Mr. West doing his thing and on top of a police car with all it’s lights… as the song suggests.
I will state that I didn’t need Wikipedia to tell me what inspired this video. (I did use it to keep track if the video had been released, but I first found out via Twitter.) I’ve been aware of this movie Enter the Void for a few months and I have a mild interest in seeing it sooner or later. But what’s been reported so far is that it has the most inventive and interesting title sequences since… I dunno… And if you don’t know by now, I’m a sucker for words in animation or when the typography is the main attraction, as is in this video or the following credits scene for Enter the Void. The film also has been noticed for it’s POV filming style, which is also shown in the music video.
I’ve already wanted to do something like this one day and blatantly copy this very style of blinking in your face style of writing. But this style works very well for Kanye’s music video. In fact, I wish I got to see this on a big screen with full audio… which can be arranged actually.
I could be incorrectly using “Runaway” as a pun for this post, but as a title it works. I’ve watched Kanye West’s short film Runaway twice now and I had to let the images and music soak in before I was able to craft a response to what I have seen and heard. And for the record, viewing this short film is so much better uncut (like on Kanye’s website) than when it aired on TV (which I DVR’d and frowned every time there was a commercial break). (more…)
I’m quite finished with the VMAs for this year, but I feel the need that I must do a review of the show and awards compared to what I predicted (or picked) to win. Clearly, this was Lady Gaga’s show, and a tribute to her video “Bad Romance.” But it was also a concert of a few of the hottest songs of this past year and a who’s who in current pop culture. Oh yeah, and the Swift/West saga. So I will keep it short, okay?
Best Dance Video - Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (Correctly predicted)
Best Collaboration- Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce, “Telephone” (I knew would win but I wanted Jay-Z/Alicia Keys to win)
Best Female Video – Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (Correctly predicted)
Best Rock Video – 30 Seconds to Mars, “Kings and Queens” (Incorrectly predicted, I guessed Florence + the Machine)
Best Male Video – Eminem, “Not Afraid” (Correctly predicted)
Best Pop Video – Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (Correctly predicted, but wanted someone else to win)
Best Hip Hop Video – Eminem, “Not Afraid” (Incorrectly predicted, wanted Jay-Z to win)
Best New Artist – Justin Bieber (I knew he would win, but I picked someone else)
Breakthrough Video – The Black Keys, “Tighten Up” (Correctly picked)
Best Direction- Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (Correctly predicted)
Best Choreography- Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (Predicted but wanted someone else to win)
Best Special Effects- Muse “Uprising” (Incorrectly predicted, but not upset)
Best Art Direction- Florence + the Machine, “Dog Days Are Over” (I actually picked this as a runner up)
Best Editing- Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (I guess I predicted it, but I wanted someone else to win)
Best Cinematography- Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind” (Correctly picked)
Video of the Year - Lady Gaga (Correctly predicted and had a strong feeling almost a year ago, without actually saying “best video winner”)
Hey will.i.am, is this what future black people will look like in your world?
Eminem – awesome, loved the drums and surprise by Rihanna
Justin Bieber – pass…
Usher – possibly best performance? I’m a sucker for SFX and I loved the laser and use of the lighted stage floor
Florence and the Machine – had I not known who she was or saw the video, I would pass on this performance, but it was well done
Taylor Swift – great use of the stage but I didn’t care for the song. Why was her drummer “outside“?
Drake – Hey Mary J! Looked like Casablanca.
B.o.B/Paramore – not bad, nothing stellar. The light bulbs at the end was a nice touch
Linkin Park – good show, loved the multiple stages
Kanye West – typical. Not amazed but definitely not boring either.
Chelsea Handler had few funny moments, including the house hat, the new artist sketches, and the Jersey Shore hot tub. Other than that, don’t come back next year.
deadmau5
And the other things that happened:
Oh, hi Lindsay Lohan.
That’s why Kim Kardashian is famous: fashion icon?
What happened to fun pairings to present awards… like Busta Rhymes and Martha Stewart?
When trash bags go to award shows, they wear a Ke$ha.
Sofia Vergara, I love you.
Cher brought back an outfit she should’ve left in the past no matter how well she can still fit it.
Sofia Vergara, I wish I was that Moon Man.
I was sad there was no handshake/hug between Taylor Swift and Kanye West. Not that I am losing sleep over it, but I’d like to see a duet or a skit or something so we can go on to our next controversy… like will.i.am midnight face and hair helmet.
The stage/set stole the show each and every time it was used to full capacity, most notably with Usher. Most of the performances utilizing the stage were great, visually. I wish that whole stage was a room in my house.
Mmmm... Sofia Vergara
I wish Sofia Vergara was in my house too.
I also wish I could watch deadmau5′s head and other animations all day too. One of the best parts of the show. Let’s have him host next year.
Oh yeah, and Lady Gaga’s meat dress.
Other than that, a tame telecast compared to past shows. Sad to say, the VMAs are getting kinda lame. Let’s step it up next year guys. But for a whole lotta bunch more stuff VMA related, head over to MTV.com for pics, videos and even the whole show repeat… Not sure why you would want to watch this particular telecast again, in my opinion, it wasn’t worth it. I would include more stuff that happened but I’m tired and I’m late. But as I said to a friend to sum up this year’s show “Hey MTV, I’m really impressed with your stage and Imma let you finish but last year was one of the best VMAs of all time!”
It’s come to this moment. VIDEO OF THE YEAR! You’ve seen all of these videos by now and you can probably guess who my pick is for the winner. I’d almost bet actually cash money that my pick is the winner… and many of you probably would guess the same thing. So, just listing and one video actually posted…
30 Seconds to Mars “Kings and Queens”
B.o.B featuring Kayley Williams “Airplanes”
Eminem “Not Afraid”
Florence and the Machine “Dog Days Are Over”
Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce “Telephone”
Lady Gaga “Bad Romance” for the win…
See you guys tomorrow. I’ll probably be live blogging the show so follow me on Twitter.
I’m not really sure what this category means, to be truthful to you guys. It’s not about a breakthrough artist since most of these guys have been around for quite some time. But perhaps it’s about a video that is just awesome beyond measure? Or perhaps it’s a video they didn’t know what to do with but needed to shine a spot light on. I don’t really know, but all except one I’ve talked about before and it’s too bad none of these are in other categories as well… but oh well, let’s see what BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO caught their attention.
Right off the bat, those Indoobians who have been following along know that I’ve recently become a pretty big Black Keys fan. So I immediately wanted to throw my pick to “Tighten Up” not only for the clever and amusing video starring two boys who look like spitting images of their screen dads, but the song is awesome too. It gets pretty violent, but it’s all for comedic effect. Boys do crazy things for girls.
I would call myself a mild fan of Coldplay. I was too busy being entranced by the magic of this stop-motion-chalk-photography to figure out what “Strawberry Swing” is about… it’s just too beautiful for me to care. I love the story and the animation. The song plays well into the video, even though I don’t know what it’s about. Is it going to win? I don’t know. All of these are difficult to choose.
I spoke of Dan Black before. He’s the only one here that has been nominated elsewhere, and although I didn’t choose him then, I’d have him as my runner up here as well… if there was such an award. I really like this video. The only other video I can think of that comes close in awesomeness is Justice’s “DVNO” but that was a couple years ago. But this is fun times.
Last we have Gorillaz, who always have cool videos. I would think it’s needed if your band is made of cartoon characters. But besides that, this video also features Bruce Willis! I don’t know the full story behind this video, but I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s just fun to watch the story unfold.
View a previous post and a couple more videos from The Black Keys and a little poll.
I don’t really need to describe the roll of a director, do I? Long story short, this is the guy in charge of the vision of the video. Sure, we still have the artist who may have inspired it or helps with creative process along with a production team with all the designs and so forth and so on that I’ve already listed (not by name), but when it comes to who’s in charge behind the camera making the people on camera look their best, it’s the BEST DIRECTION. He’s like a funnel. The best funnel.
I said earlier that 30 Seconds to Mars’ video “Kings and Queens” is pretty much a short film… well, I only felt that way due to the long version have titles and credits. If you think about it, a lot of music video are short films… it’s just that some embrace being a short film and actually telling a story. I think this video tells a story. I’m not entirely sure what that story is, but I like it. Will it win? Probably not. But I’ve been wrong before.
“Not Afraid” definitely has a cinematic feel to it. I’m not familiar with Rich Lee (or at least I don’t think I am) but I give him his props for making this video look as good as it is. With it being nominated so many times, it’s possible this could be a winner.
I think most people who are familiar with music videos, especially hip hop music videos, are familiar with the name Hype Williams. He’s been around since forever ago. What I generally like about his videos is the use of color. However, most of this video is in black & white. But even the grayscale still seems to pop. He also expertly captured the city that this song is about. Him and his team of course. Remember, directors are the funnels.
Hey, I’m not fighting it this time. Like the Oscars, if the Best Director is nominated, there’s a good chance the film they directed is there too. Or vice versa. And sometimes what happens is the director and his/her film wins. Not all the time, but it’s magical when it does. Either way, it’s the case with “Bad Romance” and I think this director will take home the prize. That pretty much hints to who I think will get the big prize, no? It’s Lady Gaga night, kids. Oh, and Francis Lawrence is a film director with some serious cred, so you can’t go wrong with him.
So that leave Pink and her “Funhouse” again, which I’m glad is recognized. Why? Because it’s Pink. I wish her live performances got some recognition. How many times has she flown over the audience now? While singing? Okay, that might not have a lot to do with a director’s credit, but c’mon! Dave Meyers has been in the business a long time too, by the way.
This category doesn’t really need an introduction, does it? We do have two new entries here. So let’s take a look at BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS. We have some great contenders here… including Lady Gaga of course.
I’ve never heard of Dan Black, but this “Symphonies” video is amazing. It’s so colorful, and fun. In case you haven’t gathered, its theme is basically the opening animations to some of the most popular or memorable movies. Even with a movie guru like myself, there are some I haven’t recognized, but I feel rewarded with the ones I do. And I am a sucker for this kinda stuff anyway. I am torn between this video and Green Day.
Eminem is back and is still “Not Afraid.” When I first saw this video, for some reason I had only seen half of it. The big SFX don’t really kick in until the end of the video. They are indeed impressive and I have no problem with this video being in this category, I just don’t think it will hold up well with its competitors due to how much SFX were used and how it was used. Don’t get me wrong, they work great in this video and isn’t overused or gaudy, I just think some other videos have a better chance.
This is what I don’t understand… how is this the only category Green Day is nominated for? Had this been in the Best Rock Video category, easy win… or at least for me it would be. But I don’t wanna go on a rant about that right now. The special effects used in “21st Century Breakdown” are nothing less than awesome. Not only did it capture my attention, it was thoroughly entertaining and kept moving. I think that statement is a bit of an understatement… but seeing the video, you understand. What I really liked about it (and any other video that do this) is how this video is a callback to the album art. Look into it some time if you can. Their video “21 Guns” also does this too. Was that a video a year too late to be nominated? Just curious. However, since I have to make a single pick, I think I would choose this one, also because it was shamelessly left off the list for Rock Video. Plus it’s just an awesome video for an awesome song.
Guess whose back! Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” Yes, this video has everything, but I don’t want her to have this award either. Do I really need to explain the FX in this video and why I feel someone else should get it? I hope not, so that’s why I’m not going to.
Rounding out this list is Muse’s “Uprising.” As I said before, I love the teddy bears attacking. As awesome as that is, I don’t think this will be the winner either.
Maybe because I’m writing this really late at night, but cinematography and art direction almost feel like the same thing. They aren’t though, and I know the difference. One of how artistic it looks, the other is how artistic it looks on screen. Again, my own made up definition and comparison. But it’s all about how well it looks on your TV or computer screen, the framing, the zooming, the panning, the lighting, the colors… all of it to enhance for your viewing pleasure. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Eminem is back again, and I’ll be honest… I’m not too sure why. As good as this video is, I wonder what small batch of videos they are choosing from. I don’t want to go naming off videos that aren’t nominated at all, but I’ve seen some other videos that came out this year that’d be perfect for this category and several others. But perhaps it’s the popularity. I’m not saying the cinematography is poor, I just don’t think it’s the best or in the top five, in my opinion.
For me, “Dog Days Are Over” is stronger in the Art Direction category than in this one. Like the “Not Afraid” video, it is good and very well shot, but I don’t think it’s the best. The people who can vote for this may feel otherwise, but who knows with Gaga in the running… I feel like they are going down the test and picking C for every answer. I jest.
I’m still a bigger fan of Jay-Z’s “On To The Next One”… but that wasn’t nominated. “Empire State of Mind” is and I think this is a good example of well used cinematography. Do I have a bias because I like NYC? A little, yes. But they are beautiful shots, no? And that’s what I would be looking for if I were to pick the best.
I don’t want it to sound as if I hate “Bad Romance” or Lady Gaga, because I don’t. I really love this video and I think she’s a great artist. I just think some recognition should go around the table. But if she wins every award she’s nominated for, I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s an awesome video and it has everything. I won’t even argue about the cinematography because even that’s on point.
I have nothing against Mumford and Sons… I just never heard of them and I’m not too fond of this song. It is nice to see someone different though. Sadly, I don’t think they will take home this prize. This video is beautifully shot, I will admit that.
That's all my babbles for tonight. I gotta make plans for tomorrow and get some sleep. 7 hours ago
That was the first bit of news I woke up to on Monday morning, and I wasn't sure if it was me waking up from deep slumber why I was confused 7 hours ago
Oh and a thought from yesterday, congrats to Ms. Connecticut for winning but too bad she was overshadowed by Ms. Utah. 7 hours ago
I need to go to bed. Maybe after some ice cream. Followed by ice cold water since ice cream makes me thirsty. 7 hours ago
I wasn’t expecting to see all artists involved that contributed to this song, but that would’ve been awesome. I was glad to see their names in shiny blinking lights by the end. I already know Rihanna’s wardrobe might be subject to discussion. As a guy, I’m fine with it. I recently read something somewhere about putting a stop to this “suspenders look” that seems to be trending at award shows and photo shoots. And I may not be a huge fan of her music, but she is nice to look at. Kid Cudi continues the trend of being filmed from behind. And of course there’s Mr. West doing his thing and on top of a police car with all it’s lights… as the song suggests.
