In my continual quest to blow the mind of my film-school roommate, finding small little golden weapons of perfection lying about the Interweb like this makes things so easy on me. The simplicity of this video is staggering, but the beauty of it and its effect are grand. Muttering the phrase, “Why didn’t I think of that!” after viewing it, is blood-on-the-gloves proof of both its grandeur and its coveting inducing influence. My head hurts a lot these days, fed by atrocities like every rap video on MTV or ‘My sweet sixteen’, but for things like this I’ll gladly deal with the pain.
Sunset Rubdown = Spencer Krug’s side project = one of the singers for Wolf Parade = you love it already = SHRN!
This video is quite unofficial, being the product of Dan Beirne one of the beautiful kids responsible for Said The Gramophone. My hats off to him and I’ll buy him a round the next time I see him enjoying pub time in Montreal.
Visually this video is nothing. Despite that, it still makes me tingle. The ending moments of Fight Club when the Pixies come on. The last sentences of the Count of Monte Cristo. All great art should make you feel something. I like these feelings.
I can’t even begin to describe the amount of power this video holds. It contains all the major elements of life: Love, heartache, anger, laughter, death… and everything random in between. perfect.
carlos.. are you taking notes?
jk
Maybe I’m just jealous, but color me unimpressed. I can make this video in less time than it takes me to write about somebody else’s video. Text scrolling by the screen. “Oh, it’s like credits to somebody’s life.” I get it. But it could have been done better.
Why must that bit about the suicide be there? It does nothing. There is no justifiation for the suicide bit at all: it’s a complete cop-out. Comparing that to the built-up and thusly satisfying twists in Fight Club and the Count of Monte Cristo? You are smoking rock, my friend.
Plus, I feel like 99% of amatuer music videos are about suicide. It feels very “film school”.
You make my point exactly James. The fact that it could be put together in the time it takes Rachel Ray to make a scrumptious dinner meal, is why it’s so engaging. I’m not sure I’ve seen another music video where they forego the ‘video’ part entirely and use credits to tell a story. It’s just a great idea and yes you are jealous. Comparing to FC or COMC was more a comparison of feeling, not at all a comparison of satisfying plot twists or European literature. A base feeling, the ‘I think other people should see this’ feeling. I’ll admit to a little extravagance but lighting fires is hard work and takes encouraging words.
I think your comment was just a trick to get me to comment since I never; well played!
This took me 18 minutes.
And that is why you are my friend.
and this is why simplicity is amazing.
what she dreamt, the colour of her hair. oh man.
i just got the sunset rubdown cd in the mail and i am excited.
Actually in film school we’re not allowed to make films about suicide or drug deals gone bad because it’s completely film school. I think the guy ran out of story before he got to the end of the video. And it fell apart (for me) at WHERE SHE WAS BORN: Doesn’t Apply. If your skateboard footing applies then where you were born should also apply. It falls apart from there. I no longer believe the descriptions of her. She should have died of cancer. I do give props for a J.D. Salinger short story and the Zabriskie Point.
Did anyone notice that YMCA was spelled “YWCA.”
YWCA is for Women.
a little fun fact for you
Dear commenters, although I’ve held back to hear both sides of the love/hate teams for this video, I’m afraid Im gonna have to go with the love. Although this is not the most technical video that can be made, Im sure that I could not make something that could come close to it (although James seems not to have that problem).
For George: Fuck where “she was born.” Get over it! Her skateboard footing told us that she skateboarded in the first place, how many girls do you know who skateboard? We already knew she was born, so knowing where isn’t important, just knowing that she lived. The trivialities of her life, are so that we can connect with her.
James: I agree with B, I can’t think of a video where suicide was used (”Runaway Train” by Soul Asylum maybe, but I think that was just about missing kids in life, not suicidal death). Secondly I was never aware of any credits-style Spike Jonze/Fatboy Slim going-ons, not that I’m doubting it or anything. Although the “twist-ending” doesn’t equal that of “Fight Club” or evoke the same feelings of “Monte Cristo”, I still find it somewhat tragic. I didn’t want her to die or be dead, so that sucks. Yeah books have been doing this forever, and my answer to that is……so? He’s a good writer. He’s good at evoking feelings through his writing, hence why this video is exactly what I expect from Dan the Man. In fact, the suicide makes it more imtimate. I mean what were you looking for, an ending where she died aboard a space shuttle that exploded during a galactic war in outer space or where she lived to become president? I read short stories (especially now that I have a Lit class) and this video still sticks with……..no, haunts me. The way she makes “Big Decisions”, what she said when she “told off her brother”, her “Best Dream”, how “She Walked”, how “She Lived”, etc…. I wonder how people would describe me if I died or how I would describe others if they died. I then ask those questions about myself and I’m either scared of the answers, or scared that I don’t have any answers to them. That is why, to me, this video works. But it also works, because you and Georgie aren’t fans and thus we can fight/discuss over it and still go play together at recess.
“I wonder how people would describe me if I died or how I would describe others if they died.” -Los
that is an excellent point and it really makes me wonder… and want to know.
Look, I realize I’m in the minority here. I in fact think this video has a dash of clever. However, beyond this dash of clever there is little but fuck-ups and clich?©s. Let me list them.
1) Suicide. There are so many videos that feature or allude to suicide it is ridiculous. Off the top of my head:
AFI - Silver and Cold
We Are Scientists - Great Escape (original version)
Eminem - Stan
Britney Spears - Everytime (original version)
Blink 182 - Adam’s Song
Aerosmith - Amazing
My Chemical Romance - I’m Not OK (I Promise). This video was presented as a movie trailer, rather than movie credits. The song itself deals with suicide.
If I knew more AFI songs I’m sure I could list 20 more. Go ask Alex.
After about 10 seconds of credits I said to myself “Oh, it’s credits to a life. Like when you die they play credits. Cute.” How can you say things like “I didn’t want her to die”… why else would you be watching the credits? This video would have been just as clever if she didn’t die from suicide. Nothing “dramatic” was required. Death is dramatic enough.
2) The credits. I’m pretty sure he didn’t even bother changing the default font. When your video took you 18 minutes to make, there’s no excuses for doing shit like that.
3) Spike. Jonze mentions the credits thing on one of the commentary tracks to his DVD. It’s not quite the same thing, but the same essential concept.
4) The idea. Like I said, it gets a mild “clever” out of me. BUT, this is one of those “once in a lifetime things”. Dan (or whoever) can’t get off so easy *ever* again. Putting words on the screen and calling it a music video can only be done once, and now it’s done. So from this point on everybody is going to actually have to put effort into things. And, just so some other lazy bastard doesn’t get called “brilliant” on the internet and piss me off again, here are some lazy-ass ideas I’m trademarking right now:
a) Video that is nothing more than Powerpoint slides.
b) Video that is just footage from some random old movie. Oh, wait, that has already been done.
c) Video that just films somebody doodling on a piece of paper.
d) Video that is the opening credits to a movie (how she was born: C-section!). Actually, this has also been done.
5) Execution. When I imagine this video, I see at as the end of a play, not the end of a movie. Each of the characters (her and people from her life) come up and take their bow. Just imagine the “Guys she slept with” holding hands and bowing: it would be priceless. You could do clever things to represent the abstract concepts like “skateboard footing” (as they do in real theater). The suicide could even be thrown in elegantly by simply having the “star” (the girl) have cut marks on her wrist or something. Of course this was not done as it would have required more than $0 and 18 minutes.
6) Low replayability. I watched this video 3 times: The first time I saw it, and then 2 more times to replicate it in 18 minutes. And I’ll never watch it again because there is nothing more to see. It’s like the shortest short story ever: You can only read the same paragraph so many times.
To summarize: When I set the closing paragraphs to The Great Gatsby to music and call it a music video, you guys better be calling me a goddam genius.
And Los, we already know how people would describe you if you died: “Master Storyteller.”
good art evokes discussion. thanks for discussing.