The Presets "My People" (Dir. Kris Moyes)
More Moyes. That was really amazing.
eh, not his most original but nice. So, so pacing and not the best matte.
Can we list other videos that use the echo/multiple effect? My favorite is this one by Koichiro Tsujikawa
Really dope. I love the shots that look like screen savers. I disagree about the pacing. That long shot in the beginning led you to believe that the whole video would be that walking shot. But then Moyes does some really cool experimentations with this effect to close it out. The editing really worked for me. Nice job.
Elliot Jokelson recently made one using this technique: videos.antville.org
The start is great, attitude, lighting and style and some very sweet edits. I though the video was really going to take off in a narrative sense then.. it fizzled out with the keyed repeater effect, yeah this looks good the whole video is like a teenage boys wet dream in fact but it feels like Moyes walked away with half the budget in his pocket on this one.. Yeah I thought of the holy hail video when I watched... Enjoyed it thou nice bark face.
great FX eye candy but it left me a tad empty at the end. Sometimes I just want more than the tickling of plugin settings and lengthy application noodling. it does seem to fit the track and that's definitely saying something.
Pretty flat... feels like a third of a moyes video. There's really only 3 shots or so to the whole thing.
aw man. this video will go over well played live in a club full of drunken monkeys!
The art direction is pleasing although a little predictable. I also really enjoyed the beginning with the walking shot but was disappointed that this didn't play out into a narrative. The echo effect experimentation looks good but isnt exciting enough to watch more than once. Infact i found myself skipping through the video once i realized how it was going to play out. Overall i was disappointed as i was really waiting to see something special pulled out of the hat with the reuniting of the moyes brothers.
Beaut! It stuck to its guns right the way through - and eye candy or no, it kept me well engaged to the end.
Nice to see Moyes branching out into screensavers.
As other people have said I think there is allot of potential here that is simply not realised. Feels like an idea that sounded great at 3am after a line of charlie then ran out of steam in the real world.
nice - a million times better than that architecture in helsinki vid. to be honest, i thought the first shot was engaging enough to carry through to the end... nice one.
Excellent. The guys always have great vids. Check out their (I believe) first, "Are You The One". It was my favorite vid from 2005.
Very fuckin rad.
You know, what I’m starting to get the shits. I just went back through the archives getting up to speed with previous Moyes videos and I came across the first softlights video with all the crafty stop motion spelling out the song lyrics. videos.antville.org I thought that video was pretty impressive verging on mildly incredible and a real departure from the usual moyes "high concept that quickly gets out of breath" music video (and as such I held my tongue) So I scroll through the posts and in one someone mentions Stefan Sagmeister, Who? I think typing him into wikepedia and after a few minutes of searching stumble across this
www.hillmancurtis.com And this www.sagmeister.com
I mean…fuck!…I feel like I have been arse raped, this is getting ridiculous. How long before someone digs up a clip from an obscure designer or filmmaker that is just to close to this one for comfort.?
Does anyone else feel me?
if holy hail didn't realeased it before, i'd say it's a great video
looks super polished in the beginning and becomes cheap with that cloning effect. i don't really dig it, but i was excited at the beginning. doesn't really go anywhere as someone above said...
this is like a Pet Shop Boyz video with an added dose of evil.
i agree with vidbot. Has anyone noticed that expatriates 'play a part' by moyes is like a cross between depeche modes 'enjoy the silence'.
and radioheads 'street spirit'.
It seems someone was paying attention to those directors label dvd's. There is also the blatent connection between softlightes 'the micowave song' and the labrynth but its not like he tried to hide that one. But what the hey everybody is copying or referencing something that has been done before these days. Its pretty much what post modernism is. Moyes just seems to playing the game well, nobody figures out his references until he has walked off with half the budget in his pocket, a ticket to the other side of the world and representation by 3 world renown directors agencies. If he can get away with that then good on him. But again i agree with vidbot...theres definately some arse raping involved.
very interesting, but good on him. there are some great Australian directors/animators/bands around at the moment.
Why should Moyes have to 'hide' any of his references quizmaster? Music video history is full of homages to all kinds of movies, tv shows, art pieces both famous and obscure. Why is it wrong for Moyes to do it?
Well done...I really enjoyed this.
dear spit. True he doesnt have to hide them. I think i clearly stated that it was common practice to reference especially in the age of post modernism. I just think what is being said is that some people are less impressed when they discover how close his references are . I still like a lot of his work even this one to a certain degree.
I really like this video that Mr Moyes has crafted. I am an editor in the UK and I thought what he's achieved here was nothing short of stunning. Yes I can see his influences and references quite clearly, but he then breathes his own life into them, and shows he has his own distinctive voice.
Vidbot, you sound like a) a spoilt brat or b) a jealous little boy who's mummy never gave him his dummy when he kept crying. Looking at your previous posts, predominately shows you whinging, whining and bagging 80% of work posted here. Your obviously desperate for attention, trying to gather a cult of haters sharing your envious remarks so you can feel better about yourself. If your such an autere let us see what you can muster. Get over yourself.
I love how the presets oddball looks combine with moyes' aesthetic.
Maybe that's because Kris Moyes and Kim from The Presets share the same mother...
Obviously Moyes is becoming a focal point for an emerging breed of “zero budget wonders”. Its obvious with the amount of press (some might say promotion) that he gets that some people think he and others of his kind are the vanguard of a new paradigm of clip makers who have shaken off the shackles of large clumsy productions that shoot on film and waste money on expensive lighting, costume makeup, dedicated editor, colorist and all the other paraphernalia that can go into a music video. If all the hype is to be believed Moyes and his brethren are working unencumbered by such baggage and are free to use their boundless creativity and iconoclasm to its full extent and forge a brave new world.
To this I pose some questions, firstly do we actually know the approximate budget of your standard Moyes clip?. Does he compete for the same amount of money as everyone else who pitches or does he undercut and say he can do better for less.? If he is doing this kind of work for half or less the standard budget then I will give the hype some ear. If however he is doing it for the same price then I have a problem. These videos look cheap, if they were cheap fine and good they are an indicator of larger potential but if they were well budgeted and masquerading as “cheap and cheerful” behind a façade of hype, PR and cries of “you just don’t get it” then I really have a problem.
Ok so until someone gets a hold of the numbers others and I just don’t know. It could be say $5000 it could be $10,000 it could be $500 whatever it is this is a fairly crucial question that seems to be raised allot.
Why hasn’t moyes made any commercials? If he is so blindingly surface of the Sun shit hot then why in his 2 plus? Years making clips hasn’t he bagged a TVC as he hinted he wanted to in that modular interview way back when. Perhaps he has and I missed it but there is nothing on his website and none of the agency’s that rep him have links to any. Could it be that his aesthetic just doesn’t gel with advertising agency’s.? And this folds back on my other point about budgets, surely ad agency’s are screaming for directors with skill and ability to sway an audience who can do so for less than the other guy, as far as I know this is the driving force behind this industry.
With the amount of press he has got I don’t think he would have gone unnoticed by agency’s. Would they not have snapped him up and got him to apply his aesthetic for slightly enhanced budgets if he is so in touch with the zeitgeist and such a powerful manipulator of attitudes.?
If Moyes is a poverty-stricken clip maker who devotes the entire meager budget to making the best product he possibly can then how does he survive? He has been steadily punching out clips for the past few years but if he isn’t making money of them how does he live.? Does he have a day job that supplements clip making? Does he have to fit his clip schedule in around that.?
The first Presets clip was very special and a very promising Debut that left many people wanting more from mr Moyes. Since then I really don’t think he has done anything particularly special or unique to warrant the orgiastic level of attention that people give him except for the first softlights video.
But its more than that, I don’t enjoy watching most clips by Moyes I don’t fall into them and believe his world they don’t transport me and make me forget the real world. I don’t enjoy watching them because I see artifacts, cheap lighting and costuming, slow or non-existent editing. I always feel like I am watching them under duress with someone looking over my shoulder and poking me, why is that so? Well I think it is very easy, they are just plain cheap and at times difficult to watch however the level of opinion that has built up around him says, “if you don’t get it, you don’t get it”. Well I’m afraid I do get it and I don’t like it.
If his clips are so awesome and memorable then why don’t I have QuickTime’s of them saved in a folder on my harddrive like do for clips by Cunningham, Jonz, Glazer, Romanek, Hype Williams and of course Gondry.? Would anyone really pay money for a directors label set of Moyes work?, Really when the Hype clears what is left.?
The reason I got so worked up about the Soflights video and the Stefan Sagmeister connection is I didn’t know anything about Sagmeister when I first watched that video. That video and the first Presets one were the only two that had me holding out that perhaps some of the hype was worthy and Moyes could prove me wrong. However finding the imagery of Sagmeister It was just the crack that broke the damn open. I respected that video because I thought it was an original concept…I was wrong and I don’t like how I feel about that. Its still technically an amazing video (although I doubt he shot it in 14 days as claimed) but with the conceptual lid ripped off if all you are left with is technique then you have essentially an overblown experiment, a university assignment in stop motion given a budget.
I am beginning to suspect that Moyes threw everything he had at the Presets video all the late night experiments he had over the years, all the happy accidents, all the “if I had a budget I would do that” Ideas, all the sketchbook scribbles, everything prior to his discovery basically. And then feeding of the hype that video gave he went out and sold himself as the low budget wonder to anyone who would listen. This is what has sustained him since he emerged the idea that he can pull something like the first presets clip out on demand but in the 8? Videos since does anyone really think he has. Most of the comments when a new Moyes clip are posted are along the lines of “wow amazing haven’t seen that before however I don’t think it lives up to the presets clip”
Anyway Im getting long winded and I’m sure people are cueing up to tear strips off me so I will wind up. Basically I guess I am saying it all comes down to the work. I would say that the bulk of Moyes work simply does not stand up on its own if you separate it from the hype and attention (a difficult task by any measure). The exceptions to that rule in my opinion (others no doubt think differently) are the first Presets clip and the First Softlights clip and the Softlights clip now has a huge question mark over it for me. I guess I can summarize my opinion thus I think Moyes is ok, talented sure but he is not all that. The Hype has blown him way out of proportion and like a dot com bubble that Hype will burst one day.
Then again perhaps I just don’t get it.
Finally Vedgal just how closely did you examine my previous posts and the related comments.? Not very hard I can imagine or at least just enough to find weight for your personal attack.
Obviously a rudimentary search of this board will turn up allot of post backs that involve rude words, ranty diatribes and fiery exchanges involving myself. Sometimes it gets out of hand but a good 98 percent I don’t feel the need to apologize and you know why…because I care. I really do care about this art form it gives me allot of viewing pleasure and stimulates me in ways other art forms cannot. I also care about Antville as a place where measured informed opinion can be aired about this art form that I care so much about. If you took the time to look closer I think you will find I post regularly on videos that I think are worthy of praise and inspire and entertain me. I also try and shine light into dark corners and usually those corners are ones I find hype has built. So call me names as much as you like its not going to stop me being passionate about what I care about and airing my opinions whether they be positive or negative.
whoa. nearing status, kids...
Firstly nice essay vidbot,
What makes you think his videos are cheap? I think most of them look quite cinematic and high-end, and Modular are no peasants these days (especially post-wolfmother, I would imagine all of his videos would sit between 10-20k AUD budget) I also think he makes all stylistic decisions consciously. I don't know what it is that you think looks cheap but I'm not seeing anything that looks out of sync with the art direction that is intended.
Now for the Sagmeister rip-off issue (finally something we can agree on). I agree that the Softlightes video doesn't leave much left once you discover that the concept was not of Moyes' hand you start to feel a little betrayed and question what is left.
I think the fusion of fresh concepts cinema techniques (as much as you think he is disregarding the form) is what is gathering attention for people like him.
I do also wonder about his commercial work (or possible lack thereof), though I would think he would have done at least a few by now and just not owned up to them for fear of retribution. (You'll notice that there are very few commercials on the second series of the Directors Label dvd's....)
these colors look good
what was it shot on? film? HD?
dear vidbot since you obviously feel so passionate about this topic here is some information that may help you make a more informed conclusion.
All moyes music vids between $10,000 and $20,000 AUD. This presets video probably $15,000 to $20,00 AUD. Softlightes 'heart made of sound' video probably between $10,000 and $15,000 AUD Softlightes credits: Director/Producer: Kris Moyes Art Directors: Kris Moyes and Jonathan Zawada DP: Kris Moyes Camera Operator: Sam Hendel Editor: Kris Moyes Props buyers: Cameron Peters and Sharon McDonald
Post Production: Frame Set and Match Producer: Bec Cubitt Flame Operator: Phil Stuart-Jones HD Colourist: Tristan La Fontaine
The presets 'my people' credits Production Company: Revolver Film, Sydney Director/Producer/Editor: Kris Moyes Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie DP: Jac Fitzgerald Production Designer: Jonathan Zawada Post Production: Kris Moyes/ Animal Logic Colour Grading: Andrew Clarkson @ Bean Colour
Complete credits for other videos can be found here: (just click on the 'show more credits' link) www.boardsmag.com
moyes has done 2 commercials for the directors bureau which can be viewed here: www.thedirectorsbureau.com
Early in his career before modular he also made a cinema ad for harpers bazaar.
looks good to me
why do you guys give a crap about moyes and whatnot? just judge the piece
it's not world changing, but interesting, and better than the standard video
I believe that the reason Moyes has yet to do many commercials is that he has a reputation in Australia especially to be a complete nightmare to work with. It is not by chance that almost all his videos came through his brothers record label Modular, they are the only cats prepared to put up with his antics as they only have tiny budgets
if you know he's such a 'nightmare', than provide at least some kind of tangible example, on set experience, etc.
the guy does all the work himself. on the softlights video his art director quit because he couldn't handle the speed of the production but what does this have to do with not making commercials, working with modular, tiny budgets, or his "antics"....?
you're a lot of gas ms. judy.
Potential classic post. Please?
just do it, fam.
The Internet is a horrible thing. I'm a slave to Google Images:
The caption writes itself.
If we could combine this and quizmaster's "young Wes Anderson's flaccid penis" quote from the recent Little Ones post, I think we'd have the ultimate antville post.
Anyone ever seen Kris Moyes and Weezer's Rivers Cuomo in the same place AT THE SAME TIME!?!?!
That Kris Moyes hasn't shot big commercials yet shouldn't reflect on his skills as video director. Sounds like you are trying to convince yourself of your own specious arguments.
Generally speaking, agencies love videos but clients could give a shit and can't always see something like a Presets video working with their brand.
There's more competition coming from all over and big names shooting for less and less too. Big directors can also do more with less money: See Gondry's making of 'Declare Independence' or Kid Sister which the director said cost $2,500. So why shouldn't a marketing dude look at either of those projects and think, 'he can do my thing for less money too'? Gondry might be an exceptional case because he's a celebrity, but you get my drift.
Lately the sought after commercial directors these days don't seem to be traditional "video directors" although they might do videos occasionally.
And also, some video directors just don't translate for whatever reason. Sucks for the director wanting cash in but shouldn't reflect on their talent.
bodysong, i think we are all past the misconception that moyes does all of the work himself. Thats a fable that somebody fabricated to make him look good (modular, himself). He works with a normal crew like everybody else. Only an idiot would try to do everything thats involved in a music video themselves. He even had 'animal logic' helping out on the last one. wake up girlfriend!
Kris Moyes chats with Isobel Knowles
it sounds like vidbot wants to have sex with Kris Moyes.
sex it up!!
Well after the impressive display of mutual masturbation in that "chat" I’m starting to get ideas. And considering "the guy does all the work himself" he must have buns of steel...
