http://www.kissingtigers.com/

A new video for the Kissing Tigers.

go to MEDIA then go to VIDEO

         

I like it jdub good job. I like the blinking eyes at the end too.

         

I don't know who you supposed to bite. I found the end a bit frontal. Too obvious. I would prefer it more suggestive. I don't like the two guys singing at the begining, (terrible music video cliche IMO). The image looks good for a no budget (can't even remember it's video or film). Sequences and transistions are ok but sometimes the camera is a bit static or the lens too wide. Colors are nice (they could be more involved in the story). It doesn't suck but i felt dispointed at the end.

         

Yeah, I had some issues with singing to the song at the beginning...to the point where I shot it twice, once with them not singing and once with. The thing is...the whole music video idea just works so much better when the visual elements sync to the song. I ended up using the one where they sing. I probably won't ever do it again unless it's a member of the band and he's supposed to be singing with it. it's even questionable then. The funny thing is, people who really know music videos tend to dislike that section...but when the average person sees it they really respond to it.

I like the more more subtle/suggestive idea. That's a good comment. It's one of the issues I have with this project. I feel it's a bit too straightforward and doesn't require much from the viewer. I definitely could have pushed myself a lot farther in that area, been more random, more complex. Next project I guess.

         

I think you did an impressive job. I enjoyed the color scheme. My favorite part was the ford aerostar in the beginning...that was quite humorous, but maybe only cause that was the van my parents took me on a roadtrip from nj to florida... ahhh

         

Thanks for the kind words. The funny thing is about the van is that originally it wasn't going to be in the video at all. We were going to use this other van but it wouldn't fit into the parking garage. Well, it did fit but with only one inch to spare! It's like just when you think you have planned for everything you run into something that almost blows the shoot. Scary at the time, funny now. Fortunately the first AC had the sweet Aerostar and the shoot was on. That van is way better anyways. Funny how things work out.

         

Jdub, First of all, thanks for sharing your work!

I'll say this about the video...yeah, it's cliched in spots, and I knew the identity of the motorcycle guy immediately, but it held my attention the entire time. Good pacing, good shots, fun story...Having worked on videos for four years now, I know how hard it is to come up with completely original ideas for no money that the band and the label can all agree on. So when I see recycled stuff (like the guys singing in the beginning) it doesn't bother me so much. As long as you can keep it fun and/or interesting, you've done your job. I think you've done both.

Is this your first video? If not, where can we see your past work?

         

Hey thanks Binky. This is my first vid. I did it while I was in school last year. I basically learned about industry style filmmaking (working with a crew and with film) while making this video. I had a really great crew with a few seasoned guys that taught me a lot. Namely the DP. I have done some other work (DV stuff) but no music vids beside this one. I might post those when I get a website up. At this point promos are something I'm really excited about. I dig working with musicians/music and the challenge of creating something interesting. I can't wait to do more. However, right now I am working on paying off the credit card bill I ran up making this one.

what do you do in videos?

         

Well, good job, and good luck. I'm an editor. Just click on my "name".

         

nice work - great song. On the issue of "biting" this most reminded me of a Michel Gondry commercial for Levis I think - basic premise is a bunch of mouse people (sexy models with giant mouse heads) are hanging out, late at night, showing off their jeans, etc. A (human) woman pulls up in a car w/ a suitcase full of money and hands it to the mouse people - and they give her a cat. The spot is called "Ransom".

I only wished the band was in it more - I'm a big fan of videos that have the band playing and then a narrative, and then they converge at some point towards the end.

         

beautiful vid, great song and i love the hamster!

         

JDUB: So I like your bones. A+ for fighting to do something live action (and on film) as opposed to regressing to this awful obsession with after effects and greenscreen. You have an interest in narrative and I can't even begin to explain (in light of promos) how refreshing that is.

I feel like the promo could have been better in many ways. I am less interested in the 'humor' of the piece and think it detracts from the project more than anything else. I know this may be just me, but I would try to stay away from it or go full blast into it. People tend to notice hesitation in art.

I don't know how much I like the photography. In fact, I'd have to give a thumbs down to the DP work as a whole. For me (regardless of the vid's film origin), a lot of it looks amateur and lifeless - the noodle mix of pastels and grays hurt more than help. I will say this though, you have one shot in the piece that I think is tremendous:

In the beginning our wraith like protagonist is standing by the pole waiting for the scientist van to pull up. It passes us and you cut to almost an identical shot of us pushing in on his back. Right before we land he runs off.

I know this isn't much, but I've got to say, a director that is willing to break the rhythm of a scene for an intended purpose deserves a nod. It's whacko. It's syntax is very strange and alluring. It (very simply) says: Car pulls up. Wraith makes decision to follow. It breaks up a simple thought into two halves (in a very different way) and digesting said halves becomes unsettling to a degree.

I don't know, maybe I'm not articulating this right but it feels like one of the only times in the vid where you made a clear decision as to what you were doing and where the piece was going. If only you let that shot linger after he ran off........

And another thing. I wish you stuck to your concept more (regardless of its cliche/predictable nature). You bring us through these scientist testing labs that are very 'mouse' specific. So why then, at the promo's conclusion, do we not learn more of our protagonist? Sure he removes his helmet and we learn of the mouse, but do we really? Would this mouse live in a trendy apartment like that? You know what I mean? Like why don't we see this mouse's obsession(s) and temporal space...? Something suggestive or more revealing of his character on top of the 'big twist'.

Good my friend. There's a lot lot lot to improve on, but again, I like your bones.

         

For once i would agree with lusk the story could have more connections in it.

         

Dear jdub. I really am impressed by this video. Funny story, very nice photography! I like it very much! Big Up! You say this is no budget... Where did you find this electric power plant or what it is to shoot there? Very nice. And BTW I think you notice the respect in the number of comments on this, too.

         

If you shop this around, you should get signed somewhere.

         

Wow....thanks for all the critiques and compliments. It's great to hear all the feedback.

Captainmarc, That's interesting about the Gondry video, I don't remember it but it sounds like a good ad. I guess my defensiveness is because as I put this video together I noticed how many animal themed videos were out there. In particular, animals as people...for instance the Basement Jaxx "where's your head at" or that recent Floria S vid for Incubus among others. I don't know...I suppose what makes this different is that you don't see the "superhamster" until the end.

I like the band footage too but I think it's better to want to see more rather than get too much and risk boredom. I find that's generally a good rule to follow.

Lusk, Good to hear from you. Ok, on the humor. It's interesting because when I started out with this piece it was going to be have a more "serious" tone. But as the hamster idea developed I decided it was going to end up being funny whether I liked it or not. So I rolled with it a little.

I feel the DP work was quite good actually. Of course there's always room for improvement but have you ever heard the phrase "Gone With the Wind in the morning and COPS in the afternoon"? Well, my planning wasn't perfect. Sometimes we were rushed so we were forced to use less than desirable available light (scientists walking from the minivan to the facility door-shot at 4:30am at hour 13 of a 12 hour day, etc). Another thing that kind of backfired on me was choosing to go with bleach bypass processing. It works great when there is a ton of light in the scene (little girl at window), but it crushed the blacks so much in other areas the detail was lost (the wraith's mostly black outfit). I wouldn't go with bleach bypass again unless it really suited the project.

About the edit you mentioned. Surprised you noticed that. I felt it was kind of an invisible edit but it's interesting to hear how it affected you. That strange cut was discovered through a series of editing experiments and it just felt right. I can't explain it fully but I definitely learned from it.

As for the story/concept. Well, I suppose you could say the hero was a product of prior experiments at the lab..perhaps one the scientists thought went wrong and say, threw out with the trash...only to return years later. -I like your suggestions though.

Mate, Thanks! The location was a defunct powerplant in Redondo Beach, California. I found it through a location scout website - www.cinemascout.org. They gave me a special deal to shoot there for one day. It was an awesome location. I only wish I didn't have to cut out (time constraints) the footage we shot in this crazy underground tunnel beneath the plant.