directed by:
Chris Wu written by: Chris Wu, Emde genre: Drama |
Alrighty… we've got a music video from Director Chris Wu in the mix today! That's fun – and it's also a lot closer to the world I personally came from before I arrived here at Indy Red. My previous writing experience all tends to come from the musical realm, so heck yeah, I'm stoked to check that out, and we've got a short film from the guy as well. It's the ol' double-feature y'all – get your popcorn out!
I'd be happy with the video for "Lost All Care" if I were EMDE, the artist behind the song. I can't imagine that Wu didn't hit the mark as far as what the assignment was – she's the star of the show, and most music videos are shot exactly like this. EMDE herself has got the X-factor, and in that respect, Chris is fortunate to work with such exceptional talent that knows not to hold anything back when it comes time to push the record. If her performance in the video is something he coached out of her, then he deserves extra credit, of course – but I'd assume that a lot of what we see from EMDE onscreen comes naturally to her based on the style of music she's making. The shots in the video are clean and clear, and Wu's got solid technique in terms of where to push in, where to back out, and how he wants to shoot the scenes. No issues here as far as I can see on a technical level. I can hear some – the audio peaks in a few spots and comes across a little hot, but I don't know if that's anything to do with Wu or if that's the way that the music came to him in the first place. When it comes to "Bad Genius," I think we can see that Chris has a bit more flexibility in what he wants to create, given that he's written it as well. Music videos can tend to be a bit on the tedious side and often stick to an unwritten script that basically dictates how they're created; you get to see the artist or band, and you stick with that for the vast majority of the footage onscreen. Like it or lump it, it's hard to veer away from that format, because that's what 85% of the artists and bands out there want to see – themselves. Directors simply get less input into the creative aspect for the most part, and they're hired for their visual capabilities – nothing wrong with that, of course; it just is what it is. So for the short film of "Bad Genius," Chris gets to spread his wings a little bit more when it comes to the storyline and all that, but I think it's still fair to say that he's got a pretty straightforward way of shooting things, which is what likely made him the right candidate for EMDE's music video for "Lost All Care." Essentially, from what I can see, Wu's technical skills are solidly well-rounded, and ultimately that leaves him in the right position to meet any assignment in the middle and get the job he's tasked with doing done right, with reliable professionalism. Like, based on what I've seen in "Lost All Care" and "Bad Genius," this dude should be jumping into commercials, television shows and feature-length movies - that kind of thing. I do think that there's a whole lot of room for us to get to know who Chris Wu is behind the lens still – and I don't know that either of these projects really helps us with that. What both the music video and the short film confirm is that he's got the right skill set to handle anything in the corporate type realm, but if we're talking about his artistic perspective or creative point of view on a visual level… that's where I think he's got so much more of an opportunity to make a statement and stand out from the rest of his potential competition.
It's not a case of 'everyone can shoot a regular shot' – honestly, if that WAS the case than we'd all do it, but the reality is, we can't. You want a guy like Chris to come in with the level of talent & professionalism he brings to his projects because I'd say he's got a great understanding of how to achieve the kind of results that clients would be looking for. As far as the writing of "Bad Genius" is concerned, it's not bad, but it's still a little hard to say if this is going to really stand out enough in a world of massively talented individuals. On the one hand, it has a fairly standardized storyline, but on the other hand, it's executed flawlessly, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Truly, it's an achievement to pull things off seamlessly, so don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of respect for what Wu is capable of doing already, even if we might want a bit more of a stretch on a creative level. He's got a great grip on clarity & a perfect understanding of what he wants to shoot and how – these are the kind of tools that are extremely fundamental and that give him the opportunity to build on his craftsmanship from here forward. "Bad Genius" is complete. Do you know what I mean? Like I said, nothing wrong with that – that's actually a very good thing. His writing could have more twists and turns, perhaps? However, there's also some really good aspects in "Bad Genius" with Jackson's backstory & what we see in the finale during the exam – I don't know that I'd go as far as to say it's not stuff we wouldn't see coming. Still, it's executed with precision and written cohesively, and he's found the right people to cast for the roles as well. There are lots of positives to build on, for sure. Chris has all the fundamentals in place & he should be welcoming those next opportunities to really start flexing his creativity with the full confidence that he can deliver a job done right. As it stands, I feel a solid three and a half stars out of five is fair all around. I really look forward to revisiting Chris and his projects in the not-so-distant future. |
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