The Uncut Camera

Fiest's new song "1234" has made it big. I mean very big. Featured on VH1's "You Oughta Know" and later picked up by iPod for commercial use, the song has gotten all the attention it deserves (but I'm gonna talk about it some more).

Fiest's dainty voice, playful horns, simple banjo, and jazzy piano all complete the song in a way that everybody is bound to like at least one part of the song. I call this the "machine-gun" approach-this comprises of throwing every trick you have out at once in hopes that each listener can't help but appreciate something in the song.

The beauty of this approach in her context is her video. It takes the same approach. Enjoy a minimalist's set? How about un-coached dancing? Bright sequenced colors? Group choreography? No one likes all of the above. But everybody likes one. And that is the beauty of Fiest. While some love her, its easy for everybody to at least like her (and that sells albums).






While I'm on this tangent, I have to talk about the filming of this video. It is all done in one shot. This is 3:20 of pure unedited footage. The average Hollywood film shot lasts 8 seconds. Music videos footage is typically even shorter in an attempt to keep viewers interested. Fiest blatantly disregards this standard and makes visual bliss in the process.

For a video to be one shot, there can be no mistakes, no movie magic, and no stunning images to keep the viewer engaged. In "1234", however, a slew of colorful dancers and eye tricks are all that is needed. Note the beginning and end as dancers seemingly appear and disappear. They have to be there, the filming never stopped. But they aren't visable. Take a look at the "Making of 1234" and see how the Directors use movie magic of a different kind. One that film makers used before computers, touch-ups, or minute editing.