Hiiii guys...I think I'm abnormal. At least I know that I'm definitely NOT normal. I've developed sleep walking mode which means that I do not get enough sleep and therefore, I walk around while my brain is dead. So rather than coming up with a brilliant plan for my next assignment, I think I'll just stick with my "passion" because thinking about all these brilliant ideas hurt my head. Other than that, I know I'm just too insanely in love with DBSK that I just HAD to centre my first University assignment on them  Well, basically the subject I'm studying now is called "Creative Digital Projects" which aims to develop my computer and analytical skills in the field of multi-media and other forms of creative artefact. This assignment's purpose is to critically analyse a digital project. The below is the assignment criteria:

After a long internal battle of choosing MVs, I finally developed the following list which I will be centering my analysis on. 
1) O
2) Why did I fall in love with you?
Arghhh I wanted to write on a few more MVs but after I wrote those two I realised that I've already exceeded the word limit ^^"

Ok so if you are not interested in listening to (reading) my rant about all the technical, visual, thematic concerns within their videos then please stop reading here because I'm pretty sure the rest of this "essay" will bore you to death. But for those of you like me, who are interested to look deeper into the making of their MVs, then the following piece will probably give you some insight to my interpretation of their MVs. . 

So here we go: 

The following essay aims to examine the creativity, performance, composition and cultural contexts in the making of the two music videos featuring DBSK, a South Korean boy-band. 

The MV, "O", embodies the concern towards the deteriorating state of human condition and society. The lyrics reveal a sense of disappointment at the underlying poverty, injustice and flaws that society attempts to conceal through materialistic and agricultural fulfilment or advancement. Furthermore, the world is depicted as lacking "absolute truth...principles [and] standards" where people are "struggling to understand what justice and truth is". The disappointment in human nature is highlighted in the chorus where "In the midst of this society, people go about not offering a hand." 

However, the main principle of the song is to provide a solution and hope in midst of this corruption. The lyrics emphasises unity. "When everyone works towards even a small dream, things will change. We just have to pave the road." The message is to encourage people to move forward in times of crisis and adversity. "Burdened by wounds, it seems you face trials in the dark. Even if you start to feel like retreating. No matter what, don't stop the way! Don't stop the way!" The song contains an overarching hope for society to improve and change for the better as long as people within the society are willing to work together. 

Fast forward motion is used frequently in shots featuring traffic and people in public. The moving motion pictures are created by taking still photos of people with slight change in each still shot. By placing all the shots simultaneously next to each other, it creates a feeling that the people are moving in fast motion around the artists who stand still in the same position. The MV also utilises multiple flashing images of disasters such as bombing, starvation and poverty that overlaps the singers at 1:51, 1:56, 1:58, 2:01, 2:04, 2:12 to emphasise the disasters occurring around the world.

Changes are made to backgrounds to demonstrate the decaying state of society. The scene darkens with grey shading at 2:53, cars on the road start to disappear in the bridge scene at 3:00, a child is running towards his mother yet she disappears at 3:07 and at the same time, the buildings start to decay and disappear. To provoke pity and sympathy from the audience, the little boy who lost his mother is seen to be standing alone with the camera closing onto his face and we see a tear drop roll down his face at 4:03. These all demonstrate the devastating consequences that will occur if people continue to refuse to take actions as a whole community. Yet just like the lyrics, the video offers hope.

At the beginning of 4:09, cars, buildings and people begin to appear again into the background. The ending scene is significant as the audience see the singers walk in darkness towards the ray of light or the exist. This suggests that during times of the pain, suffering and bleakness, we should never give up walking towards the light no matter how little or fragile it is.  

 

The Japanese song titled "Doushite Kimi Wo Suki Ni Natte Shimattandarou" translates to "Why did I fall in love with you?" The music video tells a story of a man who fell in love with his female friend but is too afraid to tell her. The girl end up marrying someone else and the lyrics reflect the way he feels as he is made to witness her wedding. At the start of the video, we see a short clip of the interaction between the two characters on a bridge. The man asks "I haven't seen you in a long time. Have you been well?" and the woman just nods her head but avoids his eyes, suggesting that she feels nervous and awkward around him. The camera zooms in onto her face as she looks down. This clearly depicts her discomfort that is manifested through her facial expression.  

Subsequently, the screen blacks out and the song title appears on the screen. The juxtaposition between these two scenes is designed to make the audience feel that the title is a question that the man is asking himself. This transition also enables a smooth interchange between flash backs and forwards. The audience is made to realise that the conversation on the bridge was a flashback. A wedding is taking place in the present. The bridge scene is an effective device to show a flash back of the moment that she broke the news to him of her plan to marry someone else. 

The introduction begins after the black out at 0:25. The scene cross blurs to show the front of a church building. The white walls and church bell represent wedding and marriage. Slow motion is used to show the bride and the groom as they walk down the stairs with the guests on the side of the stairs, clapping and throwing flowers at the newly weds to congratulate them. Slow motion suggests that this moment is significant.The bride happens to be the woman in the previous bridge scene but the groom beside her is not the man we see at the start of the video. That man is actually standing on the side of the stairs with the guests but he does not clap or throw flowers. The lyrics, "no matter how much time passed, I thought that you would always be here," reveals the closeness of their relationship but he is proven wrong when she "chose a different road." This also indicates his disappointment as he realises that she would not always be waiting for him. 

The side view of the bride, who is smiling happily at the groom next to her, centres focus on her joyful expression. However, we do not see the groom's face. This is because the groom is an insignificant figure in this song since the song represents the pain of seeing someone you love leaving you for someone else. Therefore, one can also argue that the side view is from the perspective of the man who is watching her from the side of the stairs so we see her through the eyes of this man. This is proven when she glances around and sees him; her gaze directs at him and us. Her smile gradually starts to fade and we switch perspectives as we see him through her eyes. He briefly looks at her but quickly looks down since he can't bear to smile openly at her. The two perspectives are important because it enables a shared connection between the two people and we are able to feel the intimacy between the man and the bride. 

As the man watches his beloved walk down the aisle, he feels regret because he is "not the one beside [her]" on this special day. He begins to remember their past. "Ever since the day I first met you, I felt like that I already know you. We melted together so naturally." Here, we see the memory of when they first met in class. "Wherever we go, we would always be together. It was so natural for you to be with me. The two of us grew up together." Here, we see the memory of them being together at a social gathering. The graduation scene appears as he thinks "No matter how much time passed, I always thought you would be right here." The use of flashbacks is effective because it emphasises the bond shared between the man and the girl which is also reflected through the lyrics.

The music and singing suddenly pauses at 2:35 while the scene flashes back to the bridge interaction that we see at the beginning of the video. The girl faces him and breaks the news "I'm getting married." As soon as she breaks the news, the song makes an entrance again and we are directed back to the wedding scene. The employment of a pause is effective here since it allows us to concentrate on the increasing tension and silence between them as she breaks the news. 

As the song ends, the bride forces herself to break eye contact with the man and decides to continue walking with the groom down the stairs. The church bell rings and we hear clapping and cheering in the background. This suggests that we are directed back to reality and now the man and the bride must move on with their own lives. They must separate to walk on different paths now.

For the last time, the scene moves back to the bridge where the two of them are standing apart, facing each other after she just broke the news of her plan to get married. Yet, even until this moment he still cannot find the courage to confess to her but only manages to say, "you must feel happy." They both turn around to walk away but the camera focuses on her as she turns around to look back and utters quietly, "good bye."

The screen fades to a black out as we see her unmoving figure. We are left to feel a sense of bittersweetness at their separation because both parties never had enough courage to tell each other about their own feelings. It is important to take into consideration the cultural differences between Japan and Western countries where men and women are often treated as equals. In Japanese culture, it is expected for the man to take the initiative or to make the first move. Japanese women are generally more conservative compared to Western women. 

In contrast to  "O", there is a central plot line with characters in this clip. The lyrics do not present an issue in society or serve to send out a message to the audience. Instead this song depicts the pain of a man who finds it too late to confess his feelings. The story plot unfolds parallel to the lyrics. This technique is important to shift our focus away from the artists so that we may concentrate on the main characters in the video. It also brings a deeper meaning to a song by depicting a personal experience that many people are able to relate to. 

(I'm sure the teacher will have fun reading this and hopefully, he will become a Cassie as well? hahahaha  

Now, I'll just cross my fingers and pray that he accepts this essay as an acceptable response =D)

*Sigh with relief* I think I wrote too much...only suppose to be 1500 words  = =" gahhhh I struggled to NOT include my own opinion about the MVs but I've got so much more to say!!! >_<

I think this task really helped me to understand and appreciate the songs more. I never actually felt so connected to "Doushite.." until now. After reading the lyrics and watching the clip over and over again, the underlying sense of regret, loss and pain really struck me. Gosh I still want to scream at this guy..."why can't he just TELL her!!!????"  I bet they will both reflect back to their past together with regret >_< or maybe I just have a soft spot for this whole "growing up together, spending time together, ambiguous relationship" blah blah blah...

BUT OMGsh I still want to punch him for not taking his chance. Ohhhh and the fact that he thinks that she'll always be there for him just makes me think he has a problem = =" I mean, did he actually think that she'll be sitting around, collecting dust while he enjoys her company but doesn't make a move...after so long? SERIOUSLY?  *chuckles to myself for uttering such criticism*

If she didn't get married and still waited around for him I wonder how long he planned to make her wait. *sigh* Well technically, he didn't take the chance when he had the opportunity so now he has to suffer and live in regret. Funnily enough, I was sad for him when I was watching the clip but is it too mean to say that I don't really feel sorry for him at this point?  


Ok setting this aside, I guess this is all for today's entry =D But keep your eyes open and I'll try to update soon ^^