Blame It On The Girls Video

[TTel20]

I really like the video more than WAG.

Difficult to say why but it's a feeling.

[racinghorse83]

I.. like it. Won't say more than that. Its OK. I don't think its terrible, dont think its good. It could have been better. It also could have been worse. Just OK.

 

My brother was all excited about seeing it and his reaction kind of mirrored my own... this is what he said while watching the video;

 

"I like the colours"

"He can't dance, he should do his old stage moves, they look good, this dancing just insnt working"

"Is there gonna be some kinda of peak?"

*end of video;*

 

'Umm, Ok. '

[Nollaig]

And if that vision is a dystopia? .... Sometimes, that reason is because the only way to reflect the imperfect is to make something that is imperfect on purpose.

 

Entirely just my opinion here but, much as I like the video, I think you're kinda grasping at straws to turn 'mediocre' into the 'excellent' we all wanted. I get what you're saying and I see it in the video, but I really think it's just sloppiness that happened to work out that way. (Just my opinion though.)

[sariflor]

Okay well this is professional dancing. They're a Korean band called "DBSK" and they're amazing because they're so versatile. Please keep watching the video because the music changes it's style a few times. Plus, look at how they perform; they're neat, tidy, sharp, clean cut...they have very good spacial awareness and perfectly in time with each other. They work together.

I know you can't compare this dance to BIOTG because they're completely different styles. But it doesn't matter what style you do, whether it be urban, jazz, salsa, tap, ballet or contemporary...dancing is all about working together and creating a vision.

 

Like this other video for example (it's the dance shot version). It's nothing like BIOTG style or even the above video's style, but it's technical and just very clever. There are several people in this group and it's hard to co-ordinate dancers when there's quite a number sometimes, but just look at the patterning and the way it all joins together! Love or hate the dance, you have to admit that it's cleverly done. And watch the bit at 1:45 where they do a canon bit. The person in front has to know their timing PERFECTLY in order for it to sync well and it goes EXACTLY how a canon SHOULD go. The girls couldn't do it in BIOTG and they could look to see when it was their turn to move. The girls can't see what's going on behind them in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn2WpUYuies

And these girls aren't even professionals.

 

and I just wanna learn this dance so badly lol

 

 

 

I agree with what you said, Caz. This is one of the reasons why this video grates on me.

Oh, and on the dancers: Why are we assuming that they are professionals? They're not doing a highly skilled dance and they are not doing it very well. I would say that it makes more sense to assume that they are NOT professionals .

[willywonka]

Blame it on the Director who doesn't know what to do

Blame it on the dancers who look like monkeys at the zoo

Blame it on your mother she just can't watch it no more

Blame it on your father who just ran out the door

[sariflor]

Because they got paid for it.

 

Ok, firstly we are assuming that they got paid (unless you know something that I don't) and secondly, even if they were paid, I think that defining someone as "professional" in their field comes down to their skill rather to whether they are getting paid...

[Nollaig]

How is having an artistically logical reason for my position grasping at straws?

How are my points lacking in substance?

 

Because the video LOOKS sloppy to me. It doesn't look like it was made that way deliberately.

[Christine]

You know if I hadn't been around MFC for 2.5 years I would think all of the amateur dancing apologists were just trying to wind everyone up. Even if it was intentional it was a bad idea because IT LOOKS BAD. This is a video, not a literary work. If it looks like crap it's crap - end of.

 

[racinghorse83]

*reads above 5 comments*

 

 

and THIS is why i LOVE the MFC

[willywonka]

You know if I hadn't been around MFC for 2.5 years I would think all of the amateur dancing apologists were just trying to wind everyone up. Even if it was intentional it was a bad idea because IT LOOKS BAD. This is a video, not a literary work. If it looks like crap it's crap - end of.

 

 

Don't say that, Christine, Mika is reading and he'll get mad and switch off the cable...

[Droopsy]

Blame it on the Director who doesn't know what to do

Blame it on the dancers who look like monkeys at the zoo

Blame it on your mother she just can't watch it no more

Blame it on your father who just ran out the door

 

[Gatagordinha]

I.. like it. Won't say more than that. Its OK. I don't think its terrible, dont think its good. It could have been better. It also could have been worse. Just OK.

 

My brother was all excited about seeing it and his reaction kind of mirrored my own... this is what he said while watching the video;

 

"I like the colours"

"He can't dance, he should do his old stage moves, they look good, this dancing just insnt working"

"Is there gonna be some kinda of peak?"

*end of video;*

 

'Umm, Ok. '

 

Your brother and I obviously share a psychic link because those were my thoughts exactly

 

Blame it on the Director who doesn't know what to do

Blame it on the dancers who look like monkeys at the zoo

Blame it on your mother she just can't watch it no more

Blame it on your father who just ran out the door

 

 

Because the video LOOKS sloppy to me. It doesn't look like it was made that way deliberately.

 

You know if I hadn't been around MFC for 2.5 years I would think all of the amateur dancing apologists were just trying to wind everyone up. Even if it was intentional it was a bad idea because IT LOOKS BAD. This is a video, not a literary work. If it looks like crap it's crap - end of.

 

 

Sadly I just have to agree. Aside form the nice pink colour and the fact that Mika is hot , the video is hugely disappointing, may I even use the word ramshackle.

[Nollaig]

Blame it on the Director who doesn't know what to do

Blame it on the dancers who look like monkeys at the zoo

Blame it on your mother she just can't watch it no more

Blame it on your father who just ran out the door

 

Superb

[CazGirl]

And if that vision is a dystopia? Wouldn't the best way to convey that in dance be to have everybody slightly out of step? Then, take a recognized to the point of being cliched image like Busby Berkley and subvert that image by going against it's defining characteristic (taking a synchronized routine and making it slightly off)?

 

The song is about a guy who is out of step with life because of his refusal to take responsibility for his choices. He's got everything he needs for a perfect life, but he's out of step. He's a sort of imperfect perfection.

 

So, the video references something perfect like a Busby Berkley routine and makes it imperfect. Like the guy in the song, it could be perfect and should be perfect, but it isn't perfect.

 

The video references A Clockwork Orange because it's a movie about trying to create a perfect society by perfecting the imperfect elements of society. Those attempts fail, much the way the guy in the song fails to perfect his life because he's going about it the wrong way (blaming others instead of taking responsibility.)

 

If the "imperfections" in the video were "fixed", there would be no point in referencing Busby Berkley or A Clockwork Orange. The video wouldn't be saying anything about the song at that point and would just be a pretty video for people to look at.

 

You don't just hire professional dancers and have them dance badly for no reason because professional dancers spend every ounce of their energy striving for perfection. When you are in the habit of being perfectly in tune with the music and the other dancers around you and doing each step perfectly, you don't just naturally fall out of step. You have to WORK at it. As a trained dancer, I'm sure you already know that.

 

Anybody with any training in any field experiences the same thing. You don't just lay aside years of training and perfecting basic skills without a compelling reason. Sometimes, that reason is because the only way to reflect the imperfect is to make something that is imperfect on purpose.

 

No I have to completely disagree, because the imperfections are that - imperfections. They are not choreographed to be that way.

 

I'll do a step by step of the mistakes (and not just the dancers) to show you what I mean. I will even have screen caps.

 

0.43 seconds when Mika starts banging his cane. The cane slips. That was accidental. And they didn't redo it and perfect it. If you're gonna make a video that's going to be purposely full of accidents, you exaggerate it and caricature it to make it much more obvious. That was a genuine mistake and just looks wrong.

 

 

0.56 right back corner when they start to move the screens. One of the dancers isn't in her correct place. I'm aware there was a man moving the screen but *something* should have been placed differently, and then she starts dancing ahead of what she's supposed to be doing.

 

 

1.06 dancer on the left forgets her moves.

 

 

1.20 The dancers break away in canon. The effect gets broken by the girl who breaks away too soon

 

 

EDITING VICE - where Mika keeps going out of shot. I find that annoying personally.

 

 

1.44 the famous incorrect lipsync. That should have been redone. I won't do a screencap of that, tis a bit hard lol.

 

1.56-1.58 where they're in the circle and their heads look up. Some people heads go down and up again, as if they're unsure of the timing of when they're supposed to put their heads down. Also note the closeness on the right and the gap on the left.

 

 

2.04 where they start to go down in canon. 2 girls go down at the same time.

 

 

2.39 where they're holding the ribbons and they go backwards. on the left hand side the second girl pulls back a bit late (she goes later than the second girl on the right) and ends up cutting off the girl who goes before her.

 

 

2.44 This is probably *too* picky, but I can't help but notice it. The girl on the left hand side, the one who was first to pull away...when the camera zooms in towards Mika she shifts her foot. I know, I know, picky picky picky. But she just should have kept still because I always notice it out of the corner of my camera and it drags my attention away from the main man himself. Not much point in a screen cap here but thought I'd give it a mention.

 

3.09 where they pull back. Look at both of those lines on either side. They're supposed to be symmetrical but they are not. Someone keeps going out of line and it's someone on the right.

 

 

 

And this bit where they do the fosse type move...the girl totally cuts off the girl behind her.

 

 

And that my friends, is the end. I'll probably get shot for this, but these are the mistakes that annoy me. Maybe you noticed them. Maybe you didn't. But I did.

Edited October 4, 2009 by CazGirl

[JoseOle]

Wow I'm really surprised by all those negative comments on the vid because I just adore it! I can honestly say that I like this one more than WAG! It has this oldskool vibe, with old video-effects, it has it's own style with nice colours and nice moves (yes, I like the moves )!

[CazGirl]

Professional is when you have had loads and loads of training, surely, not just because you get paid for it? For example, I'm a self taught artist. I've not been trained at all. Would you honestly call me a professional if someone happened to like my work and offered me a job? That's a serious question by the way, not sarcasm.

[CazGirl]

Wow I'm really surprised by all those negative comments on the vid because I just adore it! I can honestly say that I like this one more than WAG! It has this oldskool vibe, with old video-effects, it has it's own style with nice colours and nice moves (yes, I like the moves )!

 

That's fine. Other people like it too and you're not the only one who prefers it over WAG.

[Lena]

And only Russian liked this video. Those who wrote comments, has not written any word against it.

Present to Mika a ruler if you so require geometry

[purplegrape]

No I have to completely disagree, because the imperfections are that - imperfections. They are not choreographed to be that way.

 

I'll do a step by step of the mistakes (and not just the dancers) to show you what I mean. I will even have screen caps.

 

0.43 seconds when Mika starts banging his cane. The cane slips. That was accidental. And they didn't redo it and perfect it. If you're gonna make a video that's going to be purposely full of accidents, you exaggerate it and caricature it to make it much more obvious. That was a genuine mistake and just looks wrong.

 

 

 

0.56 right back corner when they start to move the screens. One of the dancers isn't in her correct place. I'm aware there was a man moving the screen but *something* should have been placed differently, and then she starts dancing ahead of what she's supposed to be doing.

 

 

 

1.06 dancer on the left forgets her moves.

 

 

 

1.20 The dancers break away in canon. The effect gets broken by the girl who breaks away too soon

 

 

EDITING VICE - where Mika keeps going out of shot. I find that annoying personally.

 

 

 

1.44 the famous incorrect lipsync. That should have been redone. I won't do a screencap of that, tis a bit hard lol.

 

1.56-1.58 where they're in the circle and their heads look up. Some people heads go down and up again, as if they're unsure of the timing of when they're supposed to put their heads down. Also note the closeness on the right and the gap on the left.

 

 

 

2.04 where they start to go down in canon. 2 girls go down at the same time.

 

 

 

2.39 where they're holding the ribbons and they go backwards. on the left hand side the second girl pulls back a bit late (she goes later than the second girl on the right) and ends up cutting off the girl who goes before her.

 

 

 

2.44 This is probably *too* picky, but I can't help but notice it. The girl on the left hand side, the one who was first to pull away...when the camera zooms in towards Mika she shifts her foot. I know, I know, picky picky picky. But she just should have kept still because I always notice it out of the corner of my camera and it drags my attention away from the main man himself. Not much point in a screen cap here but thought I'd give it a mention.

 

3.09 where they pull back. Look at both of those lines on either side. They're supposed to be symmetrical but they are not. Someone keeps going out of line and it's someone on the right.

 

 

 

And this bit where they do the fosse type move...the girl totally cuts off the girl behind her.

 

 

 

And that my friends, is the end. I'll probably get shot for this, but these are the mistakes that annoy me. Maybe you noticed them. Maybe you didn't. But I did.

I saw every one of those mistakes the first time and every time I see it and yet I love every little thing about it.

And for some reason all of these negaitve comments make me love it more.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not going to fight because I could tell you all my opinion 100 times and back it up but in the end it's nothing more than that: my opinion.

 

Those who like it, like it. Those who don't, don't.

 

I've also never seen a point in talking about thenegative things over and over. Say it once, get it off your chest, that's fine. But complaining about little mistakes is not going to change them. They will always be in this video and if you don't like seeing them then either learn to overlook them or stop watching it. but nothing productive come from wishing it were different.

 

I suggest we take our time to talk about the good things because they end up more important in the end and tend to make most people happy. If someone is talking about a bit you don't like then don't join the conversation.

 

If you dan't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all.

 

I like the vid, so do other people. Some people dislike it. Ok, that's established now. Can we stop bickering over the stupid little things and enjoy ourselves? Please?

[CazGirl]

Yeah, I picked up on all of those. Given the precise spacing of those line breaks, it looks like they are meant to be that way.

 

Let me put it in graphic design terms. I want to create a picture that is a recognizable Busby Berkley formation. However, I want it to use that formation to reflect a dystopian society, so I'm going to make it slightly imperfect. If I exaggerate that flaw, I fail in my attempt because the flaw takes over the frame. I need the flaw to be just recognizable enough that the audience picks up on it, but not so noticable that the audience thinks it's a parody. So, I'm going to take one element of the frame and shift it so that it's slightly off. I'm going to have one dancer slightly out of place. I'm going to take a recognizable dual circle formation and have it off center.

 

But too much off center and people will think it's a parody.

 

The lines you drew exactly mirror the proportions I used in order to create that effect when I was a designer. If that was only the case in one of those examples, I'd say, "Yeah, that was a total screw up." But the proportions are right in that uncanny valley where it looks close to right, but it's off enough that it makes you scratch your head in every example you posted. (And yeah, the uncanny valley is actually a phenomenon related to CGI facial structure design, but it reflects a similiar principle, so I used the reference anyway.

 

It looks like it was designed to be that way for all of the reasons I've already stated. Must have sucked for the dancers, but their frustration just adds to it.

 

(And I was really done, but you put so much effort into those screenshots, I didn't want to just leave you hanging.)

 

Umph. I get what you're saying. I really do. I just...don't like it. Or agree with it. They all look like genuine mistakes to me and if you're gonna make something purposely wrong it shouldn't leave the audience thinking "is that a mistake or not?" it should be obvious. A video like this isn't supposed to make you think about it, it's meant to be said for you. There ARE some videos out there that are made to make you think, but this video just isn't one of them. There isn't enough depth or context or get you wondering about why they've done this or why they've done that. If I had to do a deconstruction of this music video in my Media Studies class I'd have a fair amount to talk about the costume and the era they chose, but that's about it. There really isn't a lot to this video and it underwhelms the song in my opinion.

[sienna]

Wow Caz!

 

I tried to watch it with your notes but I couldn't even see it not all of it!

It's like I said before we have different references and I truly respect your point of view!

 

Interesting though!

[CazGirl]

I saw every one of those mistakes the first time and every time I see it and yet I love every little thing about it.

And for some reason all of these negaitve comments make me love it more.

 

I'm not going to fight because I could tell you all my opinion 100 times and back it up but in the end it's nothing more than that: my opinion.

 

Those who like it, like it. Those who don't, don't.

 

I've also never seen a point in talking about thenegative things over and over. Say it once, get it off your chest, that's fine. But complaining about little mistakes is not going to change them. They will always be in this video and if you don't like seeing them then either learn to overlook them or stop watching it. but nothing productive come from wishing it were different.

 

I suggest we take our time to talk about the good things because they end up more important in the end and tend to make most people happy. If someone is talking about a bit you don't like then don't join the conversation.

 

If you dan't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all.

 

I like the vid, so do other people. Some people dislike it. Ok, that's established now. Can we stop bickering over the stupid little things and enjoy ourselves? Please?

 

That's fine. I'm not trying to make people dislike it lol, I was just proving my point in case those little things were overlooked and people didn't know where I was coming from.

 

And I know complaining isn't gonna change anything, but for me it's frustrating at the same time lol

I don't want to bitch about the video - like I've said a good few times, I think Mika's performance in it is brilliant, I'm just disappointed by everything else, is all

 

EDIT: By the way, love your siggie!

[forevermika]

Funny, with the WAG video, the more I watched it, the more I liked it. This seems to be going the opposite way. I'm refusing to watch it a third time because I really don't want to hate it.

 

Simple review:

 

Pros: Loooved the overall look and feel to it, went well with the music and very love today-esque. Mika looked cute as always (love the hair:wub2:)

 

Cons: again, reeeaaallly sloppy. I also thought the dancing would be more latin inspired and faster in general.

 

Although, not a bad addition to Mika's videos

btw, who directed this?

Edited October 4, 2009 by forevermika

[Blossom]

btw, who directed this?

 

The same person who did Take That's 'Greatest Day' video - Meiert Avis.

[purplegrape]

That's fine. I'm not trying to make people dislike it lol, I was just proving my point in case those little things were overlooked and people didn't know where I was coming from.

 

And I know complaining isn't gonna change anything, but for me it's frustrating at the same time lol

I don't want to bitch about the video - like I've said a good few times, I think Mika's performance in it is brilliant, I'm just disappointed by everything else, is all

 

EDIT: By the way, love your siggie!

I understand what you were doing, and I respect your opinion. I really do. I don't agree and you know that but you can think what you want, of course.

And I understand that it's frustrating for you.

 

This is the Mika fan club.

Doesn't really matter who else we like or dislike.

 

 

Thanks