Snow Dance PV

[ricekid]

I was watching the 'Snow Dance' PV again, and was thinking. Are the people in the video extras or did the film crew just randomly start walking through the streets? Some things like the crowd of school girls and the dancers seem too planned to be random, but a lot of the people express genuine suprise at seeing Miwa. Was there ever a making of clip released, or does anyone else have their own 2 cents on this? I'm curious...

[James]

Good question... its hard to tell, I've always wondered.... WHY ISN'T SHE BEING MOBBED!?

On the DCT Clips V1 DVD, Masa and the director do a commentary (I think taka and miwa may be there on some aswell) isn't anything said on that? I heard him refer to Stanley Kubrick... no idea why, maybe the use of Steadicam!? I couldn't understand a word so I couldn't say.

Also, toward the end of the video, I'm sure a camera flash goes off.

- James

[Jei]

I think it's definitely staged...that's a one shot video....there's too many chances for things to mess up without everyone knowing what's going on...and Miwa is still too well known in Japan for her to just go walking around like that without somebody rushing up to her...^^

Also, I doubt Miwa just happened to walk by a bunch of young dancers dancing to the beat...

Great video and song, nonetheless

[tachikaze]

Snow Dance

The Stanley Kubrick references was to the "whole song entirety" long take, like Kurosawa and Kubrick in Full Metal Jacket.

Your ears are pretty good to pick out the Kubrick, I didn't even hear that when I listened to the commentary. For some reason I find Masa particularly hard to understand (Miwa even more so, alas).

Other notes:

Filmed in Daikanyama, October 18th, 1999.

They thought about using CG snow falling in editing.

A *lot* of extras were used for the shoot, recruited from art/image kohai, or underlings.

The bicycle delivery guy was an extra.

The joshikosei (high school students) were all extras.

In the dance scene the extras didn't have any music to dance to.

That's about all I could get...

Daikanyama is just to the south of Shibuya, in SW Tokyo. I lived about 2 miles away 1995-2000, so it reminds me of home... need to move back I guess

[James]

Snow Dance

The Stanley Kubrick references was to the "whole song entirety" long take, like Kurosawa and Kubrick in Full Metal Jacket.

yup, Steadicam! Kubrick was famed for using it [The Shining]. It's a complete contrast to the 24/7 video where the Steadicam work is diabolical!!! I'm not sure if that was intended. Anything in 24/7 commentary about bad camerawork!? I did better at the one day workshop i did.

- James

[tachikaze]

The only thing anyone can say about "24/7" is probably the uncommital 'ma, ne' (loosely translated as 'oh well').

When you've got to pay for your own video production, I suppose corners will get cut for such an iffy song as 24/7.

[James]

I've noticed something else on this video aswell... you need to watch it on a computer to notice it because TV's cut off the frame round the edges.

Keep your eye on masa as he leaves the shot, he stops and starts to turn, then carries on and you can see him hiding behind a pillar through the shop window. Also, as the camera carries on you can see a figure peering round the side of the shop, the figure then slowly walks back out from the shop just as the camera turns to go round the corner....

Maybe I was being too vigilant!

- James

[ricekid]

The only thing anyone can say about "24/7" is probably the uncommital 'ma, ne' (loosely translated as 'oh well').

When you've got to pay for your own video production, I suppose corners will get cut for such an iffy song as 24/7.

aww...I love that pv! bad camerawork and all! In fact, the camerawork makes the video...