MERGED-->OOTS Video DISCUSSION

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Yes! The head creeped me out a bit. It had no eyelashes, so it was like a creepy doll head.

But the cinematography of the band members was gorgeous, and I did like some of the other graphics. It's worlds better than the videos for Vertigo and COBL (which was just too dark - I'd rather watch a bootleg).
 
Superb video. It really moved me. I cried some tears without knowing why. This video is proof that a picture is worth ten thousand words.

Right now U2 are most powerful as a force against cynicism in the world. Taking Washington DC on October 20 as an example - they have certain purity of spirit that can melt the hardest hearts and that is reflected in this video.
 
LemonAid said:


I think the head shots were intedned to be that basic, thats what nearly gives it more beauty. I use alot of rendering in my work also and know that its not exactly difficult these days to make things more realistic. Come on, if they wanted it to be more realistic, its not like they're stuck for money or knowledge, I mean look at the effects overloads of Elevation and Vertigo.

The basic approach looks as if its meant to give the idea of purity, something at its very beginng. Almost as if even further definition awaits this person or spirit in life, like the lyrics suggest....thus the marker lines and advice that are projected onto the skin. I could be wrong, but the very idea that a video has us talking like this is better than I could ever have hoped. I loved the excitement of the Vertigo vido, and Sometimes was very well-handled, but all of them have been quite 'regular' as videos...this one really is a shot in the dark towards a more artistic feeling.
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i know what you mean - i fully agree with what you say about the simplicity of it and the fresh canvas/further definition idea.
with that in mind i think the theory is excellent but i just think parts of it were poorly executed. theres something about the head thats just too generic, too polished - it looks like any 3d model you could download off a page somewhere to practice lipsyncing with.
it looks like a manaquin and the edges are too clean and unhuman around the eyes and mouth (i think thats the problem, the unhuman like quality of it) which is really emphasised when she moves and blinks and opens her mouth for the butterflies.
i find it difficult to get a sense of emotion for something that is so obviously fake thats all.
and besides if we're talking effects - the circular ground in the vertigo video that rises around them is a piss poor excuse for vfx. sorry :(
i dunno - i thought the wires in teh beginning were excellent but i found the fake white head on a black background with dodgy flowers coming out of it just a bit dull and boring.

Bono however is ASTONISHING in that video. he looks great, he's loaded with emotion (it almost made me cry 3rd, 4th, 5th, 12th time round) and everything from the point he takes his glasses off is just incredible.

i just don't like the head i guess but even that doesn't take away from the fact that it is one of the best and most original videos they've made in years
 
digsy said:


i know what you mean - i fully agree with what you say about the simplicity of it and the fresh canvas/further definition idea.
with that in mind i think the theory is excellent but i just think parts of it were poorly executed. theres something about the head thats just too generic, too polished - it looks like any 3d model you could download off a page somewhere to practice lipsyncing with.
it looks like a manaquin and the edges are too clean and unhuman around the eyes and mouth (i think thats the problem, the unhuman like quality of it) which is really emphasised when she moves and blinks and opens her mouth for the butterflies.
i find it difficult to get a sense of emotion for something that is so obviously fake thats all.
and besides if we're talking effects - the circular ground in the vertigo video that rises around them is a piss poor excuse for vfx. sorry :(
i dunno - i thought the wires in teh beginning were excellent but i found the fake white head on a black background with dodgy flowers coming out of it just a bit dull and boring.

Bono however is ASTONISHING in that video. he looks great, he's loaded with emotion (it almost made me cry 3rd, 4th, 5th, 12th time round) and everything from the point he takes his glasses off is just incredible.

i just don't like the head i guess but even that doesn't take away from the fact that it is one of the best and most original videos they've made in years
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It's fascinating to read the thoughts of someone who is knowledgable about the technical aspects of the field - thanks.

This is coming from someone who has absolutely zero knowledge of the area, but when I look at the face, I'm amazed by the way they've been able to convey a quality of innocence. That's what I see - innocence, and the potential for anything to be soaked up by the being (person?)...and the hope that it will be good, positive and beautiful things.

I agree that the Vertigo video was unimpressive. I never saw the big deal about that video at all. Rather disappointing, that song has a lot of potential for visual representation, and it could have been so much more.
 
the head to me is supposed to be universal
it's not supposed to have distinguishing characteristics
I think to say the head is too generic reall misses the point
they could have used a real fucking head, but they didn't
what does that tell you?
 
U2DMfan said:
the head to me is supposed to be universal
it's not supposed to have distinguishing characteristics
I think to say the head is too generic reall misses the point
they could have used a real fucking head, but they didn't
what does that tell you?
Click to expand...

I agree that a "real fucking head" would change the meaning of the song, but it's still on the creepy side. Even giving the thing eyelashes would have helped.
 
U2 should ask Win Wenders to make all their videos.

This video was terrible.
I´m sorry to say this, I truly love U2 and truly love Original of the Species but this video was awful. It was like watching the opening of Nip/Tuck with that creepy bold head.
 
FROM U2.COM
The video was conceived and directed by Catherine Owens, a long time friend and collaborator of U2 who is responsible for many of the striking visual concepts in the band's live show. The idea grew out of a piece that she was working on to accompany the song during the Vertigo Tour.

It was after Owens had shown the band her ideas for a visual to accompany 'Original Of The Species', featuring a huge female digital head, that Bono had the idea that it would work as the video for the song.

'He said to me he wanted to be in a video with her, he wanted to be in her world and could I make that happen?’

Over the next six weeks Owens made it happen and the resulting video uses groundbreaking software thanks to a new product called a 'face robot’.

The band had their heads 'scanned' in Chicago in September (this will make sense when you've watched it!) and digital effects were developed in New York and LA.

The live performance element was filmed backstage at Madison Square Garden in early October and this version of the song, currently at radio in the US, is the one that the band recorded in Holland over the summer with Garrett Lee.

'It’s the first video to include this new software which enables us to bring a human emotion to digital technology,’ explains Owens. 'The result is something which is intimate and emotional.’

And that’s just how she finds the song itself. 'When I first heard it, I thought this song was about those tiny little moments when you look at another person - at your wife, your child, your best friend, your collaborator - and you realise how magnificent they are – just for a moment before you go back to what you were doing. The song to me is about acknowledging the utter beauty of another person, a beauty which gets lost in a world obsessed with product and consumerism. And that's what we've tried to capture with the video.’
 
Wim Wenders makes brutal movies I wouldnt want him directing U2 videos. This video was excellent, and I am glad to see that most of the response here was positive, but of course not all of it.
 
What an amazingly cool video!

The new video for OOTS is so cool! Its by far the coolest video theyve done since maybe pop! The tears coming out of her eyes while Bono sings in her ear is just a great touch. The ending as well! DId you notice they did a discotheque like sequence at the end with the 4 band members standing back and then the camera rotating around them?? Perfect! And the baby at the beginning. This should be a big hit!

What you all think what do you rate the vidoe out of 10. What video would you compare it to. Like i said there is some discotheque video and even some staring at the sun!

Very awasome,
Nico
 
The video is amazing. I've watched it about 7 times so far, and I still get teary eyed from it.
The first part reminds me of a Bjork video, and I felt U2 was copying her. But once Bono takes his shades off, all is forgiven, and the video is just great and is one my favorites.
 
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so hang on, U2 once decide to use an original concept, something that some "fans" have been crying out for, and now they class it as terrible?

that ONE image of the tear coming from the eye made me feel something i have never felt before, and something i cant explain
 
Those people that think the video is creepy don't understand art, don't understand imagery, don't understand the art (not just the science) of computer animation and, quite frankly, don't understand the relationship between what is on the screen and what the song is all about.

The video is as beautiful as it is technically and visually astounding. It is also *perfect* for this particular song. I'll be pissed if it doesn't win at least one major award at the video music awards. I haven't seen anything quite like this video from anybody in a long time.
 
What a great suprise to have first thing in the morning a new U2 vid. Very moving beautiful graphics. I have to say after letting out the very loud squeal at seeing a new video I also lost a few tears. I also have a new fav vid.
 
cypress said:
Those people that think the video is creepy don't understand art, don't understand imagery, don't understand the art (not just the science) of computer animation and, quite frankly, don't understand the relationship between what is on the screen and what the song is all about.
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Or, you know, maybe some people just have a different opinion than you.

I understand imagery and the relationship between what is on the screen and what the song is out. I still find the head a little creepy, computer animation or no.

Thanks for being so condescending.
 
Good video.. unique.. interesting.. but five to ten years down the road, that CGI is going to seem really, really cheesy.
 
i find it amazing, and whenever a video strikes me when i hear the song i see the images in my head, and this one gets stuck in there (just like one, stay, and a few others)

way to think outside performences guys:rockon:
 
edgeu22 said:
Good video.. unique.. interesting.. but five to ten years down the road, that CGI is going to seem really, really cheesy.
Click to expand...

this could be true.

for now, though, i definitely like it. people who see it will remember it, whether they like it or not. it grabs your attention...and bono's part at the end there is really brilliant.
 
2001: A Space Odyssey

The video head reminded me of the 2001:A Space Odyssey baby ...with all creepy correlations implied.

OOTS is a song I would not be comfortable hearing my father sing to me, it's too eroticized. Having said that...

The road to hell is paved with good intentions...I get the "good" intentions.

I'm just hoping this was channeled and isn't only Bono's stream of consciousness. Just so I can blame it on somebody else.

:huh:
 
I loved the video. It's a beautiful concept that really fits with the song. I thought the butterflies were kind of cheesy, though. I'm not sure why, since I liked the flowers.
 
cypress said:
Those people that think the video is creepy don't understand art, don't understand imagery, don't understand the art (not just the science) of computer animation and, quite frankly, don't understand the relationship between what is on the screen and what the song is all about.

The video is as beautiful as it is technically and visually astounding. It is also *perfect* for this particular song. I'll be pissed if it doesn't win at least one major award at the video music awards. I haven't seen anything quite like this video from anybody in a long time.
Click to expand...

:up:

it's not their best video ever, IMO, but it gives me hope that they might be willing to take some chances in the future. It's about the most interesting thing they've done since the end of Popmart, offically anyways, I don't download many bootleg videos so maybe there is some mad shit I've missed from concerts etc.
 
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