Problem is that the bands and labels who decide what goes into the
videos can only think of two kinds of videos, that being:
1) shots of band members being cute and participating in a narrative and
singing
2) trippy computer graphics
... and since instrumental bands don't fit into category 1 so well (not
that they're not cute!), everyone thinks that #2 is better. The
producers think that the idm scene is completely populated by kids
trying psychedelics out for the first times (which is partially true)
and so they go with the trippy stuff. Even FSOL's beautiful new video
has trippy computer stuff (not quite mandelbrot, but still needlessly
trippy), even though the actual real-life photography and the character
acting is breathtaking.
I think things are changing however. The new popularity of idm on mtv
will help make both of these two above options obsolete as people
realize one thing - electronic music makes for a great soundtracks to
short experimental, non-narrative filmmaking. We will start to see great
videos and more collaboration between artists of different disciplines.
quoted 30 lines -----Original Message----->-----Original Message-----
>From: SS [SMTP:sslayer@goodnet.com]
>Sent: Monday, January 27, 1997 8:04 AM
>To: Andy
>Cc: Brian & Sharon Beuchaw; idm@hyperreal.com
>Subject: Re: (idm) IDM videos and swirly colors
>
>At 01:03 AM 1/27/97 -0500, Andy wrote:
>>I saw only the 1st AMP on tape.
>>AFX's "On" was great, however, I was overwhelmed by the number of
>>semi-boring screen-saveresque videos. (unfortunatley similar to the
>>AII Motion video with endlessly repetitive animation).
>>What are the other AFX videos like?
>>
>>Anyone care to venture why so many "idm-ambient" vidoes are, well,
>>somewhat comparable to looking through a kallidescope(which for me only
>>retains my interest for less than 1min).
>
> I would venture to guess that they're really for people who are on acid
>or X. When I used to take psychedelics computer animations were about the
>best thing to watch.
>
>>I'll take Autechre's Second Bad Vibel, AFX's On or even The Box over the
>>redundant screen-saver stuff anyday. What about everyone else? WHy does
>>this genre of swrily colors persist? I'm bored with it.
>
> I'm really into computer art so it's interesting to me, but it's hard to
>beat some of the really creative videos like The Box, My Kingdom, On, etc.
>
>