By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
To make a good music video, one that will stay in the viewer's memory for a long time, It was never an easy task. Never. Especially not in a time when everyone has a camera on their phone and can edit on a computer with decent memory and a powerful processor. Sure, anyone can click and start recording and think they're getting the shot of the century, and their friends might praise the result of their experiment, but it takes much more to create an outstanding product, one that can move thousands of people with its aesthetic value and its ability to capture and enhance the essence of the song it represents. Of course, we cannot forget that, although it is a visual product, its success lies in presenting in the best possible way the sound production that motivates it. A music video fails if, even with the most striking visuals, the viewer can't recall the background music after repeated viewings. Fortunately, 2019 has some excellent examples of audiovisual productions from this hemisphere that are worthy of being enjoyed for a long time.
We have chosen 10 wonderful works, from Uruguay, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Colombia and Argentina which testify to the current strength of video art in Latin America:
He killed a motorcycle policeman – The Treasury
Two years after releasing this song on digital platforms and subsequently releasing the album The O'Konor Synthesis, This group from the Argentinian city of La Plata released this video, breaking all the molds of music industry promotion. Truthfully, just when the audience wasn't expecting a visual representation of this song, El Mató made this gem of innocence available to the public, paying homage to friendship and youthful adventure., making full use of the symbolism created by the band to celebrate this recent stage of their career. Under the direction of Facundo Españon and Federico Rotstein, two longtime collaborators, The Treasury, With its slow motion and detailed photography, it is a commendable work that honors the undeniable growth of the group.
Sonoras Mil – Witches
This video is exquisite in every way. From the perfect choice of filming location to the bold editing that blends fantastically with the rhythm of the song, passing through an art direction that creates high-impact hybrid images and a visual luxury that pays tribute to a legendary image of the Rolling Stones, This clip is a masterpiece. Directed by Juan Camilo and Andrés Serrano, Bruajs is an exciting work from every angle, and if we had the resources to reward its success, we wouldn't hesitate to give it one of the biggest prizes of the year.
The Girl – The Sea
Brilliant works like this are rare, even with all the technical elements at the production's disposal. This video employs various creative techniques and tools, ranging from animation to special effects., And although it feels abundant in resources, there is no overflow or exaggeration anywhere. The nostalgic yet innovative music of this Venezuelan artist living in France unfolds into a moving story filled with visual metaphors that must be followed step by step and revisited with pleasure each time you hear this piece, as if you were unexpectedly invited to decipher a puzzle of splendid images and dazzling allure. This is beauty in motion.
Astronaut Project – Forever
The obvious secret of this video from this Peruvian project is the intense work that went into the editing. Each cut is perfectly timed so that the viewer never loses touch with the song., keeping him alert and, at the same time, with a spirit eager for celebration and delicate revelry. The video, which can in no way be described as expensive or ostentatious, establishes a pleasant metaphor about love and relationships without resorting to clichés or sentimentality. A successful and enjoyable piece of work.
Blond – Bluebird
Fran Straube has accustomed us to beautifully presented and meticulously crafted work. His project, Rubio, as we've mentioned on several occasions, is a beacon of avant-garde refinement on the continent right now. And, in a year dedicated to preparing what will be the follow-up album to his wonderful record... Fish, He presented only this song, through a video that more than lives up to his high standards of quality. This work, directed by Pepe Alarcón, It is spot-on every second, thanks to its meticulous photography, its splendid art direction, and especially its coloring., Perfectly suited to the dramatic flow of the production. In a word: sensational.
The Tower – To be eternal
Another example of rule-breaking in music business promotion. To be eternal, The song, released in 2018 by this Ecuadorian artist, and which entered our ranking of the best songs of last year in Latin America, only recently premiered its video and regained the attention of viewers in the region. It has a refined and elegant staging, where the camera focuses on capturing, in close-ups, the most outstanding details of the protagonist's makeup and wardrobe, who highlights the emotional impact of the piece with delicate movements. A commendable feat, ready to be revisited whenever desired.
Orieta Chrem – Desire
As we mentioned in a previous review: This Peruvian artist presents us with a video reminiscent of animation from the 1930s and 40s, where, Respecting the creative spirit of those times, he adds neon to the images, and turns them into a fun sequence of drawings with contemporary solidity., Perfect for promoting music made for today's most daring dance floors. The visuals are uncomplicated, and it's precisely in the simplicity of their presentation that the delight lies. We definitely like it.
Child God – Magdalena (Trap Orchestra)
This artist from Monterrey, Mexico, doesn't mince words or hold back in her imagery. More than one prudish person will feel, upon seeing her videos, that they are descending into the deepest hell, as they contain explicit scenes of sexual freedom and expressions of anti-establishment rebellion. Fortunately, times have changed, and there is no possibility that censorship professionals can block the viewing of this complex production., Perhaps the highest budget in this collection of selected clips, where the aim is to pay homage to harmony in Renaissance times, but, at the same time, the superb use of scandal is applied to attract new audiences without puritanical traumas.
Laura and the Typewriter – Hop
This Colombian artist gives the audience no rest with her four-minute song, and the director of this video shares that same purpose in its creation. This is a fast-paced video from the very first second., who longs (and succeeds) in infecting the audience with an overflowing energy, in a game that intensely combines black and white sequences, where there are scenes of dancing, leaping, walking, and expansive landscapes, which transition between them with a vehement speed. A delightful work that manages to leave us singing the chorus repeatedly for quite some time.
The Halven – The night is beautiful.
We are certain of two things after watching this video: This Uruguayan group had a very low budget, but, at the same time, Nothing indicates that it was an easy job, nor can we ignore the brilliant complexity of its assembly. With the collaboration of fifty immigrants in different parts of the world and with precise instructions on how to use their cell phone cameras, this video is a fantastic exercise in international coordination, serving an entertaining story that also features a neatly crafted pop song. Moreover, the whole thing is etched in the viewer's memory, and that's what this entire endeavor is about.
Lucho SSJ – Level
The zombie and undead craze that has swept the world for years has spawned countless films, TV series, and entertaining videos, and this is one such example. A 17-year-old Argentinian artist, in collaboration with Craneo Films, He has put together a hilarious production full of gory effects and extraordinary makeup, Where violence makes us laugh, and instead of succumbing to the chilling heavy rock of all the previous examples, we get into the groove of the trap music of the moment and start dancing shamelessly, even with a gaunt corpse beside us, smiling as if its world hadn't ended long ago. A stroke of genius that already has millions of views, despite being made with independent funding.
