Zero 7 ft. Jose Gonzalez: “Futures”
“Futures”, the first single off of Zero 7’s The Garden actually received the music video treatment twice. The first clip, beautifully directed by Robert Seidel, was ultimately passed on because it wasn’t commercial enough. With the state of music video distribution in the US one might find this curious, but you must remember that MTV and MTV2 actually play videos (and good ones at that) in the UK and that videos are often included as added purchase incentive on CD-single releases so commercialism remains a factor. Seidel’s video operates on high artifice and is centered around abstract images of what reveals itself to be different kinds of deconstructed foods and other natural materials, but ultimately succeeds thanks to it’s creative rhythmic editing and originality. Directors are always way better at describing their visions than I am though, so here’s what Seidel had to say about the clip:
“This low-budget video was done within just 2½ weeks for the planned DVD of Zero 7’s The Garden. The video visualizes crushed objects representing a diffuse future of wishes and desires which shape over time. Visible artifacts and the rough synchronisation add subtle emotions to the uncertain process…”
Video: “Futures” (Version 1) – Jose Gonzalez
Director: Robert Seidel
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime] [iPod]
The formally-released video was directed by up-and-coming production team Duckeye, who create a wonderful clip in which the aerial view of a landscape is manipulated in rhythm with the song. While the clip is brilliant in concept, it could have been better executed, as the video could stand to be more stimulating with more instances of the landscape interacting with the song as can be seen at times throughout the video. The two videos are difficult to compare due to the fact that their treatment of and approach to the song is so dramatically different, and I really don’t know which one I prefer. Compare the two for yourself and feel free to discuss in the comments.
Video: “Futures” (Version 2) – Jose Gonzalez
Director: Duckeye
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime] [iPod]