Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1503172
o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 7 I f you look back at the early '80s and the dawn of MTV, you'll see how much the music video was able to shape the image of a recording artist. Musicians such as Cyndi Lauper and Michael Jackson, and of course Tina Turner, along with bands that include Duran Duran and Twisted Sister, all captured viewers' attention as well as shaped public perception with their use of the new format. The internet now allows artists to reach a global audience without the help of the "all-music" channel, making the format just as rele- vant today. But, one might ask, have music videos evolved? This month we look at a range of high-profile and independent projects that share space on YouTube. Aerosol Jezus' "Cozey" video took weeks to shoot across chal- lenging locations, but producer/director Mitchell Abraham was able to handle much of the production and post himself, thanks to the availability of tools that one could only have dreamt of years ago. The directing duo behind Crosslegged's "Automatic" video decid- ed to explore AI's potential in the creation of her new release, but were surprised at how much extra work was involved, marking a stark contrast to their initial expectations. Here, we look at the making of these two new releases, the chal- lenges behind them, and how they came together in post. Aerosol Jezus: "cozey" Aerosol Jezus' new "Cozey" music video represents the culmination of two years of work. The project was conceived and executed by Mitchell Abraham, a Notre Dame graduate who makes both music and visual content. Abraham partnered with fellow alum Zachary Ostapchenko to be- gin work on "Cozey" back in September of 2020, using the lockdown of the COVID pandemic to intensely focus on the project's produc- tion. The video follows the journey of a space traveler who seeks out alluring crystals on a diverse group of planets. Each world is home to its own unique landscape—rainforest, desert, volcanic, frozen—as well as crystal treasures. The light-emitting crystals represent the traveler's source of addiction, and his never-ending pursuit of the treasures leads to his own demise as he ultimately becomes trapped in a spider's web that he can't escape. Abraham says his passion to create this visual short became an addiction of his own, with him spending weeks on end, working long hours in isolation to advance its development. "Cozey" is part of a concept album that Abraham says will feature 11 pop-structured songs that are enhanced with lots of sound design and audio manipulation. "Cozey" was first released as a single, followed by "Limbo." The music video debuted on May 22nd and was shot using a combina- tion of Blackmagic Design's Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, a pocket cube, and a drone for aerial footage. Abraham says the concept for the video came from his brother, Robert Abraham, who suggested the idea of being lured by a floating Director Mitchell Abraham learned Fusion to create most of the VFX.