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FacebookWriters' Review August 2012: 'PAPARAZZI' Music Videos
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 Girls’ Generation’s latest Japanese single, “PAPARAZZI” was a big hit, selling over 100,000 copies and topping Japanese charts. Girls’ Generation tried something a little different with “PAPARAZZI” by releasing many versions of the music video. With a combined total of over 21 million views on YouTube, the music videos have proven to be quite popular. This month we take a look at each version and see what makes them unique. Regular Version: letaengbutt I’m really glad that this music video sort of has a story line. As compared to the previous videos where the girls simply dance in a box, this is definitely a huge improvement. I love how in the beginning, the girls all walk in while the paparazzi are busy taking photos of them. It gives off a “make way for the mega star coming through” sort of vibe and that is exactly what Girls’ Generation is. Also, the theater concept is pretty interesting because we’ve never seen something like this from Girls’ Generation before. My favorite shot from this scene is when the girls are getting ready right before the song starts to play and they toss their trench coats up. The lighting and angle of the shot makes the whole set up look really cool. Also, I think that their costumes suit the theme pretty well. The red, black and white theme gives off a sultry and sort of sexy vibe which suits the girls very well. As usual, the girls are all dressed similarly yet differently and I really liked Hyoyeon’s in particular. MoonSoshi9 The “PAPARAZZI” music video has a pretty interesting structure. It’s book-ended by “story” related sequences that show off the girls in a manner fitting with the title of the song. I love how in the beginning we get to see all nine members strutting their stuff while all the flash photography is going off. It really gives off a vibe of “Wow these girls are massive celebrities.” The style and look in the sequence before the curtain opens in the theater is pure class and totally befitting of Girls’ Generation. As the curtain opens we see the girls playing around with each other all in trench coats, but their expressions quickly change once the paparazzi start snapping pictures. The trench coats symbolize their personal lives. Once the cameras come out, they symbolically transform from their normal selves as playful girls into bold and flashy pop stars by tossing aside their trench coats. At the end of the video we see the girls back in their trench coats, wistfully disappearing back to their personal lives. I find these sections of the music video the most interesting, and it is surprisingly deep compared to many of Girls’ Generation’s other videos. As for the middle and the actual performance of the song, this version of the music video might be the best purely because of Sooyoung’s “boom boom boom” at 5:01. Dance Version: letaengbutt I love the choreography. It is simply amazing. This brings Girls’ Generation dancing in synchronization to a whole new level, and of course, they pull it off fantastically. What I particularly like, is the dance intro in the beginning. Each of the members have their own moves but they all come together really well in the end. Their steps are so precise even though many parts of their choreography includes dancing in smaller groups and still moving together as a unit. I think that this is the video that I’ve watched the most number of times because I really like their choreography. Not to mention, Tiffany’s “Ra Ta Ta” is incredibly sexy. MoonSoshi9 As much as I like the regular music video, the dance version is actually the one I’ve watched the most. I don’t have to sit through any prologue or epilogue; it just gets right to the point with the song and dance, and I love it. The choreography for “PAPARAZZI” by Rino Nakasone and Shim Jaewon is some of the most demanding and interesting that Girls’ Generation has done since “Into The New World”, and it is incredible. It’s so intricate, with a lot of the members having individual or duo parts and sections where half the group does one thing while the other members do something else. I love the complexity of the choreography and how it matches the complexity of the song itself. There are still the solid moments of group unison that are fantastic like the killer head swaying at 1:31 and the quick turn leading into the second verse. Also, Tiffany with all kinds of swagger at 3:41 is just awesome. Close-up Version: letaengbutt Out of all the music videos of “PAPARAZZI”, this is actually my least favorite. I don’t appreciate the camera focusing on one member and flashing onto the next one in a matter of half a second. It is also pretty messy and hard to follow because the camera man seems torn between showing actual close-ups of the members and filling in the gaps with their dancing. On the other hand, when the camera actually pauses long enough for you to catch a glimpse of the members, we get to see a lot of expressions from the girls that just makes our heart melt. MoonSoshi9 The close-up version of the music video from the DVD that comes with “PAPARAZZI” focuses on the girls in their red, black, and white outfits for the most part. While there are some scenes with Waitress Generation, this version is perfect to appreciate the varied styles of each member. Hyoyeon especially stands out with her mostly white outfit. I am a big fan of these types of feathery outfits, especially the bold black and red colors, and all the girls look stunning. Even Sooyoung’s puffy pants and shoulders have a certain charm. The best part of this music video is that each member gets a lot of solo shots, so we get to see a lot of smiles and expressions as the girls play to the camera. Gold Version: letaengbutt I have yet to appreciate using dishwashing gloves as stage costumes. MoonSoshi9 The pink gloves are awesome! Haters gonna hate! Source: SMTOWN@youtube.com, namnam02gmail@youtube.com Written by: MoonSoshi9@soshified, letaengbutt@soshified Have a news item that you think Soshified should know about? E-mail us at tip@soshified.com. |
