News Flash: "Shine" Named Video of the Year

Yes, it's been confirmed.  The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones has declared "Shine" to be the music video of the year.  Not that we needed to hear it from the chumps at The New Yorker, as we've been on this story for months at Epic Mail.  That said, it's always nice to hear some confirmation from the "real" media.  Additionally, his comparison of "Shine" to early ABC is intriguing (anyone who lived in Braxton and remembers all those ABC-fueled dance parties should recall such masterworks as "Poison Arrow"), and not just in terms of guitars, as this photograph of frontman Martin Fry should attest:

Let the conspiracy theorizing begin.

Shine: A Critical Commentary Part III

See other posts in the "Chris Dane Owens" series.

In many respects I wish I had been able to finish this critical commentary before the interview with CDO himself, because after these final entries there will be plenty of new, urgent questions. But alas, perhaps some mysteries were simply meant to exist as such, out of the purview of mere mortals.

What we do know is that Chris' rotting corpse has washed up on the shore, Shelley-esque, following the disaster at sea. Chris, at this point, is indisputably dead. We observe him entering the gates of heaven, and are treated to an image taken directly from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel:

Owens' evocation of Michelangelo is playful, but also indicates Chris' imminent resurrection. The creation of Adam, a creature doomed to sinfulness, is thus reconfigured into a rebirth, which either hints at Mankind's ultimate salvation following the Last Judgment or posits Chris as Chirst (the similarity in names is too uncanny to be a fluke). Also worth noting is the arm of God, which is decidedly feminine. We have already observed Owens' fascination with images of feminine power, and this might be its ultimate expression in this particular video. The soul of Chris then exits his heavenly frame, assuming earthly form as the Angel (is this God?) looks on approvingly.

Following is the image, seemingly taken from a Friedrich painting, of a ghostly cemetery at night, complete with ethereal specters:

It is my contention that this image is, as is so much of this video, defiantly ambiguous. On one hand, Chris' work is not yet completed, so it is not absurd to assume that the Witches are involved in Chris' resurrection in some fashion. His body, presumably, was buried in a cemetery upon death, so it could be that the Witches are merely overseeing the process. However, judging from the hell that is about to descend upon this world, it is equally reasonable to see the Witches as engaged in some sort of occult ritual designed to awaken an ancient evil. In either instance I think it is a mistake to view the phantoms in the graveyard as anything more than arbitrary lost souls.

I think the former interpretation can find some support in the following shot, in which we see Chris literally baptized in fire. If the Witches are indeed somewhere between Good and Evil, it would make sense that Chris must pass through the flames of Hell in addition to the azure skies of Heaven in order to return to earth in corporeal form. We are then thrust back into the action, and witness numerous horrific acts being committed in the name of the Masked Villain. Most notably, a new enemy is introduced:

These thuggish fellows to the right owe something to the various ubiquitous villains of comics and cartoons: the Foot Soldier, the Putty, the masked and inept robbers of Batman. They exist, essentially, to be knocked about, never posing any particular threat but rather symbolizing a general disorder that isn't especially desirable. More effective is the montage sequence that follows - a horrific, rapid-fire vision of destruction on an epic scale. Threats include, but are not limited to: Dragons (I absolutely love that shot of their scaly silhouettes against the full moon), rabid dogs, skeletons with flaming ribcages, visibly irritated alligators, and possibly, just possibly, the Witches. They are represented in predictably unclear terms:

Riding away from the scene of carnage, their faces convey a confident stoicism. I think that ultimately they are indeed responsible for the surrounding conflagration, but it is, admittedly, a debatable point. The most fascinating aspect of all this is the following:

Given that Owens takes apparent delight in quoting iconic imagery, it seems quite clear that this is a clear homage to Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. In a boldly revolutionary move, he recasts the Hueys as the indiscriminately destructive dragons: a veritable middle-finger to the U.S. military-industrial complex. Sandwiched among all the scenes of devastation is also a quick shot of Masked Villain carrying away an apparently unconscious Virtuous Babe. As I mentioned in an earlier post, part of the video's project is a somewhat reactionary (despite the leftist politics evident elsewhere) statement about the nature of love, which is figured in decidedly conservative terms. Here is another threat to the status quo, as Virtuous Babe is in danger of violating one of the terms of her appellation (Virtuous, not Babe). Chris cannot be made to love a "fallen woman," and thus the video becomes a race against time. Defeat Masked Villain before his love is deflowered by horrifyingly anonymous Masked Villain.

Before concluding Part III, I want to dwell for a moment on one more shot:

I don't know how many of you have lingered on this, but it clearly depicts a dragon hatchery - a breeding grounds of sorts. Incidentally, the vaulted Gothic arches may be the same interior space in which we first encounter The Captain. Will the assault on the hatchery be an inside job? Or were we merely peeking into the future? Additionally, the frozen hatchery ought to have us thinking about the ice comets again...

Don't you ever forget, LOVE HAS ENEMIES.

Epic EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Christopher Dane Owens!!!

See other posts in the "Chris Dane Owens" series.

Chris Dane Owens was kind enough to answer some of our questions. SHINE ON!!!

-Epic Mail (EM) In your interview with the L.A. Times, you hint at an imagined world that goes far beyond what is actually shown in the video. Is this a world of your imagining, and if not, from where does this universe come from?

-CDO It is very inspired by some of the amazing films we have seen in the last decade or so "Braveheart", LOTR, "Last Of The Mohicans" Also, I love Anime, and that factored in as well. When Bob Short and I got together early on for the project, we both knew what we wanted the video to look like, and Bob was fantastic at taking us through the steps to get to our end result. We had an amazing team also. My editor/producer Jennifer Barlowe has incredible talent at story, colorizing, and over all pacing. We are all very impressed with her..


-EM We did some research, and found that you actually are an accomplished film maker. With your film career, I'm sure you made many connections. The video for "Shine On Me" is itself, visually stunning. Can you explore your connections with the film industry and how you have used those connections to benefit your music career?

-CDO Yeah, I sort of grew up in and around production in Hollywood. My dad and brother are some of the hardest working people I know. Also, lots of my friends produce, write, direct, or work in some capacity in entertainment. So my rolodex is pretty full of wildly talented people. As I assembled my team, all of our various Dept Heads for the shoot really came together well. No egos, just really cool people having fun running around the forest shooting this crazy music video.

-EM The days of the classic MTV Music Video appear to be in the past. With traditional music videos not having the same impact as they did 10 years ago, what was your motivation to make a truly epic music video?

-CDO I think because I am a producer as well, this was the only way I wanted to do a music video. The idea of me doing a conventional performance video really didn't interest me. I wanted to take risks and jump into something I had never done before. Also, it is very important to me that the audience to see how much I care about this story and how important it is that it come off a certain way. I spent literally months on this one… It's my baby…

-EM Can you say something about the cast of "Shine"? Did you cast friends and acquaintances, or people you know from the film industry?

-CDO We actually had open casting for the female roles and I feel so blessed that we found the talented ladies that we did. For my sense of it, they fit perfectly with the vision I had in mind. I had met my Co-star Ciel Post in a casting session for some Scandinavian commercials that fellow Shine producer Jay Schulz was doing and I thought her look and charisma were perfect to play Arra..

-EM What films/books informed the "Shine" video? Where did you get your conceptual inspiration?

-CDO I went through a period of buying really obscure Russian fairy tales on DVD, like The Snow Queen for example. And even though they are older and the production value is not at today's standards, they had a charm that was undeniable to me. But modern projects like Final Fantasy/ Advent Children, Howl's Moving Castle, and Nausica, all played a part in putting together the puzzle.

-EM Why do you think the "Shine" video has proved to be such a major internet sensation?

-CDO G4 did a fun piece on it and the LA Times writer by Charlie Amter was great too. It seems to be on quite a few sites right now, with lots of doors opening in the last week alone, so it gives me good hope about the future of our saga.. I think the video itself is fun to watch. Perhaps people find it engaging because of the romance, the action, and the spiritual elements.. It's hard for me to say why people like it.

There will be quite a bit more action in the next one.. I promise…

-EM Why the "Shine on Me" song with the "Shine on Me" video?

-CDO I think it was the story within the lyrics of that song that really made me want to do SHINE as the video. Lots of my other tracks are more aggressive musically and might have fit better. But I like the honesty of the song we chose, and it completely fits with the accompanying imagery..

-EM What are your touring plans?

-CDO For now, I am finishing the album. Then I will shift into the next mode. I suspect it will be all about Asia first.. I think the "Shine On Me" song and video will be up on Itunes in a few weeks, and then shortly after the CD will be available. We will also have a High res letterboxed version of the video included on the record. Lots of people have been requesting this so we are happy that we can get it out there.

-EM Can we expect more videos in the future?

-CDO YES!!! With some luck there will be lots of adventures ahead… Stay tuned, we'll have more swords, more danger, more love, and more fireworks!!!

Shine: A Critical Commentary Part II

See other posts in the "Chris Dane Owens" series.

Credit must be given to Newman, who has unearthed this recent interview with Chris Dane Owens. I'm not quite sure whether it answers questions or takes us further down the rabbit hole. Regardless, take note how Owens exhorts us to "attach [our] own meaning to it" (this does not mean, however, that I did not feel a tinge of smug satisfaction when he verified my resurrection theory, but more on this anon).

We left off with Chris and Virtuous Babe's romantic interlude cut short by the arrival of a squadron of dragons. In apparent response to this imminent threat, a blade hath been forged.

Judging by the regal and pregnant visage of the lead Witch, this is no simple giveaway. No, something is required of Chris if he is to wield this broadsword (or is it a rapier?). Following a close inspection of the blade, Chris deems it suitable, and we get a brief shot of him slashing about, i.e. training. To me, the following is then one of the most powerful shots in the video:

His training complete, the warrior prepares for battle. His tortured countenance conveys both steely resolution and lingering doubt. Chris is nothing else if not human (we may have to revise this statement). A fleet of dragons, a Masked Villain, and God knows what else (alligators) awaits him. The drums of war sound. Our own blogger Andy found himself rather vexed at the interposition of these shots that seem to reveal a colonial aesthetic. Specifically, he leveled an implicit accusation of anachronism. While I can't deny having had similar initial sentiments, I've come to appreciate the variety of historical aesthetics that Owens employs in this video. Though the colonial gear might seem odd, notice how nicely it meshes with the winter sleigh, and how smoothly it elides with the more pirate-esque, high seas look of certain scenes. From there it isn't a long shot to the late-Medieval atmospherics we've already witnessed. I'd argue that the genius of the video lies in this very fluidity.

Anyway, let us move on to triptych number three:

Here are three members of what I will be referring to as Chris' "crew." The one in the center will be "The Captain," and the one to the right will be christened "The Lieutenant." Several things strike me as significant here. First of all, Owens, in a typically self-deprecating move, places himself at the edge of the shot. But I want to suggest that something more complex and potentially subversive is at play here. Note the suggestively unbuttoned shirt of The Captain, his enticing, even longing, gaze, and the disco lighting in the cathedral within which he is situated. What I'm suggesting is that this firmly homosocial environment seems to contain a subtext of homosexual desire. The central positioning of The Captain could be a manifestation of Chris' desire (if we are to identify Chris with the auteur Owens), while The Captain's intentions, as I've suggested, are visually apparent. Certainly part of Chris' journey is towards an affirmation of a heteronormative vision of romantic love.

At this point in the video, the "real" chronology becomes rather difficult to follow, because there is an effusion of dream visions and nostalgic reveries that appear on-screen. Thus, when we see the warrior Chris strutting across an ice-bridge, it is only through a kind of internal cognitive association that we find ourselves with the firmly antebellum vision of a picturesque sleigh-ride. In actuality, we will learn, Chris has gone to war at sea. But first we see the Angel bequeathing a mysterious tome unto Virtuous Babe. In this scene, my earlier suggestion that the Angel may harbor feelings for Chris should not be neglected, as this scene opens up the possibility of a sort of vicarious eroticism. What I mean is that by providing Virtuous Babe with this text, through which she can observe Chris' trials at sea, she is in part engaging in a masochistic urge to unite the two before her very eyes, while the possibility of Chris' death offers its own potential sadistic pleasures. The Angel's heavenly appearance belies a more sinister nature, as one can read distinctly in her eyes:

Moving through the magical text onto the stormy seas, Chris confidently pilots his schooner, aided by The Captain, who, giving the order with a swing of his cutlass, orders a fusillade of cannon-shot against an enemy vessel, subsequently igniting the ship's ammo depot, and causing an immense explosion. Despite these early victories, however, we observe the Witches actually causing a monsoon that ultimately wrecks Chris' flagship. We can account for this by remembering that the Witches charged Chris with a trial. His talismanic sword is to be purchased with a cost. He must be tested. And as the image of Chris swinging defiantly towards the viewer on a line of rigging attests, he will pass.

Careening into the water, however, and following a remarkable spin move, a washed-up Chris can be seen on a forest floor, not moving...

Part III will be posted shortly. And to be honest, I will almost certainly need a Part IV. Additionally, if anyone can think of a possible way to do footnotes in these posts, please let me know so I can avoid so many parenthetical remarks (I've been chastised for this by professors in recent weeks).

And remember, as always, LOVE HAS ENEMIES.

Shine: A Critical Commentary Part I

See other posts in the "Chris Dane Owens" series.

First of all, a big thank you to Mr. Beers for his brief gloss on Shine. It ought to serve as a fitting introduction to anyone unfamiliar with Chris Dane Owens' oeuvre. As someone who is both heavily emotionally invested in Mr. Owens' work and semi-professionally employed in the industry of criticism, I would like to offer my own reading, as it were, of Shine. I will offer a fairly comprehensive interpretation of Shine, and follow it up with potential critical problems for which I still need solutions. This is intended to be, ultimately, a blog-wide effort.

Addendum: I will not be regarding the lyrics as being in any way related to the imagery of the music video. If you can find some way to reconcile the two in any meaningful way, you deserve the utmost admiration of us all. Additionally, this is only Part I of the analysis - Parts II and III will be along shortly.

To begin with, Chris Dane Owens presents us with deliberate Dickensian echoes: "A Time of Darkness" and "A Time of Light," paired devastatingly next to one another. I think quite a bit of the critical confusion that this video occasions is a result of Owens' fascination with paradox. "Who are the good guys?" and "Who are the bad guys?" are not always operative questions in a universe as complex as that of Owens. At the same time, as if to taunt the would-be critic, Owens posits a "crusade," which denotes an undertaking inspired by a particular cause, thus inviting the viewer to engage in very sort of binary thinking already having been rejected.

Several gorgeous shots of natural beauty follow, and we soon encounter our ostensible hero, played by none other than Owens himself (with a mustache, so as to not confuse him with the singer himself, though I will, for convenience's sake, refer to him as Chris). Chris, delicately prancing about in a babbling brook, encounters Virtuous Babe, who finds herself enraptured with Chris after he performs a stunt involving his horse leaping over a log. In a scene establishing the rather medieval gender politics of our setting, Chris then chivalrously seats Virtuous Babe on his steed, and leads them daintily through the stream.

Importantly, note the brief shot of the schooner around this point - this temporal aberration is known as "foreshadowing" for those of us in the business of literary criticism. Underscoring the ominous tone is the diptych that follows:

The image is literally riven in two - an inauspicious sign to say the least, pointing unmistakably at a future separation. After more prancing, the romance is boldly subverted: Chris is braving a volley of ice-comets with only a shield to protect him, three threatening women approach bearing blades, and a masked villain confronts Chris and Virtuous Babe in the magical wood. I will return to the ice-comets later, but I want to first discuss the Three Witches, as I will call them.

Part of Mr. Owens' project, I would argue, is a feminist reevaluation of Tolkein. The stances and costumes of the Three Witches here undeniably mimic those of the Black Riders in Peter Jackson's films. But the Witches have an almost unfathomably long genealogy: the Weird Sisters of Shakespeare's Macbeth, the Fates of Greek mythology, the Norns of Norse legend, the list goes on and on. What tethers these various trios together is the power of foresight, often coupled with an ability to manipulate fate. Keep this in mind.

Exhibiting an almost obsessive fondness for medieval aesthetics, Owens then employs a triptych framework for his next shot:

On the left, our masked villain, shrouded in flames. In the middle, the foremost of the Witches. To the right, an unknown figure, but one who bears an unmistakable resemblance to Chris. The key here is that the face is superimposed over a graveyard. The sepulchral imagery once again gestures towards a gruesome foreshadowing. The Witch, appropriately then, is situated quite literally "beyond good and evil."

After a rather unsatisfying fight scene with Masked Villain (he is defeated with a mere punch), yet another mysterious figure it thrust at us through yet another triptych: the angel. Her positioning on the far right, so as to be opposite Virtuous Babe, suggests potential discord between the two. The implication is that they both may be vying for Chris' love and affection. Further complicating things is the following shot:

A mirror image of the Three Witches, it is absolutely critical to note that THESE ARE NOT THE THREE WITCHES. These are an entirely different set of beings with entirely different intentions and priorities. We are certainly urged to consider their relationship to the Three Witches (about which I will have more to say), but do not confuse the two. Anyway, the Masked Villain having been temporarily vanquished, Chris and Virtuous Babe are free to smooch in the wood and jog through the snow once more...though dragons are on the horizon.....

With that, I will conclude Part I. I'd appreciate any thoughts you have thus far, but otherwise, make sure to check out Part II, which I will post tomorrow.

Remember, LOVE HAS ENEMIES.

The Soul is Located in the Chest

See other posts in the "Chris Dane Owens" series.

I just watched this video, as first blogged about by our own Matt. This is mandatory viewing.

What happened? Did Chris Dane Owens just waltz into my life, reach into my chest, and, with much pomp, touch my soul? Is the chest even where the soul is located? Most importantly, could the fanciful reality that exists within C.D.O.'s mind pull me out of blog-sabbatical? The answers are: Providence; Yes; Probable; and obviously, Yes.

I'm finding it difficult to organize my thoughts, however. I think it's safe to chalk that one up to the schizophrenic cinematography, which has mind-scattering effects similar to that of heroin, fire alarms, or a Vietnam flashback. Let me be clear -- that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

At first glance, "Shine" lays siege to the concepts of sustained thought and traditional storytelling. It seems to synthesize elements from Lord of the Rings, Master and Commander, and Dragon Ball Z into a stunningly ambitious four-minute window. Despite repeated viewing, I was unable to connect more than a handful of frames into a coherent story element. The only "themes" that revealed themselves to me were a stubborn refusal to choose a consistent temporal or physical setting, and a recurring set of three women. And I was hesitant to identify the women as a theme, since each successive appearance places them in such a ludicrously unrelated context that any attempt to derive meaning from them was akin to putting my brain into a food processor.

Oh, cool, they're Dark Knights.

Oh, wait, ok, they're some do-good angels!

Ok, hold on -- a dragon-queen triumvirate?

Witches? What?

Futuristic Charlie's Angels? COME ON

With much persistence and a blog-wide effort, especially from Matt S, I'm starting to grasp the narrative depth and, perhaps, coherence, of this video. And so despite feeling, mentally, like Harrison Bergeron, let's set in motion the proper analytical treatment that "Shine" deserves.

Obviously, our first pressing question to address is: "Who IS Chris Dane Owens?" I could draw equal physical comparisons to Vincent Price, Legolas, and those ghost-twins from "The Matrix Reloaded." With a bit of gumption and some internet digging, contributor Matt N found an excellent primer to all things C.D.O. -- this interview with the LA Times music blog.

With this background under our belts, I would like to highlight a few aspects of this video that vex me. For starters, there are a few shots that seem wholly out of place. I'm aware that "Shine" attempts to create a genre-transcending, mis-en-scene-borrowing mega-world -- but certain scenes are just downright puzzling:

Is this a colonial drumline?

Another source of confusion (although perhaps my favorite scene) comes up at just before the halfway mark, when we're abruptly introduced to a Chris Martin-esque captain, who apparently detonates an enemy ship with a flick of his sabre. Questions immediately arise: "Whose ship just exploded?" and, "Is Chris Martin an ally, or an enemy?" (his questionable facial expressions impel me towards the latter).

This (above) suddenly leads to this (below)

As much as I love this video, C.D.O. has a frustrating penchant for following up his totally sweet scenes (and some of them are totally sweet) with lackluster shot. For example:

Sweet
Not Sweet
Sweet
Not Sweet
Totally Sweet
Incredibly Not Sweet
And we're back to sweet

Of course, the common theme of these "not sweet" shots is C.D.O.'s love interest. I understand that the power of their love is one of the main messages in this video, but I would have preferred that it was represented with the same passion and vigor as the action shots.

I'm confident that my brief criticism will be overshadowed by our further investigation of "Shine." After all, Owens has given us the greatest gift a man can give: the redemptive light of his chest-cavity (the soul?).

THIS. is sweet.

See other posts in the "Chris Dane Owens" series.

OK, where to start? The lack of a coherent historical or aesthetic backdrop (pirates? Tolkein? 18th century London?), the complete absence of anything resembling an identifiable narrative (trust me, I've watched this about 25 times, and still can't figure out what the floating skeletons with fire inside their ribcages are doing), the mustache, the obscenely enormous hordes of CGI dragons, the inexplicably large budget, the mustache...we could really create an entire blog devoted to the sort of hermeneutical gymnastics that something like this deserves. The only thing it lacks (and it feels heretical to offer even the slightest criticism) is Chris Dane Owens shredding a sick solo on that glittering abomination of his. That brief quibble aside, I think it's safe to say that if there ever were an objet d'art about which one needn't ask the question, "Is this sweet?", this video is it.