by noona, May 26, 2020
21

Click on the pictures, and they will take you to the video, but please WATCH THEM IN ORDER.

Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrTdkaklKqg

Episode 2:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKFIMhjP0iw

Episode 3:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mOjD2I_qMw

Episode 4:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYUQlWdVfTk

Episode 5:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb-5Q70oDA4

There are many directors out there, for movies, series, commercials, music videos, etc, but I'd like to show a specific series of videos that don't really fit into a set format. NCTmentary isn't a series of music videos or short films, they're just kind of their own category done in an original way.


I enjoy watching short films as I've noticed directors take more risks with this format. The Viewpoint, a 2016 short film about a man being accused of assault, has unique directing and offers a twist. Even though it appears to be low budget, the directing still shocks you in how amazing it is. Another short film titled Memories is an extremely high budget short film, which is quite the opposite of The Viewpoint. Memories is about a man who can remember every dream that he's had in thorough detail. It reminds me of NCTmentary, because both are surreal, dreamlike, and extremely well done. The short film Human Form is another short film that I find the directing to be amazing. Human Form shows a twisted reality about the struggles of plastic surgery.


NCTmentary: a series of beauty and complexity, the manifestation of dreams and the blurring of reality,   

and the connection between souls no matters the distance. 

NCTmentary was created in 2018 as a precursor to the project of all NCT sub-units. Each video showed the members' dreams in surreal perspectives, blending CGI and reality so much that you become lost in what is real and what is not. These videos are so beautiful that it's bewildering and it is simply so unique. It amazes me that a K-pop group made such high quality and complex "storylines" with bewildering cinematography. If you're someone that enjoys unique directing and aesthetic scenes, then you'll enjoy these videos. 

The reason why I'm writing this article is to bring to light how amazing these videos are. I've watched so many movies and shows (my MDL time as I'm writing this is 272 days, adding movies & series), yet I've never seen such original directing before. Movies like "Cry Me a Sad River," "Love at Least," and "Himizu" are beautifully directed with stunning cinematography of completely different styles, and I think NCTmentary is on par with them with a whole new style. Each scene is beautiful, and the "story" slowly plays out as bits and pieces are shown in each video.  (If anyone has seen amazing directing like this before tell me, I'd love to see more :)

The point of the videos is to show the members' dreams and how each of the 18 members is connected to each other. Some members dream of each other, while others are lost in their dreams, abandoned until they can eventually find one another. The fear of being alone

The fear of being lost

The fear of being held captive in the darkness

But also the fear of letting go of that darkness


(The above picture is from Primary's Bad High) 

Wooje Kim from Etui Collective has directed many music videos and commercials. Etui Collective has even directed videos for Adidas and Gucci. NCTmentary is my favorite work of theirs so far, but I also enjoy Primary's Bad High MV and CIX's music videos. Etui Collective always creates original and moving films that are sure to surprise you. I would love to see Etui Collective direct a movie, I think it would surely win awards. The mini Japanese series Final Life with Taemin and Matsuda Shota was pretty poorly written, but the directing was beautiful. I feel like we should give another shot to a music video director because if Etui Collective could film a movie with their unusual style, I'm sure it would turn out amazing. Even in short music videos, the storylines are great. 

Here's Etui Collective's official site with all of their projects and I listed a few down below if for those that enjoyed watching NCTmentary. I encourage watch or rewatch NCTmentary because they are true masterpieces.

https://etuicollective.com/

Bad High by Primary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BlxYbkdPdU

Revival by CIX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkbwhXFrmsc

TraxX Escape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yns5LTJEpvw

NCT 127 Regular https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj-VU9oK2Yo

MXM YA YA YA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCb6XJ_2Z3E

IMLAY X Sik-K Decalcomanie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExqfcXU1hgQ

Edited by: Cookie (1st editor), BrightestStar (2nd editor)

music 2018 k-pop nct smtown cinematography dreams