Kim Jaejoong "Mine" MV [Full Review] 1/5
This is long as hell - but really good, so read it :P XD
AN: You guys have no freaking clue how long this took me to type out, OMFGDS. I'm seriously not even hunting down pix to insert right now or including timestamps like I'd originally wanted to... I'm not even editing it yet - I just want to be done with this and might revisit it later. >< I really hope someone out there likes it, though ^^
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Artistry & Symbolism
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Firstly, I want to address the issue of the modern common usage of the term "artist" and the importance of symbology in an artist's work, because that seems to be a topic up for debate with this release. Too many don't seem to truly appreciate the term implying actual *artistry* over mass-appeal or simple financial success in the industry - or what differentiates "artist" from "great", or "true", artist.
True artistry involves a bit more than skill in singing or dance, and the "bit more" that sets it apart is simply - creativity. The creative endeavour that defines artistry is what separates *artist* from *idol*. An idol or singer is a person who - on varying levels of success and skill - *perform*. They present a message to you - but they are only the messenger, and their entire career is based in majority on mass appeal and the level of skill they have in the areas they're using to acheive that appeal. This is why many can become a singer or idol - but few have the raw talent and true capability (or proficiency) of being an artist.
An artist creates that message before (and in addition to) presenting it. They envision it, give it form, shape it, mold it; and, for all intents and purposes, "birth" it into existance and fruition. (Labour pains and all!) In addition to that initial creativity, the quality of their work is that extra mile that denotes the difference in their actions/motivations between appeal and expression of deeper meaning, and is what also makes or breaks the title of "true artist". One of the reasons many music aficionados claim that the industry has gone downhill is simply the lack of quality, artistry, and true artists in the industry. Mass-appeal and marketability have overtaken the propagation of the concepts of Bigger Picture and Deeper Meaning; and, both the art itself and thus the artists have suffered in the milieu of monetary value - one of the many unavoidable drawbacks of Capitalistic Industry.
This is where the importance of symbology comes into play. For an *artist* in the music industry - who's main motivation is to examine the deeper meaning (of life, humanity, emotion, space, time) and express that in a way that allows their audience to identify with it - symbology plays a pivotal role in the method of their approach. Lyrics become metaphor - inclusive of a much more broad definition of the concepts of Self and World than the terms "I" and "You" often used to depict those really allow for in other settings. Film, also, expands to include metaphor by visual representation of much broader-spectrum topics - using commonly recognizable imagery and the impressions it gives (much of symbology is inherited from a "feeling" or "tone" the symbols give - a person doesn't really have to know their "accepted" meaning to understand the *vibe* they get from seeing it) to convey a more intricate message that in any other context may very well seem less meaningful. The *art* of these creative endeavours is as contextual as it is intrinsic.
This is the epitome of the concept "expression" - the act of moving or voicing to shape and form existing materials (sounds, images, words) into a new creation representative of the message the creator is trying to convey through what they create. That expression is what defines "art".
I've seen quite a bit of commentary around that would easily dismiss more than half of the imagery being presented in this video, and the above definitions are exactly why that bothers me. Jaejoong himself is an *artist* - a fully realized, veteran-status "idol" who has shed the limitations of what "idol" defines and come into the world (again) as a wholly competant man capable of much more than simply singing and/or dancing. He *creates*.
Anyone involved with what he's creating is walking that path alongside him in tandem with the vision and message behind what he's creating - and because of that, that means that regardless of what anyone as a casual observer may think or feel about the end result, there is indeed meaning and *intent* behind the creation of that result.
Simply put - the lyrics convey a message meant to be heard, and the elements used in the video presenting that same message are meant to be seen. No one responsible for keeping that message intact is going to haphazardly throw random shit in there just for the hell of it. Directors and design/concept artists do actually nitpick over every tiny detail of what they're creating to ensure the aesthetics of the piece they're working on, and they concentrate on the role each detail plays in enhancing the bigger picture as a whole. That is their job - literally - it is what they're paid to do.
Because of this, I very strongly feel that it's important to *appreciate* the job they've done, and the result they've created. The purpose of art is to examine deeper meaning - to make you think, make you feel. What differentiates the quality of an artist in this industry is the level of their ability to accomplish both of these. Jaejoong has shown with this release that he is 150% an artist - a true and great artist - and in my own personal interpretation, the "deeper meaning" behind this song and MV is the very simple yet painstakingly confusing and difficult-to-manage concept of: Assertion of Self.
In my humble opinion, the entire song and video's purpose is to both pose and answer the question, "Who is Kim Jaejoong?"
He is telling the world that he exists, that he exists wholly as himself, and that who he is and what he does is now on a level he considers far surpassing "idol" by way of true expression versus mass appeal. He is screaming out his message for us to hear and see, and that message is to assert his identity to the world with a song aptly named "Mine": a very complementary addition to an album entitled "I".
Let's examine the elements of the video a bit further to interpret the identity he's portraying.
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