Let's take a closer look, shall we?
Once again the crew of The Calypso is taking a deep dive into the trenches of our last three Barclay Award winners to sift out the pirate treasure and illuminate unseen creative caverns. Check your air!
1. Producer: Kornelia Malczewska
Artist: DJ Snake + AlunaGeorge
Song: "You Know You Like It"
Category: Performance
It's the little things that bring out the best scores. The art direction and costumes in Kornelia Malczewska's production are spot-on. The near-lurid neon scenes represent the dancer's inner world, where she dresses and moves like a superhero, contrasted with the mundane reality of daily harassment by idiot boys. Note to producers: For a performance video it's imperative to find a choreographer/performer with substance as well as style. Ecaterina Cirlan is the dancer's name here and her focus is downright fierce, reminiscent of Madonna in her MTV prime. Cirlan is the revving engine, while Malczewska plots the course—a first-rate collaboration.
1. Producer: Unlocked Films
Artist: April March
Song: "Chick Habit"
Category: Narrative
We've seen videos by Northwest filmmaker Jesse Locke before, and for good reason. He brings a strong storytelling sensibility to his work, informing each frame with tension and mood. As in the case of Locke's previous winning video, he operates in the low-budget punk-thriller genre, once again with fearless female protagonists taking action when the going gets tough.As for the notion that witches are back in a big way, Locke nails the zeitgeist perfectly, even as Netflix gains spell points with its Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot. Now is not the time for passive heroes.
1. Producer: Hadi BA
Artist: Zhu
Song: "Good Life"
Category: Vérité
The way things come in and out of focus in Hadi BA's travel montage mirrors the disorienting intoxication of travel, suggesting that it is indeed a tiring ordeal, but that we are better because of it. The omniscient narrator gently reminds us to get over ourselves and to look at different people in faraway lands to experience spiritual growth.The use of black-and-white photography here is exquisite, blurring the line between arrival and departure through transitional landscapes (shuttles, airplanes, airports) that require their own navigation. The monotones both fade and command attention, but we're usually moving too fast for serious contemplation.
