Left me speechless. Filmmaker reacts to REN – HI REN Music Video.
# Réaction à la vidéo « Hi Ren » de Ren
## Introduction
Wow. That was really deep. Hi everyone, and particularly Hi Ren. Okay, that’s so lame. Anyway, can you guess what video I’m gonna be reacting to today? This one has been really highly requested on the channel. It’s « Hi Ren » by Ren. I’m really excited to check it out. I am afraid to admit that I’m actually not that familiar with Ren or his music, and I’ve heard really great stories about his videos though and that they’re supposed to be real pieces of art. So I’m really excited to kind of check it out.
## About the Reactor
In case you’re new to the channel here, my name is Manon. I’m a filmmaker. I have been working in and around the film industry for about the past 10 years or so. I actually used to own and run a film magazine for about seven years, and that was a really, really fantastic experience. And since then I’ve gone into filmmaking myself, and that’s why I still love taking this analytical approach because that’s what I used to do for the film magazine. So I just love movies, I love music, and for me, music video is the beautiful blend of the two. Anyway, so that’s what I talk about. I don’t necessarily get into the music or the lyrics too much. I really look at the visuals and how they come together and make the beautiful package that we know and love.
## Analysis of « Hi Ren » by Ren
Okay, that was not what I was expecting it to be at all. How interesting. So this is very different from what I normally cover, but apparently, you know, there’s some overlap between the metal community and Ren’s community, I guess, because there were a lot of people who requested this. And it’s really beautiful. What an interesting song. It’s like he’s having a dialogue with himself or like the, you know, the evil and the good on the shoulder, you know, the angel and the devil. And what an interesting setting too. So he basically is just in this one room. But what is interesting is that, okay, so he’s being carted onto the scene by this guy with this creepy pig’s head. And there’s something creepy going on. It feels like he’s in an asylum, right? That’s kind of, I’m guessing, the aesthetic that they’re going for him in this hospital gown and on the wheelchair as well, which is, you know, there’s some graffiti on it, looks dingy. It’s like he’s in one of those old abandoned mental hospitals. I personally really love the aesthetic of anything abandoned. I’ve actually shot quite a bit of footage I’m working on, like a sort of artistic project that is sort of like a multi-year project where I’m shooting footage in abandoned places around the world. So I love going into these places and the creepier and shittier they look, to be honest, the more I love them. So I love the aesthetic of this. So in terms of what they’re doing filmmaking-wise, it’s also quite interesting to really emphasize on this back and forth that he’s having this dialogue.
## Filmmaking Techniques Used
I’m fairly sure that they have three cameras going at the same time because we keep cutting back and forth between three perspectives, and I’m guessing from what this looks like they didn’t do too many takes of this either. It looks like it’s just one sitting and he is doing the performance. And that’s also what I heard. People said it was a one take or a one shot. People said that it’s a one-shot. What I associate with a one-shot and what filmmakers associate with a one-shot is that basically you film everything with just one camera and you do not cut. Now, this may have been one take, so they had three cameras rolling at the same time, but it was not a one shot because we have multiple cameras and they are cutting between them. So a little bit of lingo maybe mixed up there. So I was expecting something a little bit different. That’s fine because it’s still pretty beautiful and interesting to look at.
## Conclusion
Good examples of a one-shot film would be Ruben Ostlund’s first film. He’s now very famous for films like « The Square », « Force Majeure », and more recently « The Triangle of Sadness ». So one of his very first films was a short film called « Incident by a Bank », which was basically one shot. Another example that looks like a one-shot film, but isn’t, is « Birdman », the 2014 film, where basically Iñarito did not film it as a one-shot. However, it was edited to look like it. So there’s ways to do it. On my last project, I did see them, this one, « Cross Ace », I did see them do a one-shot. It’s really quite hard because the choreography is quite extensive. And everything and everyone has to get it exactly right at the same time. So, for example, you have your actors who have to hit their marks at the exact correct time. The camera operator has to be wherever they need to be at the correct time. Your focus pullers need to pull focus at the exact correct time. So there’s a lot of really careful orchestration there. So it’s really quite hard. So those are some good examples of one-shot films.
Overall, the video « Hi Ren » by Ren provided a unique and captivating viewing experience with its intricate storytelling and filmmaking techniques. It showcased a blend of music and visuals that created a thought-provoking narrative. As a filmmaker, I appreciate the artistry and creativity behind such projects and look forward to exploring more works like this in the future.
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