Japanese director Hiro Murai used a thermographic camera and heat lamps when shooting a new video for Odd Future rapper Earl Sweatshirt. The video, for Earl's latest single Grief, follows the young rapper through a lonely, dark world largely defined by his couch-video game set-up and hollowed out, spectral figures smoking somberly.
Los Angeles-based Murai has said the video is meant to symbolize cabin fever and specifically chose to refrain from applying a color map to the images, trading the vibrant reds, greens and blues for the grayscale he felt better matched Earl's tone.
The images contained in the video range from Earl Sweatshirt himself to haunting images of ceiling fans, all contrasted by the inclusion of a black snake, which appears black due to its cold blood.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Thermographic Imagery
- The use of thermographic cameras and heat lamps in artistic and commercial productions, creating a unique visual experience.
- Colorless Art
- The trend towards gray scale imagery as a means of achieving certain visual effects, such as emphasizing emotional tones or creating a sense of cabin fever.
- Haunting Visuals
- Increasing use of spectral and otherworldly visuals in music videos, films, and other types of media for the purpose of conveying certain moods and emotions.
Where This Applies
- Music
- The music industry can utilize thermographic cameras, heat lamps, and other imaging technologies to create immersive and emotional music videos for cutting-edge artists.
- Film
- The film industry can adopt grayscale imagery and thermographic cameras to enhance emotional tones of movies and to create visually captivating scenes.
- Marketing
- Various industries such as advertising, fashion, and sports can leverage the use of spectral and otherworldly visuals to reach audiences and create a memorable brand experience.
