#acaplaya analysis

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Hunt The Sky

Hello friends! It's been a Hot Minute since I've done one of these (6 months, in fact), but finally we're back with a super cool and complex video to talk about!

(If you wanna see my other Voiceplay Visuals posts, go HERE, and if you missed my musical breakdown of Hunt The Sky, go HERE)

Hunt The Sky was released on the 13th of June, 2025 (or the 14th of June if you live in Australia or New Zealand, like myself), and was not only arranged by Layne, but also co-written by him! He and Tony Wakim (former VoicePlay member and co-owner of Pattycake Productions, together with Layne) wrote Hunt The Sky as VoicePlay's first ever original song! (Well, I'm pretty sure they have at least one original Christmas song, and they had some originals back when they were 4:2:Five, but this is their first proper original in many years, and the first to get a music video!). And who else could they invite to collab for their first proper original than J None, who's basically still an honorary member anyway? (And hopefully, one day, might join the group permanently again?)

There are some other credits in the description to acknowledge - Layne, for example, is also credited with creative direction and editing - but I shall leave the rest for within the post itself! So without further ado, Let's Get Into This!!!

Dragon Counter: 1 (Yes, I've decided to count how many dragons are seen in this video, because while not).

Shoutout to Eli for once again being the tech wizard that he is, and creating all the cool visual effects for this video! He used Unreal Engine, which is the same computer program that he used for My Mother Told Me and for Valhalla Calling, but honestly this is some of his best work yet imo. Like damn, he can do all this, and do lighting design/lighting tech, and sing????

I love that it even got the detail right of the dragon's pupil contracting/getting thinner as it opens its eye, before then dilating slightly.

(More below cut!)

Dragon Counter: three 2

What a freaking CHOICE it was to have Geoff be the very first person we see and hear in this song. Like goddamn they're pulling no punches!

Behind Geoff, we have a body of water illuminated by an Aurora Borealis, (certainly nicer than the background he had for My Mother Told Me!), and off to the right, there's a viking ship, which maybe has a fire on it, so either a viking funeral ship, or simply a ship which has caught on fire from a dragon attack.

Dragon Counter: 4

Also in regards to the dragon flying in the background behind Geoff in the previous shot, I like that the video also adds in the sound effect of the dragon flapping its wings as it comes closer to the foreground, just to make it that extra bit immersive!

Well there's definitely some fire in Cesar's shot!

In the background is a small village, and behind that I believe is a fjord? I can see some mountains and a bit of water where some ships are.

Does that coat look familiar? It should! It's now been worn by every current permanent member of VoicePlay! (Yes, I am in fact going to make a post dedicated to it at some point). Layne wore this coat (with the embroided arm cuff and the thin fluffy grey trim going down) in both My Mother Told Me and Valhalla Calling, as his appearance was pretty much identical between those two videos, but now the coat has been handed off to Cesar! (But he does also appear to be wearing an extra fur cloak thing on top of it)

Additionally, the dark grey glossy "chestplate" thing is I think something that J wore in Valhalla Calling and My Mother Told Me?

(If you want side-by-side comparisons of everyone's appearances in the three VoicePlay viking videos, see my photo collage HERE!)

Lots of water in the background here! In fact it even kinda looks like it could be the same body of water as seen in Cesar's background, but just further down the way.

Dragon Counter: 5

Dragon Counter: 6 (I like this one as it gives me Night Fury vibes (yes I'm a HTTYD fan, and an animation loyalist/purist specifically!))

And again you can hear sounds of the dragon flying through the air! (Pretty sure it's not on the main audio track, and thus I'm talking about it here instead).

Also I just realized now that these shots (dragon-Layne-dragon) are fully on beat, which is cool!

No water to be found here, but there's fire both in the foreground and in the background!

I like the blue colour of Eli's tunic(?) - immediately made me think of Astrid ngl

(Shoutout to Tony for costuming btw)

I also actually kinda like how Eli's left foot is partially obscured by a small rock, and his right foot is hidden entirely by a large one that he's standing behind! It adds a bit of extra "depth" to the scene!

Fun fact: 11 days before Patrons received Hunt The Sky, we were given a sneak peek image, but the screenshot only showed close-up images (head to torso) of J, Cesar, and Eli. No backgrounds were shown, and no shot of Geoff or Layne either. Honestly it was probably for the best - we would have lost our dang minds had we seen what Geoff looked like ahead of time 😂

Us Patrons who get to watch monthly webchats did know that there was an arm tattoo involved (Geoff told us how much of a pain it was to fully remove), and so I was excited to see what it was, and boy it didn't disappoint! It's an incredible design, but man oh man it would be such a pain if somebody were planning to make fanart based on this video! (*cough cough*)

Also this is the most facial hair we've seen Geoff have in a VoicePlay video, and the most natural facial hair he's had for any video! (i.e., that ain't fake!) It makes sense - of course a fearsome, rugged viking man wouldn't be clean-shaven! (As much as I think Geoff looks very nice in Valhalla Calling ^^;) (Geoff was quite keen to shave as soon as he could after he was done filming his parts though - the beard was apparently driving him a little crazy, lol)

Dragon Counter: 7 (and again, a bit of dragon noises here!)

You can't see any water in the background here, but you can see a boat, so I'm assuming that there is in fact water back there (and hey! no fire!). But another cool thing about his background is that in some shots, there are flashes of lightning in the top right area where the clouds are!

I just realised that J's shoes are actually just regular black boots (and very shiny ones at that), but they're just partially covered by the furry leg warmer thingies (which kinda look like the same ones that Eli also wears in this video, and in fact absolutely could be the same pair, as everyone's parts were done one-by-one, so no two people were in full costume at one time).

Also goddamn how many different fur coats/cloaks have VoicePlay worn for different videos? Excluding That Specific Coat(tm), I'm not sure if there's any fur thing that has ever been reworn by anyone!

I'm not really sure what the proper term is, but I love the design at the front of the wide "belt" thing that J's wearing. It's got dragons (or at least some sort of serpent creatures) on it, and then Nordic runes around the border of it!

In terms of appearances, the thing that's remained most consistent with the guys across the three videos (or two, in Cesar's case), is their makeup, but particularly for J and Cesar. As usual, Rick Underwood was credited with makeup design, but he wasn't actually the one applying the makeup on set this time! That credit goes to a woman by the name of Alexis Rios, according to the video description. I was surprised to not see him at all in the BTS video for this, and to see someone else doing the makeup instead, but I think I've heard that he's been employed by Universal Studios to help with the new Epic Universe theme park? So that's definitely pretty cool. And hey, Alexis did a great job! Totally nailed the assignment!

I can't really capture it in still images, but this is a cool moment that I wanna talk about regardless. On the first "no rest till we hunt the sky" There's a shot of Cesar, starting to raise his left hand, and then there's a shot of Geoff, raising his left hand from a slightly higher position, like continuing the same motion!

(56 seconds in and already at 13 pictures!)

Dragon Counter: 7 (I also quite like this shot!)

Dragon Counter: 8 (and a fire-breathing one this time!)

Oh and yes, elephant in the room: Layne has long hair extensions in this video! Somehow it has not changed Layne's appearance whatsover, at least not to my brain/eyes 😅

Dragon Counter: 9

I'm no weapons expert, but it's probably not the safest or the most effective method to hold an axe so close to the blade, right? Also I've heard of dual-wielding swords, but dual-wielding axes? Is that actually a thing? It doesn't seem very practical, but I guess it looks cool, if nothing else (though there've definitely been Patrons joking about how most of guys look like they've never handled a weapon in their life 😂)

I wanted at least one shot of all five of them together in this post, and I like how in this video, the order that they're all shown in doesn't always stay the same! And usually the person who's doing the lead vocals at the current moment is put in the middle if they have all 5 of them on screen!

(And by sheer luck/coincidence, this positioning/lineup order is identical to the thumbnail for My Mother Told Me, except with Cesar instead of Jose of course)

The first time I saw this, the reaction my brain had was basically just "!!!!!!!"

I think back to my Voiceplay Visuals for Seven Nation Army, where I said that I would've loved to see Geoff swinging his sledgehammer at stuff (well I called it a bat, but y'know). This is a totally different vibe, and totally different look for Geoff, but hey, I'll certainly take it!

(Fun fact: he actually threw his axe at Layne! (Layne was holding up like a pillow I think? (or a board) to protect his face, so he was fine, and it's just a prop axe, obviously)

Oh and the sound in the video of Geoff throwing the axe is not actually a stock sound effect! Layne couldn't find a sound that suited what he was looking for, so he just... did it himself! Y'know, as you do! (He also did a couple of the sound effects in Valhalla Calling)

Imo, a world where dragons exist is a world where a B0 subharmonic is fully audible to the human ear*, and in that world, if I heard something like that come out of someone looking like this, I'd probably start running away very quickly, or at least hope to gods that I wasn't an enemy of his!

*(very low subharmonics are often very quiet sounding without any microphone usage and/or post-production editing. It's not really a skill issue or anything like that, it's just physics of sound waves and stuff, combined with our hearing limitations).

Dragon Counter: 12

Eli: "Hey Layne how many dragons do you want in this video?" Layne: "Yes."

Dragon Counter: 13

Shoutout to Layne btw - of course everyone killed it with the acting in this, and Layne's always been great at doing "crazy eyes", but I reckon he really stepped up the fearsome-ness vibe for himself in this video compared to MMTM and Valhalla Calling 😁

Fabulous cloak toss!

(Cesar was also brilliant with the character acting in this - 10/10 no notes 👌)

Cesar doesn't just have red on his forehead btw; it's also partially on his ears! (And apparently it took quite some time and effort to fully be removed!) (It's kinda funny because red is also Cesar's "Grundel" colour!)

(Oh and I like the use of "shaky cam" during parts of this video for extra impact!)

Final Dragon Count: 14

A great ending shot honestly

And that's Hunt The Sky! Y'know this year I've been thinking about how I've just been waiting for a 2025 VoicePlay cover to really come and fully blow me away and knock me off my feet, and well, I got one! I found it! Boy did they ever deliver!

Honestly this is gonna be hard to beat in terms of my favourite VoicePlay cover for 2025. Like unless they do another Disney song cover this year (*cough* Gaston *cough*), this might easily remain in my top spot for the rest of the year. And hey, I'll let you in on a little secret: this is not the last VoicePlay original planned! We might not get another till like 2026 maybe. idk, but we will definitely get at least one or two more at some point!

Anyway, here's hoping I get to do at least one more Voiceplay Visuals post before the year is out, because these take A While to make, sure, but they're also really fun to do! So until next time! 👋

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Party Of Your Lifetime

Man I'm so happy to have one more video to visually dissect and delve into before the year ends! I really do enjoy making these posts!

VoicePlay's cover of Party Of Your Lifetime was released on the 13th of December, 2024 (or the 14th of December if you live somewhere like New Zealand, or Australia like myself). This was done in collaboration with the developers of the videogame Warframe, who reached out to VoicePlay after seeing and loving their cover of Sleeping In The Cold Below, another Warframe song. This song, however, is not a space shanty like SitCB was, but instead a song "performed" by the in-universe 90s-style boy band "On Lyne", whom VoicePlay are basically portraying for this video!

Many other things to say, (and if you wanna wanna hear my thoughts on just the vocals/arrangement/music, go HERE), but it's time for me to rewatch the video and start grabbing screenshots! Lets Get Into This!

I wasn't prepared for the "ad" at the start, ngl 😂

(Also in case you don't know the On Lyne band members, Geoff is Zeke (and Zeke is Geoff), Eli is Packet, Layne is Harddrive, Omar is DJ RoM, and Cesar is Drillbit)

"BIG BYTES PIZZAAAA!" (god they're such dorks, I love them)

Actually I might as well spend a bit of time talking about their clothing now, since there's gonna be even more costuming (and makeup) stuff to talk about quite shortly.

Geoff is wearing a key around his neck again! (Idk whether it's got any story significance or just meant to be a 90s fashion thing, but this is like the third or fourth time Geoff has worn a key necklace for a video if you count both VoicePlay's channel and his). Eli's got glasses on again! (First time since 2022 if you don't count Jingle Bell Rock or the Jump In The Line Mini). Also I like Cesar's necklace! (It's part of the character look)

(Also I kinda love the "a memory in every byte/bite" tagline)

I'm a little sad that the CDs they're using have the original On Lyne visual graphics, i.e. before Zeke's design got updated (to look more like Geoff), but oh well.

...I'm Sure It's Fine. Nothing to worry about, guys!

(Also fun fact: part of that was done in editing of course, but part of that was also just done by Kathy off to the side flicking the light switch off and on again! 😆)

Now we get to the bit that was seen in the teaser video! (And man I hope I don't hit image limit!)

It does bug me just a tiny bit that there are four spotlights in the back and not five, but oh well, teensy nitpick, it's not really that big of a deal.

Actually, while I'm talking about lights, I gotta shoutout Eli as usual, but also a guy by the name of Anthony Baldwin for both working on lighting design!

Lights up! I'll get to costuming again in a moment, but let's talk about set design!

I didn't actually fully register it until I was watching the BTS, but the floor is wet! (Or like a thin layer of water mopped over it anyway). Like with VP's Running Up That Hill video, it gives a cool (and even creepy/otherworldly) vibe to the scene thanks to the reflection effect, but I guess it also helps with some of the footwork, like doing easy spins and stuff (but be careful not to slip!)

There's also empty pizza boxes strewn around (shoutout to Kathy for doing a lot of work with those!), and there's even a metal lighting rig(?) thing at the back left of the shot that's tipped over in a way that implies that stuff has been wrecked!

(Oh boy getting clear screenshots from this is gonna be a Challenge huh).

Okay so like all of the guys' outfits are visibly dirtier and "tattier" than they were in the intro clip (more indication of whatever infection/infestation they've fallen victim to). But like while the others have clothes that are like moth-eaten, or have small holes, or rips in the hem and sleeves and stuff, Mister Geoffrey Castellucci has now had his shirt ripped open all the way down to his midriff/stomach area. I literally had to pause a couple of times to be like "wait are my eyes deceiving me?" No. No they were not. (definitely a "new record" for a YouTube video!)

Anyway the design thing on his forehead is cool, if you look past the fact that it makes it look like he's got no eyebrows!

Oooh I like this shot. Also maybe the four background spotlights are alright after all without needing a fifth.

This video was directed by both Layne and Tony (Tony helped out a lot with choreography and stage direction during the shoot), and Layne also did the arrangement for this one (though Eli is also credited with "additional arranging", funnily enough)

Even when infected/infested, Cesar continues to slay! Love the lipstick, love the fishnet arm thing! Also his left eye looks kinda purple in this shot and I'm guessing it's just the lighting, but it could be a contact lens, idk

Look how cool Eli looks! He had a relatively simple outfit compared to the other guys, but I guess that just means more to work with for the "post-transformation" stage! Look at the things on his shirt! (Claws? Plant tendrils? Alien things? Idk!) And the designs on his head!

Here's where I give credit where credit is due to Rick Underwood and Renette Feren, but also a woman named Jacqueline Coleman, as all three of them helped with makeup and prosthetics for this one! And of course Rick and Renette always do a stunning job.

The very first hint that any of us got pertaining to what VoicePlay was up to was when Omar posted on his Insta story when he was getting this makeup/face stuff put on him! Some people thought it looked kinda dragon-y, and yeah it still does! Like half a face of dragon scales! Cool!

Cool brief black-and-white "glitch" with distortion effect!

Okay but why does that picture low-key have such a vibe to it honestly

And can't forget a couple shots of Layne! He's got a kinda sorta "dragon-scales" thing on his face too, but yellow and wrapping from one cheek to another, up over his forehead (and blocking his eyebrows like with Geoff's face thing)

Oh I like that shot actually

(He's not getting a "he's so pretty" for this one, but I will give a heart emoji! 💜)

"DJ spins the track!"

Eli going over to Layne as Layne imitates being a "disc jockey" and doing the kinda record-scratch movements was honestly kinda cute? Also funny because the "DJ" of the group is DJ RoM, who's being portrayed by Omar, but of course Layne is your best bet for being able to make all those turntable noises by himself!

Omar does a very smooth spin on "the boys are in sync...", and in fact you can briefly see a bit of water 'splash' out from his feet as he does so!

A better shot of the side of Cesar's face! Also lighting colour change for the bridge(?) section!

Omar still has his portable CD player that he had in the intro clip, love that.

Also this is a better shot of some of the dirt, rips, and tears in some of the guys' clothing (but no one got a super low v-neck except Geoff, pfft)

...Alright fine, he's so pretty!!

I guess once you've seen videos like Thriller and Classical Chaos and Kidnap The Sandy Claws and stuff, makeup looks like this really aren't too hard to "get used to". (Also is it weird of me to say that the yellow-green stuff on his forehead kinda brings out his eyes a little bit?)

(And I can tell by the glimpse of the two necklace chains I see here that Geoff is, as always, still wearing the necklace that he always wears as well as the key necklace! <3)

Okay that's definitely a coloured contact lens

Does this count as an old-timey video effect? I think it does - I'm gonna have to start a running tally for VoicePlay videos honestly (and/or an idea for a new screenshot compilation maybe?)

Wait is Geoff doing air bass guitar?

And the screen closes back in for the end pose! (Also rip Geoff being the one most in shadow)

And that's Party Of Your Lifetime! Honestly it's just a really fun video with a really upbeat, energetic song, and I'm so happy for VoicePlay that they got this cool opportunity! They deserve all the recognition and more!

Got plenty more stuff lined up for this blog before Christmas, but in terms of visual analysis, that's it till January at earliest! Until next time!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Be Prepared

Voiceplay's full-length cover of Be Prepared was released on the 28th of September (or the 27th depending on your timezone, same deal as always), and in fact it's still the 28th for me as I type this! Yes, I'm getting this ready at least a couple of days in advance of when I plan to post it, 1 because I've waited long enough already, and 2 because VoicePlay's next release (their Halloween video) is meant to drop on Patreon before the end of September and I wanna get this done before it happens!

Anyway, this features Mykal Kilgore, who's an OG member, not technically of VoicePlay, but of "4 The Love", which consisted of Mykal, Geoff, Layne, and Earl, back when they were about 17 I believe? Then at some point they added Scott Porter as a beatbooxer and became 4:2:Five. Mykal appeared a little bit in Just Sing, but otherwise this is the first time he's properly reunited with Geoff and Layne and gotten to meet Eli and Cesar! He was definitely a great contribution to this video.

There's a lot to unpack visually in this video, and again, I've been dying to make this post, so let's! get! into this!!!

Honestly I can't even think of much to say about the overall set design right now other than yoooooo look how cool this is!!

They absolutely nailed the vibe/aesthetic of the original scene, while still keeping the set "simple" enough for plenty of movement and use of space!

Layne was in charge of the arrangement, creative direction, and video editing for this video, shocker to no one (a Disney song cover that places Geoff front and centre? Gotta be Layne's doing 😂 (and we love him for it!))

Oh yeah also I'm pretty sure the aspect ratio is a bit "narrower" than it often is for most VP videos? (Like the screen is more noticeably wider than it is tall.)

There he is!!! (It was at this point on my first watch-through that I had to take a moment to steel myself because I was like "nope nope nope hang on wait I don't think I'm actually prepared for this" 😅

As to be expected, Eli is credited with lighting, but he also helped out with the fog machine things shown here in this image (the one on the left is more visible here). VoicePlay hadn't worked with these things before, but they worked amazingly, and it's another thing to give the video similarities to the original movie scene. However, these things were actually Quite Loud

Not the clearest image but look at Layne and Cesar being all sneaky/creepy here! (Layne does a little skip-step thing in this shot here that's brief but kinda reminds me just a touch of his little run in This Is Halloween)

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Rick Underwood the man that you are, please, let me shake your hand, I love you (whether I'll still love him after the Halloween video remains to be determined, but anyway)

I mean honestly this is a Whole Look and I adore every part of it. The "facial scruff", the eyeliner, the freaking awesome jacket, the hair... I'm gonna stop myself from rambling too much too early ^^;

"I know that your powers of retention... are as wet as a warthog's backside."

A couple of things here:

1, You would probably expect Layne to just be another hyena (after all, there's many more than just Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed in the original scene), but it's possible that he might have intended to be a warthog, given this moment here (and also at the end of the BTS there's a clip of Layne messing around with one of the smoke/fog machines in a very Pumbaa-esque manner, lol).

And 2, credit to @ambular-d who first noticed this and pointed it out in the Discord server: Layne dips his shoulder here, "like Geoff's casual disdainful little swipe has some strength behind it." (directly quoting them here)

Okay now let's pay attention (ayyy) to our "main hyena trio" for a moment

There is no real style coordination here and yet somehow it works (well they're all in black/dark grey so they've got that in common). But like Cesar's got a grey leopard-print jumper/sweater (kinda cute ngl), Mykal's got a black fluffy (fringed?) shirt/sweater thing, and Eli's got a black leather jacket on (he looks very cool in it though - definitely suits him)

Mykal's the only one of the total five who isn't wearing some sort of necklace, but I guess he makes up for it with the bones hanging from the top of his head (and for all I know that actually might be a necklace that he just wrapped around the base of his hairbun)

ALSO I just went to go check my post for Friends On The Other Side because I was wondering if Cesar's necklace here was one of the ones worn by Geoff or Layne in that video, and I don't think it is (too short), but I'm 90% certain that Eli's necklace here is one of the same ones that Geoff was wearing!

Dramatic lighting flash! Low-key similar to Hoist The Colours (another video featuring scruff, guyliner, and heavily colour-tinted lighting), and also Geoff's recent Song Of Durin video!

(Also man I'm gonna hit image limit aren't I, lol rip)

"It's clear from your vacant expressions, the lights are not all on upstairs"

It's a blurry image, but I couldn't help but be tempted to do a Screenshot Comparison for this moment (plus another one a bit later in the song) because Layne absolutely understood the assignment and I was quite pleased that this bit got recreated!

(Also yes, Cesar is Ed, lol)

This moment in the video with Geoff and Cesar (including the second half of the line) got turned into a meme gif on the Patrons Discord server to represent VoicePlay and the audio distributors that they've been having issues with 😂

"And where do we feature?" "Just listen to teacher"

I don't remember it looking like that in the original scene! 😝 (but seriously, I love how Geoff and Cesar can't help but be cute together here - you should see their dynamic in some of the BTS videos, it's the best)

Pfft, this moment also got memed in the Discord server XD ("ask me to sing a G-1 one more time!" (credit again to @ambular-d) or alternatively "I said there are ants in the coffee again!" (that one's a reference to one of the BTS videos))

I'm honestly a little jealous of how cool Geoff looks while doing the sort of lifting motion he does in this moment here

Oh yeah that's definitely one of the Friends On The Other Side necklaces that Eli's got on

Also it took me an embarassingly-large amount of watches to realize that Cesar had painted nails for this one (in my defence, I was very distracted 😂)

Sure go ahead Eli, have your moment, stare into my soul, go on (affectionate)

"Of course quid pro quo you're expected, to take Certain Duties on board"

Again, not a great screenshot, but again, another moment recreated (at least in a general sense) from the original scene!

This is also a good place to point out how the lighting has changed from green to yellow, just as it does in the original scene, and it changed at the same spot as well (right on or just before the "it's great that we'll soon be connected..." line)

Oh rip it is tough to get good screencaps for this one (probably at least partially due to all the fog)

Anyway I wanted to point out that Layne's a little over an inch taller than Geoff (possibly two inches if you count the hair, lol), but in this one he mostly stays at least a little hunched, at least when Geoff's next to him, making Geoff look equal height if not taller (and from a storytelling perspective, it's great!)

"YOU WON'T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME!"

A quick shift to red colouring, again just as the movie scene (and also now the video looks crystal clear as well!)

(Also goddamn Geoff is really working the crazy evil villain look... like man 👀)

Mykal and Eli vibing, I love it

Cesar, Mykal, and Eli's reaction to the growl/roar 😂

Cesar is shook! Literally! XD

Nothing much to say here, just that Geoff looks amazing and is amazing

(Also shoutout to his white-grey hair, which was looking wonderfully-prominent in this video and I adore it)

(woof) HELLO THERE GOOD SIR 😳👉👈

This is a rare case of me not having a "he's so pretty" moment with Geoff in a video, but that's because for this one, it's more a case of "he's so hot" 👀

*insert evil laughter here*

And that's Be Prepared! Man, what a video!

Next on the list is of course VoicePlay's Halloween release for 2024, whatever that turns out to be. I'm both excited and nervous (or scared, even), but hey, I have no doubt it will give me plenty to talk about! Until next time!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Mission: Jingle Bells

(This post almost definitely won't be super long, but there was no way I was not gonna make a post for this video!)

Mission Jingle Bells was released on the 22nd of December, 2018, and as you all obviously know, it's a fusion between the Mission Impossible theme music and the song Jingle Bells, and it was legit sponsored by Paramount Pictures! Good for you, VoicePlay! The music was arranged by Layne, but we're not here to talk about that, we're here for the video! (Which was done by both Layne and Eli). So let's get into this!

'Hey you know how we got kidnapped for the Panic Medley videos? What if we got kidnapped again?' 😂

(Seriously, the Panic Medley videos were released just 5 months earlier, in July, and the Queen medley video, where Earl had to take on deities of death to get the chance to live again, was in November! 2018 was A Year)

Also I like that the camera feed says that the date and time is two minutes to midnight on Christmas eve, it's a nice touch.

Get that sponsorship money! Get that exposure! (Also it's kinda funny how VoicePlay has had ties with Disney, Paramount, and Universal! Getting a whole variety of connections there!)

Obligatory "man he looks so good here" 💜

Fun fact: The voice of "Creepy Evil Santa" was actually done by Eli! As for who actually physically portrayed him, I'm not entirely sure. I think I've seen people saying it was Kathy? But I can't remember if they were joking or not

A small thing, but I like how before Villain Santa tells you that the collar things actually control the guys' voices/vocalisations, the video actually kinda shows you! Villain Santa's presses a button on his device panel thing (see previous image), and then Geoff suddenly "kicks into gear", like starts doing exactly what is requested, no hesitation, as if he really is being controlled! It's neat!

(Follow me for more overexplanation of miniscule details /j)

And yes of course I am going to mention the bow in Earl's beard. It's hilarious and adorable, 10/10, no notes

And yes, their hands/wrists are all bound to the chairs with wrapping paper, with bows on top!

(Also I thought Geoff was the only one not wearing a tie but Eli isn't either!)

I am kinda interested to know what the collars were made from actually (there isn't any BTS stuff for this video sadly - I checked)

"What fun it is to ride and sing a-"

"-sleighing song toniiight"

*grabby hands* Gimme the controls, GIVE ME THE CONTROLS! 😂

(Seriously Evil Santa dude, you could've done so much more!!!)

J killed it with the rap part of course! (Who wrote that bit? Was it the same dude who wrote bits for VoicePlay's covers of Superstition and Valhalla Calling?)

Kinda looks like J is giving Layne hope/encouragement/reassurance here and it's kinda sweet!

Geoff! You're not supposed to be enjoying this! 🤣

(But also his head bobbing is kinda fun/amusing - I guess when he can't sing with his hands like he usually does, moving his head will just have to do!)

Now there's a freeze-frame bonus for sure! 😍

Also just noticed Geoff is moving his fingers a little bit in this part! He cannot be fully stopped! XD

(Also hey are Eli's shoes the same ones that he wore in Creep and In The Air Tonight and maybe one or two other videos? He seems to like black sneakers with thick white soles on them)

When the video started, the time on the camera feed was two minutes before midnight, and two minutes later... it's still two minutes before midnight! What kinda Polar Express time nonsense is this? 😂

"I'm so pleased, you may leave now! Merry Christmas, VoicePlay!"

"Thank you, mister evil... supervillain guy... but can you untie us now? ...Someone's coming to untie us right?"

(Lol rip)

I remember this was one of the videos I watched not too long after I first discovered VoicePlay in 2019, and I'm pretty sure that I wasn't entirely certain who was speaking at the end, but of course now I know it's Geoff! (Though his typical speaking voice nowadays is an octave or so lower, lol)

Okay so not too short of a post after all (3 more images than my post for Baby Its Cold Outside, actually!), and definitely well worth it! But the next post I have in store? Well, there might be a solid chance of me hitting the image limit on that one, lol. See you again soon!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Total Eclipse Of The Heart

I had the idea to do a Voiceplay Visuals for this one practically since I first saw this on Patreon, and I was originally hoping to make and post it not long after it dropped on YouTube, but I just haven't really had the opportunity to actually sit down and do it - these posts take time y'know! However, I'm predicting a new VoicePlay video release next weekend, as it'll be mid-month, and also 4 weeks since TEotH premiered, and therefore the expected time for the next one to drop, and I figured I should probably get this done before that, just in case I wanna make a Voiceplay Visuals for that one too. Maybe. Hypothetically. Who knows? :)

Anyway, Voiceplay's full-length cover of Total Eclipse Of The Heart was uploaded on the 17th of August (or the 16th depending on your timezone), and features the amazing Ashley Diane as collaborator! She filmed a few Minis with the group a couple months or so ago, but she hasn't been in a proper full-length cover video with them since Running Up That Hill two years ago!

Also, notice how I specified "Voiceplay's full-length cover"? Well if you keep up with VoicePlay's Mini releases (as you should), then you might remember that VoicePlay used this song for a Mini about 4 months ago, also featuring Ashley Diane. Apparently it was Eli's idea to turn that into a full-length cover, but he got Rob Dietz to arrange it, giving him notes about his ideas and overall 'vision' for the cover. Eli was also in charge of the video for this one, and now it's finally time for me to start talking about it! Let's get into this!

(post continues below the cut!)

Not actually the most random start to a VoicePlay video, ngl (You're A Mean One Mr Grinch and Jingle Bell Rock would both be strong contenders for that title imo)

(Also not pictured because I couldn't get a decent screen pic of it: Cesar hurting his hand a little bit and going "AH!" and Ashley cracking up 😂)

Ngl my first reaction to this shot was "oh my god Geoff's wearing a shirt that's not black or grey!!!" 😆 (you know I love him, and obviously he always looks great in whatever black clothing he wears, but it is always a pleasant surprise whenever he wears something a bit more colourful)

We have Cesar to thank for Geoff's getup, and everyone else's, as he was in charge of costuming for this one! (Honestly it's kinda funny how the one in charge of outfits for a clearly 80s-stylised video is the only one (of the guys at least) who wasn't actually alive in the 80s, but hey, he still did a great job!)

The "B-roll footage" was all filmed by Eli, and honestly it's a great addition to the video, both for the storytelling element and for the general shenanigans/fun times between Cesar and Ashley in it (and also the way the video quality looks kinda "retro" as well!) 😁

(Also love Ashley's nails here 👌)

The way my face went from 😃 to 😦 in an instant when I first saw this. VOICEPLAY! RUDE! /j

Did we not have enough Sad Cesar moments already with I Can't Make You Love Me and Creep? ^^;

This was filmed at "District Eat & Play", which is a bowling alley/arcade just across from Pattycake Studios, inside the Oviedo Mall!

The "B-roll footage" with just Ashley and Cesar was filmed when the arcade was empty (before it properly opened for the day, I guess), but the group shots like here were filmed when the arcade was open to the public. This small side area (which appears to be roughly enclosed on three sides) was roped off for VoicePlay to film in, but they could still hear a bit of noise from people and arcade machines and stuff. Fun!

Cesar and Ashley were meant to be portraying a romantic couple in this one, but in reality they're just really close friends (and it shows!) (and also Cesar's gay anyway so-). Honestly the actual "romance" component is a little bit of a "very low-key implied" thing here, in my opinion at least, but that's fine! The dynamic between Cesar and Ashley is still great, and friendship breakups can hurt like hell too! Sometimes even more than romantic ones!

I wanna know how many takes it took to get that shot, and if it was actually Ashley who did it or not! (The BTS doesn't say)

I like how there are shots of Ashley "fading away" and shots of Cesar "fading away", as if both 'characters' are individually reflecting on the breakup and remembering what they lost!

Although the arcade setting helps add to the 80s vibe/aesthetic, the fact is that it's still a modern-day arcade, and so quite a few of the arcade games are definitely quite recent! 😄

The pinball games in this shot are for The Hobbit, Toy Story 4, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Avatar, Tron (maybe??), Game Of Thrones, Stranger Things, Jurassic Park, and Godzilla

(Also it's kinda funny how 4 of those games/franchises relate to songs on either Geoff or VoicePlay's channels - 5 if you count the Jurassic Park theme in Aca Top 10 movie themes!)

In case you wanted to know whose hand this is - it's Layne's! 😁

(Obligatory "he's so pretty" comment 😄)

Also it's more noticeable in the wide group shots than the close-ups, but I love how the lighting on Geoff's hair is like the inverse of the colours on his shirt (pink on the left side, blue on the right, and then vice versa for the shirt), and, per the BTS video, it makes his hair look like cotton candy/fairy floss! <3

Time for another "I'm not meant to be talking about the music/song itself here BUT" moment, because of course I have to acknowledge that this isn't just a full-length cover, it's a Spanglish version! Cesar had the idea for this bit I believe - apparently there's a Spanish duet version of this song that's really popular in Puerto Rico/Latin America, and that's where the Spanish lyrics here come from!

Layne is kinda giving me Pokemon trainer vibes with his outfit in this one ngl, but honestly I want his jacket

I love air hockey - I hardly ever get to play it because I hardly ever go to arcades, but when I have played before with friends, I basically always win, lol

Pfft, gotta love how Cesar got fully into it 😂

Oh and Necklace Spotted, and yes Geoff has got two top buttons undone as per usual! ✔️✔️😄

And a pixelated "fade-out" to cap off the retro vibe! Very nice!

Okay so this actually ended up being not as short of a post as I thought it might be, but I'm definitely cool with that!

I might have a new VV post for you all in just over a week from now, maybe, depending both on when VoicePlay's next video drops, whatever it may be, and whether I decide to make a Voiceplay Visuals post for it or not, idk, I really can't say. But anyway, hope you enjoyed! Until next time! ✌️

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Thriller (part 1 of 2)

(The video isn't a two-parter, but this analysis is! You can find part two HERE, but there'll also be a link at the bottom of this post!) VoicePlay's cover of Michael Jackson's Thriller was released to YouTube on the 12th of October, 2024 (and/or on the 11th - you know how it works), and features the one and only J None, back again with the group! Actually, in case you haven't fully realised it yet, of the 4 Halloween videos that VP has done since he stopped being a permanent member, J has returned for 3 out of 4 of them! (The exception being 2022's Hide And Seek/Ding Dong, ft. Lauren Paley). Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but this might be the first time Voiceplay has covered two songs by the same artist in the same year? The first obviously being The Way You Make Me Feel (which has been submitted for consideration to be maybe nominated for a Grammy in two categories!?!) But anyway, I don't wanna get off-topic, and of course I'm not actually here to talk about the music/vocals/arrangement (I did that in a separate post which you can find HERE); I'm here to talk about everything happening on screen! And boy is there a lot to talk about, such that I very quickly realised I would absolutely have to make two posts in order to mention everything (like what I did for Classical Chaos). So enough of my introductory yapping, Let's Get Into This!

Introductory shot! Actually this was the video thumbnail that Patrons got for early access (though I hit play without even looking at it anyway), so we went in way more blind than the rest of y'all did!

The moon lamp once again making an appearance in the background! Geoff first got it for his Jack's Lament video, and then VoicePlay used it for Classical Chaos earlier this year. Also I wouldn't be surprised if some of those gravestones were reused from Jack's Lament as well tbh. (And trees possibly from Be Prepared and/or Classical Chaos?)

Oh yeah and maybe you might see something on the floor behind Cesar's legs? Don't worry about it, it's probably nothing! 😉 😝

(More below the cut!)

J sings "under the moonlight...", and Cesar turns to look back at the moon! (And Layne turns his head as well)

Also the beam of light coming from the top left area shining down to the centre of the floor reminds me of the similar lighting effect from Song Of Durin ngl (as always, Eli was credited with lighting for this one - shocker to no one, and he always kills it every time!)

Also quick comment on the clothing, I like how they're all wearing black and red, but with each with their own take on it. Layne has red shoes (so does J), Cesar has red plaid pants, and J, Eli, and Geoff all have red shirts (and J has red and black trousers (or whatever they are), and Geoff has ripped jeans with red showing through underneath). And of course it's always nice when Geoff is wearing an actual proper colour other than blue! 😁😝

Not fully a visuals thing but I forgot to put it in my musical thoughts/commentary post - I like how Eli sings "you're paralysed!" and then the background vocals sing "you're para-!" but they din't finish the word, as if they've been stopped, or rather paralysed midway through singing! And this is highlighted in the video by Cesar here, so it is still kinda a visual thing as well!

Hey I think that person figure thing on the ground behind Cesar and Layne has gotten closer! It's still probably nothing though, it's fine /j

Actually nevermind, it's not fine - watch out Layne!!!

On my first watch-through of this video on Patreon, I mostly just watched it start to finish without stopping. The only two times I paused were right at the start to take in the starting shot and kind of "psych myself up" to get through the rest of it (again, not knowing anything about the video), and then I rewound a few seconds and paused to try and get a better look at who this zombie person was. And then I stayed paused for like a hot minute while I absolutely died laughing because omg KATHY!!!!! 😂🤣🤣

*YEET*

(Oh the genuine delights of frame-by-frame scrubbing 😂)

So here's some BTS info for you: Geoff was in charge of the production and direction of this video (and song arrangement) (though Tony also helped out with direction too), and apparently his initial idea was for Zombie!Kathy to "bite" Layne's leg, and then just make a face or something as if he tasted bad, and then crawl away or whatever. It was Kathy who had the idea of what actually happens in the video! Geoff wasn't sure at first, but she told Layne the idea and he loved it, and yeah it was absolutely hilarious - definitely VoicePlay Brand Of Dumb (affectionate).

Also you don't really see anything of the ""body double"" that Layne kicks away, but VoicePlay (Geoff specifically I'm presuming) decided to credit 'her' in the description: "Flying Stunt Zombie - Greta The Gruesome" 😂 (Kathy meanwhile is credited as "Production Manager and Floor Zombie")

And also despite being hardly seen, VoicePlay and crew put effort into making Kathy and the doll "Greta" (bought from a Spirit Halloween store inside the same mall as Pattycake Studios) look like each other! Kathy has since posted a couple pics from the videoshoot with her and "Greta" in full makeup and costuming on her Instagram - Here's a link!

Cesar is Concerned (and/or confused, lol)

And so yeah, Kathy was on the floor at the back right from the start! (Though I didn't notice her there at first till the second time around.) Kinda like Geoff's Monster Mash video in that regard! (someone on the Discord server (I believe it was Huldra?) made a joke about this being the result of Narrator/Scientist!Geoff's creation going horribly wrong, lol)

You doing alright there Layne?

*AAAAAAHHHH...*

*...CHOOOO!*

(Oof, rip Cesar!)

Also kinda neat how the lights change back to red right on Layne's sneeze (momentarily going purple in between as well!)

So not only did Eli maybe get some in his eye, or at least almost do so, but Cesar's wiping his sneezed-on hands on him!

Eli: Cesar dude what the heck? Cesar: Hey don't blame me! Layne was the one that sneezed in the first place!

Not exactly an air guitar, but Geoff does kinda look like he's playing some sort of invisible instrument here and it's low-key intriguing to me

A very quick sideways head/neck jerk from Cesar - the first warning sign that the zombie-ness has spread to him as well!

Yep, now it's Cesar's turn!

Shoutout to Cesar's gold painted nails! Very pretty!

And also shoutout to Layne's acting/movements in this video! In most VoicePlay videos you'll likely notice that he has "self-conducting" movements in a similar way to what Geoff does, and you might even notice similar hand movements across multiple videos. But in this video, from the moment he starts looking a bit more sickly/"zombie-like", his movements change a little as well - looking a bit more jerky and stuff, and he seems to mostly be keeping his hands open and flat like in this picture here - less bending of fingers or any sort of fluid "drumming" motions (maybe meant to represent a bit of growing rigor mortis?)

I only just thought of the rigor mortius idea/"theory" just before, and then we get this ~2 second group shot at the start of the bridge section, and Layne barely moves, despite there still being audible percussion - it definitely seems like a deliberate choice! (He's still beatboxing, or at least lip-syncing to it, but it's rare that he keeps his body so still in a video while he's still doing percussion)

Watch out Eli - I think you're next!

*Pfft* rip he's gone

(Cesar in the BTS video: "Can I go for his head?" Geoff: "If he consents to it")

"Well that's not good"

"They're out to get you..."

Geoff isn't the only person to look directly at the camera/viewer in the video, but the verse he does here definitely feels the most like an actual warning, especially with the way he conveys it on screen here, and I guess it lines up nicely with him doing the monologue later. (Also low-key "close all the windows, lock the doors, unless you're careful he'll get yours" vibes ngl)

(Oh and necklace spotted!)

Also this bit low-key reminds me of the end of VoicePlay's Running Up That Hill video, after Ashley levitates and everyone else is just practically frozen, moving only their eyes (and mouths)

Oh no Geoff watch out!!!

(But also goddamn why does he look so good here? Like even with the hands and everything, almost looks like a freaking painting!)

Honestly I find Geoff's bit here really interesting - he's concerned/worried, but he doesn't actually look massively terrified, and he doesn't look like he's ready to run or fight. Like maybe he's almost already accepted the fact that he's next, and it's just a matter of how and when?

(That'd kinda sorta line up with the This Is Halloween video actually, in that everyone is slowly turning into creepy monsters, and Geoff appears to be the one least resistant to it (yes this video can be connected to a lot of other VoicePlay/Geoff videos, and I love it))

(Oh and I gotta give my love to his grey-white parts of Geoff's hair - truly this man ages like fine wine <3)

Not the hair!!!

And down he goes!

(And literally, he was in fact pulled straight downwards! Bent the legs, and Cesar and Layne helped support his weight so he didn't topple straight down - it was kinda amusing to see it happen in the BTS video ngl)

One last thing I will point out is that the jump across to J following this bit is actually not a cut or some fancy transition edit - Geoff's section to J's section is one continuous shot. But with that being said, this is still where I'm cutting this post off, because it's the halfway point (not counting the credits), and I've hit image limit! (I had to remove two images here to make it work but otherwise I managed!) Go find part 2 HERE!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Christmas Don't Be Late (The Chipmunk Song)

VoicePlay didn't actually release a full-length Christmas song in 2021 (just a couple of Christmas Minis instead), and so we're jumping ahead to the 3rd of December, 2022, when VoicePlay released what may in fact be my favourite Christmas song cover of theirs ever!

As a group, VoicePlay have had quite a lot of experience with performing this song over the years, as it was a regular part of their setlist when they used to perform at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Walt Disney World. If you wanna learn more about that, check out these posts by @jules-has-notes linked HERE and HERE (and I hope Jules doesn't mind me tagging them but seriously their blog has *so much* stuff about old VoicePlay stuff, further back than I go that's for sure!)

Anyway, the original arrangement for this song, i.e. the one VP used for live performances, was done by a guy called Chris Diaz, who is (was?) in an acapella group himself, but Geoff made quite a few alterations to the song/arrangement himself, and so both him and Chris are credited with the arrangement! Geoff was also in charge of the video, he co-directed it with Tony, and yes, he added additional music bits and original lyrics of his own, because of course he did 😄

And of course the song features the amazing DeeJay Young, but enough talking, let's get into this!

First of all, love the way VoicePlay started the song with the kinda "old-timey" effect on the visuals (and the audio too!). They did something similar for the start of Sh-Boom and In The Air Tonight, and did it for a brief moment in We're Good as well.

Second of all, do you recognise the set? You should! It's the same one Geoff used for his Way Down video, just with a bit of added Christmas flair!

Not the most perfect screenshot but I just had to give a shoutout for how Geoff suddenly runs into the shot. Like seriously neither words nor individual screencaps do it justice but I find it very amusing 😝

(Also, Eli is again weaing black sneakers with thick white soles)

Cesar as Alvin is literally perfect casting honestly. Like nobody else could do it better.

(Also Cesar was in fact genuinely filming stuff on his phone during this bit, and that footage got included in the BTS video for this cover, and it's just as entertaining and hilarious as you'd expect)

I want that shirt

DeeJay is looking pretty stylish there too! (And yes Cesar also looks great in his blazer)

Alright so Layne is Dave (the human guy character), Cesar is Alvin, Deejay is Theodore, Eli is Simon, and Geoff is... Geoff? 😂😅

"ALVIIINNNN!!!!!"

(*pfft*)

*ding*

(Yeah this video definitely still makes me laugh 😂)

"Alvin! Stop riffing so much and stick to the music!"

Unfair! DeeJay and Eli do heaps of riffing all the time! (And we love them for it, lol)

Also I don't know what the sheet music "says" in terms of the music notes, but I love that it at least appears to be a legit page of sheet music for the song, complete with VoicePlay logo at the top!

"So listen for those nine reindeer!"

Also it's not a visual thing, but given that quite a few reactors didn't seem to notice/realize it, I gotta point out that the sleigh bell/jingle bell sound here is very much done by Layne! Probably with a little bit of post-production effect, but still, very impressive!

"A brand new bottle of hair gel!"

"A bright green dress like ✨Tinkerbell!✨"

*PFFT*

This line is specifically a reference to the fact that they used to perform this song at Disney World, as I mentioned at the start, but this line has also been used in some of their older performances of it too I believe?

Also whenever I sing this song to myself, I literally can NEVER, sing the "bright green dress like Tinkerbell" line, because I always start laughing every time!

"Dooon't be la-ate!"

(I think he really wants that dress you guys 😉😝)

*sigh* He's so pretty and handsome, I love him (look, about 90% of my Voiceplay Visuals posts involve at least one moment of me pointing out how good Geoff looks! I apologise for nothing!)

(Also it took a decent bit of restraint for me to not include even more Geoff screenshots in this just because)

"So put your sleigh in- (so put your sleigh in its top gear!)"

I don't think I've actually noticed this bit before but damn Cesar ain't messing around! He wants presents NOW! 😂

"A tweet from Musk would make me grin!" (heavy grimacing)

I actually checked the lyrics for this song cover on Spotify (back before Spotify made lyrics available only to Premium users, rip), and this line is actually changed for the audio-only version it seems, to "a gift from mom would make me grin", which is fair, because the very faked sincerity of this line wouldn't convey as easily without the visuals.

"Front row seats to Hamilton!"

VoicePlay are no stranger to including references to modern day media stuff in their Christmas Don't Be Late performances, but this is also a not-super-subtle shoutout to the fact that DeeJay was on tour as a cast member in Hamilton! (And still is performing in Hamilton I believe?) He's been playing the role of Aaron Burr I believe? Which is very very impressive, shoutout to DeeJay!

"We can hardly wait!"

(Also hey is that a little Eli Eyebrow Raise I see?)

And I have to give a shoutout to the bridge section of this cover - another Geoff Castellucci original, it's so good! Fits in perfectly, as all his lyrics do! (Original song WHEN?)

"I've been so wonderful!"

I love how the responses of reactors to this moment have been a mix of "aww yes you have Cesar!" and "hmmm I'm not so sure (light-hearted) but I still love you regardless" 😄😁

Get it Cesar! Love the dancing!

Only just noticed Eli has the Hamilton booklet thing shoved in the back pocket of his jeans, lol

Cesar what are you doing? 😆

"Great job, chipmunks! Even you, Alvin! Now let's try it with some helium!"

*pfft*, what a way to end the video honestly

Geoff looks confused, Eli looks uncertain/doubtful (another Eli Eyebrow Raise!), DeeJay looks like he's either down for it or hasn't fully processed it, and Cesar looks HORRIFIED XD

(Also what would Geoff even sound like on helium when singing bass? Normal? /j 😂)

So that's Christmas Don't Be Late! VoicePlay turned a song that's really quite short, slow, and overall fairly forgettable, into an absolute bop and banger, and the video is super fun as well. Like seriously, this is one song that no one else has done or will do in the same way that VoicePlay has, and that's a big part of what I love about it! Until next time!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Time Warp

When I was considering the concept of doing a few "bonus posts" during my 12 Days Of Christmas In July miniseries, I was like "oh I am absolutely doing a post for Time Warp!" and so here we are!

Time Warp was released on the 14th of October, 2023 (last year), and is what the group has referred to as a "Biggie" video. What this means it's that it's mostly like a VoicePlay Mini, but it's longer than a minute, and uploaded as a proper video on the channel (other "Biggies" include Wellerman and Peaches). So yeah, it's not a full-length cover of Time Warp (one can only dream!), but it's still more than we would've gotten from just a standard Mini! The arrangement was a collaboration between Rob Dietz, Geoff, and Eli, and the video and creative direction were both just left to Eli. And this cover/video features the awesome Ashley Diane! Anyway, idk how long or short this post might be, but there's definitely fun things to show and talk about, so let's get into this!

Alright we're starting off the video strong, with Geoff wearing glasses and practically smouldering down the camera, SIR-!

(Seriously he already looks so lovely and handsome most of the time anyway - the fact that glasses make him look even better is frankly just unfair)

Oh and you might notice a sign in the far background (the blue-green thing) that says "Oviedo Mall". That's where VoicePlay films most of their Minis (and "Biggies"), and it's also where Pattycake Studios is located!

Sir you stop that right now! 😂😅

(Never ask me for screenshots from the Peaches video - I love it a lot but I am too damng weak to those eyes looking right at me!)

("Hey that's not a YouTube screenshot!" Nope, it's from the Patreon Early Access video. Don't @ me, it's the exact same video, but it just gives me a better/"cleaner-looking" screenshot in this case)

Alright, outfit talk time!

Geoff I suppose could low-key be dressing up as Brad Majors with the glasses? (Yes I have seen Rocky Horror Picture Show - only once a few years back, but I of course know the songs, and really know Time Warp).

Layne is definitely repping Columbia with that shiny gold jacket, and also hey it's a rare case of seeing (what I'm assuming is) his natural hairstyle! (Layne had curly hair in Jingle Bell Rock as well but I completely forgot to mention it).

Cesar is wearing a Rocky Horror Picture Show shirt, nice (I am fully unsurprised that he's a fan of it, lol), and Eli's wearing the same jacket that he did in the video for Good 4 U a couple years ago!

"It's just a jump to the left..."

Love the old-timey effect they put on the visuals for this bit, and the monocle!

(I can't do frame-by-frame scrubbing on Patreon videos, but there's a lot less User Interface stuff getting in the way when I wanna take full-length screenshots, so if the source of the images keeps changing during this post, that's why)

The main reason I wanted to do a VoicePlay Visuals post for this one: the dancing! (And I was totally dancing along with the first chorus here, couldn't help myself!)

Oh and speaking of the dancing, I gotta show my appreciation for the fact that Cesar and Ashley are doing the choreography properly (well, mostly - the "step to the right" bit should include matching hand motions!). E.g. having the right timing on "bring your knees in tight" (you don't do it immediately!)

I wanted to get a clear shot of Ashley before I gave proper appreciation for her sparkly sequined top! Very cute!

"...when a snake of a guy gave me an evil wink!"

(Both Eli and Cesar are winking!)

Zoom in on Geoff, Layne, and Eli down in the mini "cutaway box" at the bottom! First of all, Geoff has the biggest happy grin on his face and I love it, and second of all, Layne jumped into shot and almost immediately lost composure and almost cracked up laughing 😂

Layne kept going though, good for him! (And honestly leaving that part in instead of reshooting just makes it more entertaining for us imo 😁)

Cesar is iconic, that is all

I love how Layne appears to be trying The Least with the dance moves. 🤣 (Meanwhile Geoff and Eli appear to be having an absolute blast!)

Not gonna bother trying to get a decent screenshot of the "pelvic thrusts" bit, but it's still very amusing. Layne again going for Bare Minimum, Geoff is trying but his expression indicates he's close to pulling something or throwing his back out (rip), while Eli is absolutely going for it, and even does a little spin! 😁

Just Random Chaos Time. VoicePlay Brand Of Dumb! 😂😂

And of course there is only one proper way to end a performance of Time Warp, and this is basically how you do it!

Say VoicePlay, any of you know how to Madison? 🤔😜🤣

So that's Time Warp! I don't watch this one a great deal, so it was fun to have a reason to revisit it. This was an additional little "Halloween season upload" from VoicePlay last year, and I am so hyped for whatever they might come up with this year, but for now, I've got one more bonus post coming your way, and then we'll finish off with more Christmas stuff! See you soon!

[acaplaya-musings]

VoicePlay Visuals - Classical Chaos (part 1/2)

(The video itself obviously isn't a two-parter, but this post is! You can go to part 2 here, and there'll also be a link at the bottom of this post.)

VoicePlay's "Classical Chaos" video publically released on the 29th of June, 2024 (well, the 28th of June for Americans I suppose, but I've been going off of my own timezone for all my other posts - no point changing now), and it features the one and only Rachel Potter, back with VoicePlay for the first time in two and a half years!

The arrangement, creative direction, and editing of this video was all Layne (with a bit of additional creative direction from Tony), and some have said this is an accurate look into what the inside of Layne's brain is like😂 Layne took snippets of a dozen different classical music pieces (ranging from "somewhat known" to "definitely well-known"), and turned them into a super original, super amazing acapella medley, and created a very entertaining and amusing video to go with it! And the video is what I'm here to talk about!

Also, if you somehow haven't figured it out yet, the Classical Chaos video is somewhat of a sequel to VoicePlay's In The Hall Of The Mountain King video they did back in September of 2022. You can find my VoicePlay Visuals post for that video here!

Anyway, enough introduction, let's get into this!

First of all, had to get a shot of that bat flying past - it's a cute touch - and second of all my goodness let's talk about set design because WOW. This is inside Pattycake Studios, believe it or not! Seriously, Mountain King I think maybe just had a handful of real trees that were dragged into the studio and then they used a hanging backdrop with a forest on it in addition? But this is heaps! (Someone in the VP Discord said apparently there were 39 trees used, damn)

This forest also did double duty, as Pattycake Productions also used it for their new Villains Lair episode, Ancient Relics (hey, might as well make the absolute most of it!), and unlike VP's video, that actually does have credits for set design! The trees themselves are credited to Orlando Art Squad, Djon Pearson, Layne, Tony, and also Big Oaks Ranch!

(Also I'm fairly certain that moon in the background is the same moon lamp/spotlight that Geoff used for his Jack's Lament video)

Eli's here! He uses the spellbook to re-summon all the others (I think), but how/why did he reappear I wonder? (Grundel magic perhaps 😝 (yeah they're playing creatures called "Grundels", I think maybe Layne came up with the name?))

"Advanced Conjuring And Other Spells (Beginners Do Not Attempt)"

Dang, I guess music really is magic after all! 😉😁

I can't read sheet music to save my life, but this appears to be the sheet music for Toccata & Fugue In D Minor (it's the first piece in this medley, and I googled what the sheet music looked like and it seems to line up).

Geoff giving a little smile and wave at Eli is very cute, and reminds me of the way Kathy waved to Geoff at the end of Golden Hour, which in turn reminded some people of Rachel's little wave in the Kiss The Girl segment of the Little Mermaid Medley, another video where Geoff got painted blue, so I guess it's a full-circle moment really!

Also yes, their appearances have been tweaked slightly since Mountain King (both Geoff and Layne have different horns, Eli and Geoff have different 'shirt' things, and Geoff's skin is more blue than it was last time), but I have many other things to talk about, so I shan't spend too much time on this.

The queen has arrived! Or rather, should I say, the White Witch!

Pfft I love Cesar's face here 😆

Man I really love Rachel's makeup and costuming here, she always looks amazing in VoicePlay videos! Also definitely Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark vibes

(And of course shoutout to Rick Underwood and Renette Feren for makeup and prosthetics for everyone in the video!)

Geoff is Planning Something(tm) 😝

The fire in this video works similarly to how the cauldron did in Mountain King in regards to colour coding, but while the cauldron only appeared to change colour whenever someone added something to it, this fire changes colour whenever a different person starts singing lead vocals! E.g., white for Rachel, as shown here. (I'm not sure how tough this was to pull off in editing/post-production, but it turned out amazing!)

The queen White Witch is busy casting spells and doing witch stuff! Do not disturb and definitely do not touch the spellbook!

(Also Cesar manages to be as adorable as ever in this video 😄)

🎶I could put a spell on you and you're done for!🎶

No wait wrong fandom 😝

Eli: "Ooh maybe while she's distracted I could-"

Rachel: "NOPE don't even think about it!"

Layne: "Lol rip tough luck"

(But seriously *pfft* @ this screenshot 😂)

Wait for it...

"WHERE IS THE BOOK?"

Even Layne is like "oh dang" 😂

Geoff got a hold of it! (good for him) Using what I can only assume is the power of Looney Tunes Logic! 😝

Geoff: Hey look I got this cool book! Isn't it neat? The other three guys: GIMME! Rachel: *Big Mad*

Okay I do kinda love the huge grin on Geoff's face here - it's very him, and he's having fun!

(Also notice how the fire has turned blue now that he's singing!)

Geoff holds up the book...

...And suddenly he no longer has the book!

Unfortunately for Geoff (and Rachel), he's not the only one with the power of Looney Tunes Cartoon Nonsense Logic! 😝😂

(Also the fire has changed again!)

Okay I have to talk a teeny bit about the music here because 1, I love how Geoff's "wait where did it go" head turns are perfectly timed to the "doo-doo," backing parts here, and 2, as I said in my Thoughts And Commentary post, I find it very amusing that Layne's section here is The Blue Danube, considering he just yoinked the spellbook from Geoff, who is Very Blue 😂

*pfft*

"Don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious-"

Aww look at that mischievious-but-lovable grin!

And look at what's happened to the fire! It's still mostly orange, but with a bit of green on top! Kinda like... a carrot! Layne The Carrot Lord strikes again! 😆

Rachel: "Yeah I'll have that back thanks"

And I've officially hit image limit, so that's part 1! Now you understand why I made this into two posts, not one? You can go find part 2 here! See you there!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Drunken Sailor

Man I've been waiting to get to this one!

Drunken Sailor was uploaded on the 12th of August, 2023, and like the other pirate-themed video Voiceplay did akmost two years prior, it features Jose Rosario Jr! It also features Matthew Buckner (aka "Bucky") in an acting role, as the "drunken sailor" that Voiceplay sing about. "Bucky" used to be a vocalist in "4:2:Five" for a while (iirc), and he's good friends with Geoff, and even helped with the choreography for Geoff's Monster Mash video! Just like Hoist The Colours, both the arrangement and video were done by Geoff (who also wrote an original bridge for the song! (genius that he is)), and he also co-directed the video (with Tony), and worked together with Eli on lighting design. This might be one of those posts where I get close to the picture-upload-maximum and have to start counting them just in case, but still, it would be for good reason! So let's go!

Group shot! Shoutout to Pattycake Productions for the set design!

I'm not sure if any of the group are wearing any of the same clothing pieces they wore in Hoist The Colours (I did a brief bit of visual comparison), but Jose, acting as the captain of this "ragtag motley crew" once more, is pretty close.

Also, Geoff is going with the bare-shoulders look again (we always stan), but so is Cesar! (Good For Him)

Not even 10 seconds in and I've already found a funnier-than-first-expected/realized screencap! I'm not sure whose face I love more here - Layne's or Geoff's 😂😂

Obligatory comment that Geoff was absolutely serving looks in this video! The subtle "guyliner" plus the light stubble and the black sleeveless shirt/tunic? I freaking live for it 👀👌

Jose staring right down the camera, and Cesar giving 110% as per usual 😄

Pfft XD

Crazy Eyes Layne back again! 😆

Also look at Eli's face! He's terrified by the story that Layne is 'telling'!

"I'll have that!" (also notice that when Layne makes the whale "eat"/bite the boat, Eli covers his head with his hands in distress! The Lore! The Lore!

PFFFT, if looks could kill! 🤣 (and the fact that he's still beatboxing the whole time really makes this 👌)

Voiceplay said in the comments (in a reply to someone) that "there were a few different takes of this shot, and this was the one where it looked the MOST like Layne was gonna burst into flame." I think they nailed it 😝😁

"Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom!"

Firstly, it sounds at least like Cesar is singing "hosepipe bottom", but the original line is "hosepipe on him". And despite what Cesar is implying with the wooden toilet seat, the line has nothing to do with toilets or bathrooms. A "scupper" is "an opening in the side walls of a vessel or an open-air structure, which allows water to drain instead of pooling" (according to Wikipedia). Ships have scuppers at deck-level, to allow for rainwater and/or seawater to drain off. So basically the line about "stick him in the scupper with a hosepipe on him" is about spraying the drunken sailor in question with a hose[pipe] (to try to sober him up with a dousing of cold water), in a part of the ship where the water can easily drain away afterwards.

"ew I can't believe I just touched that!"

Yes, that doll is definitely creepy, and I have no clue where Geoff got it from or what gave him the idea, but, according to Geoff in the comments section (comment from Voiceplay's channel, but it was almost definitely him who wrote it): "Her name is Clara and SHE HAS FEELINGS!" 😅

Also, the line "put him in the bed with the captain's daughter" probably isn't actually meant to be taken literally either. The main consensus that I've seen online is that "the captain's daughter" actually referred to a cat-'o'-nine-tails whip. (Not talking about the vocals or arrangement, I'm talking about song background/context! Which I've done before!)

EAR-LY IN THE M O O R R R N I I N N G G G

*YEET*

"Hey that's my cup!" (rip Eli)

Hey look it's the screencap my profile pic comes from! (And for good reason - Geoff is positively unhinged and Cesar's reaction is priceless 🤣)

Also apparently Geoff holding a wooden spoon while singing "I'm gonna carve his heart out" is a reference to the 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. "Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe?" "Because it's dull, you twit. It'll hurt more!"

"And we should make him listen to Voiceplay while we do it!" "You... are a monster"

(I freaking died laughing first time I watched this bit, also look at Eli's smug grin! 😂)

Have I mentioned that he's gorgeous and I love him?

This video is really just pure unbridled/chaotic fun. It's the best 😁

Cesar twerking! Get it!

It took me an embarassingly long time to release that Geoff isn't actually sitting down in this shot here; he's kneeling instead 😅

Also note that while Layne, Eli, Cesar, and Geoff all freeze into place (in what is apparently sometimes known as a "tableau shot", Jose doesn't, instead doing a little bit of fourth-wall-breaking to give the audience a lighthearted half-shrug 😄

And no, I haven't forgotten the "bonus scene"!

"HEY! Hey, I'm not drunk!"

I'm just tired, because you simpletons been singing all night!"

(Also ayyy another Eli Eyebrow Raise!)

"Wey, hey, and up she rises. Wey, hey, and up she rises. Wey, hey, and UP she rises! Ear-ly in the morn... ONCE AGAIN!"

Aaaaand I've officially hit image limit! At least I did make some attempts to be conservative with screenshots! 😅

This cover is utterly fantastic - all the silliness of "Classic Voiceplay", with the serious skills and high-quality video production of "Modern Voiceplay"! The video is hilarious, the cover is ridiculously creative, and really it just highlights all of the things to love about each person in the video, visually/performance-wise and vocally!

Not many Voiceplay videos left for me to make posts about now, but there are certainly still ridiculously-amazing things to come, so stay tuned!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Seven Nation Army

This video debuted on the 13th of May, 2023, and is the second feature of Anthony Gargiula, who first collaborated with Voiceplay just a couple months prior for Golden Hour. Not much to say in my little intro here, let's just jump straight in!

No clue where this was filmed (the description doesn't say), I'm guessing an old abandoned shopping mall or something?

The necklace on full display once more!

One thing I do know about the filming of this is that Voiceplay had to use duct tape to cover up/censor some of the graffiti, such as on the column/post on the left of the shot here 😅 (vibes and aesthetic are great, but gotta keep it PG!)

This ain't the Eli from the Moana Medley and Daddy Sang Bass and Get Back Up Again and all that, this is a dude who I wouldn't wanna meet in a dark alley, and certainly wouldn't wanna pick a fight with!

(This Eli could definitely haul those hay bales no problem, I bet 😉😆)

Would've loved to have seen Geoff actually swinging that bat at something in this video, for uh, Reasons 👀 👉👈

(Pretty Boy)

Group shot!

I saw a comment somewhere that referred to Cesar as "looking like the centrefold model in Zombie Apocalypse Monthly" or something along those lines and it was brilliant and hilarious. Cesar never fails to be iconic!

And yes, Geoff is once more the only one with bare shoulders in a video! Good For Him! (kinda wish he was wearing fingerless gloves like Anthony and Eli though, but only a little tiny bit)

"c'mon" (in case you didn't know, this was Geoff's arrangement 😁😉)

"make the sweat-" *bloop* "-out of every pore!"

(Layne was freaking nuts during this cover, but when is he not honestly?)

GO OFF, ELI!! 🙌✊

Note to self: don't mess with Layne either! (actually don't mess with any of Voiceplay - be friends with them instead! (man I wish))

Blink and you miss it! (Though you hopefully don't miss the sound effects that go with it!)

Absolutely badass 👌

Shoutout to Geoff for the arrangement and video, and shoutout to all five of these dudes for being incredibly cool, and giving such an amazing performance! This song cover is one I have the lyrics memorised for, but not most of the arrangement, because this is a pretty dang complex one and there is so much going on! Very fun reactor material though (but really, so was practically everything else Voiceplay released in 2023!)

I have 4 more videos left to do from 2023, plus the two newest videos from this year, and then I'll be moving on to some of Geoff's stuff! So stay tuned!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Good 4 U

This video debuted on the 11th of June, 2022, and is another collaboration with Adriana Arellano! This is an arrangement by Rob Dietz, and here's what Voiceplay had to say about the song in the description: "We actually love this song and “Good for you” by Olivia Rodrigo is also one of Adriana’s all-time favorite songs. So the resulting collaboration is a fun and cathartic revisit to our teen angst-filled years of tying up the phone lines and waiting for the dial-up modem to finally work. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear a tribute to those young adult years of which we speak within a couple lines around the bridge. Paramore’s “Misery Business” never sounded so harmonic!"

Forgive me for sharing a picture of the video screen with the progress bar and everything, but for once I actually wanted to call attention to the thumbnail. Firstly because Geoff's eyeroll is amazing and iconic, and second of all because Eli is giving a thumbs-up (i.e. the gesture for "good"), Adriana is holding up 4 fingers, and Cesar is pointing to the camera/at you. Thus, good-4-U (you)! Kinda clever!

Right, now to the actual video. I want Cesar's shirt and Eli's jacket!

(And I'm fairly certain Voiceplay filmed this in a parking lot or something?)

Also I'm gonna point out right now that there's a light breeze (or, more likely, a small electric fan or something) giving Adriana's hair some movement during the video, but it is also blowing Geoff's hair a little bit the whole time and I adore it 😄

Adriana: "you found a new girl and it only took a couple weeks"

Cesar: *gasp*

Geoff is of course my favourite in Voiceplay for Very Obvious Reasons, and I don't want to have a second-favourite or anything like that because all the members (J None included!) are amazing and wonderful and talented in their own ways, and no one is truly "better" than anyone else. HOWEVER, if you made me choose a second favourite member, it would have to be Cesar

And Adriana killed it with this one! Totally gave this performance her all (including with her acting!), and definitely did the song justice

Cool Guy Eli! (I really do love that jacket)

Cesar being the only one looking down the camera, and giving us one heck of a smoulder!

(Also a brief moment of appreciation for Geoff wearing a shirt that actually has a bit of brightness/vibrancy to it 😝😁)

Camera distortion effect like in Dream On!

I know he's got like grey hairs and stuff (which I still love, let me be clear), but at the same time, how the heck is this man in his early 40s? He ages like fine wine honestly

Cesar doing air-quotes on "emotional" 😄

Very, very cool 👌

Can't really think of anything to say in my little outtro here, but it's a cool video, great song cover, and definitely fun to revisit every now and then!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Enemy

I've never played League of Legends and I've never watched any episodes of Arcane, but this is still a very cool video and a very awesome arrangement (Layne and Eli actually collaborated for this one, too!)

The video was uploaded on the 14th of May, 2022, and features AleXa, who is apparently a K-Pop star who won NBC's "American Song Contest" in 2022. She was actually in South Korea when this video was being made, but with some very skilled green-screening, she is seamlessly included with the group anyway! So let's get into it!

Very cool background design (Arcane-related, I assume), and cool costumes! The only ones I can identify are AleXa as Jinx (the main character I believe?) and Cesar as some character called Ekko (both because of a reactor and because he was the only one I could match up from a bit of Wiki searching). I really like Eli's vest though!

AleXa is very pretty and- wait are those bullets?

This is a cool inclusion in the video; keeps things interesting, and shows off a bit of Jinx's characterisation (I guess - I'm not even sure if that's the right phrasing for it really ^^;)

Love the coloured hair, and love the tattoo! I saw it in Dream On as well, but it wasn't as clear. Is that a tarot card design?

Lit!

"And I feel bi in this Chili's tonight"

There are one or two reactors I watch that say that "full-beard Eli is a different kind of beast" and honestly they're not wrong

(And check out the detailing on his vest!)

These shots happen very quickly: the first shot only shows up for 6 frames on screen, and the second only for 3! (According to my extremely handy frame-by-frame scrubbing technique). Like this isn't blink-and-you-miss-it, this is "you will see barely a flash of the second shot unless you either pause with incredible timing or go back one frame at a time". Damn.

I'm Being Attacked /j

(Also cute manicure!)

Man I hope I get to see Voiceplay doing more choreographed stuff in 2024, genuinely

Love this moment, very cool 👌

Yoooooooooo

(I could NEVER)

Yet another cool video from Voiceplay!

Definitely a brilliant video, a brilliant arrangement, and yet more proof that when it comes to Voiceplay, you don't need to know the original song and/or any source material it might come from to highly enjoy and appreciate their arrangement and video! (Yes, Past Me typing this is still waiting on Sleeping In The Cold Below).

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Hellfire

As IF I was ever going to skip over this video!!!!

Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire was released on the 7th of October, 2023 (being their Halloween upload for the year), and, fun fact, it was the first Voiceplay video I watched after a sort of personal "hiatus" of 1-1.5 years, where they had somehow fallen off my radar for a while (which can happen when A, you weren't originally subscribed to them and mostly just relied on the Youtube algorithm/recommended section, and B, you previously only watched videos for songs you were already familiar with (I know better now though, obviously), plus a few other random factors). Geoff's cover of Jack's Lament was the first from his channel I had seen in quite a while (thank you YouTube algorithm for actually being helpful!), and I stumbled upon Hellfire the following day. And man what a video to bring me back into the fold!

Both video and arrangement were done Layne, and although this is another "guest feature" for J None (he did 5 full-length videos with Voiceplay in 2023!), he's only a backing vocalist for most of this one. Who took lead vocals? Geoff! Apparently Layne was wanting Voiceplay to do a cover of Hellfire for quite a while, and had always envisioned Geoff as the main singer for it, but Geoff, for a long time, said no. I don't know/can't remember what his exact reasoning was; whether he just thought the song was too dark or he thought he wouldn't be able to do it justice, but obviously Layne eventually managed to persuade him (made him an arrangement he couldn't refuse, I'm guessing, because seriously this arrangement is STUNNING), and quite frankly I am forever in Layne's debt for it!

I have no estimate of how long this post might be or how much I'll actually have to say about the screencaps I share, but I'll try to make this worthwhile, and so without further ado, let's get into this!

Pretty "basic"/"simple" visuals here, but honestly that's all that's needed for this one! For one thing, the vocals/arrangement are amazing enough to shine on their own (kinda like with Nothing Else Matters), and for another thing, this may be a Disney villain song, but at the same time it's not really a "Disney Song", y'know? This ain't Friends On The Other Side, or Poor Unfortunate Souls, or Be Prepared; this is a song about deep internal conflict, "burning desire", and attempts to suppress said burning desire, which only leads to more trouble. This is a villain song taken completely seriously, and boy oh boy do Voiceplay nail it!

(I feel like I should also mention that I've never actually watched The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, but I know the characters, I know the story, and this song speaks for itself tbh.)

I mean of course all the guys understood the assignment for this one but Cesar really Understood👏The👏Assignment!👏

I can't believe I'm having one of my "hang on a minute-" moments on freaking Hellfire of all videos, but somehow I never noticed the purple gemstone ring that Eli is wearing here before now! (And Cesar is wearing a red gemstone ring as well, which I only just spotted in a previous shot).

Yep, Layne's got a gemstone ring on as well!

I'm guessing J has got a matching ring as well, but I'm fairly certain Geoff doesn't, because he's got this gemstone necklace instead, which of course helps to further identify him as the lead vocalist/"main character" in this one.

(And even though Voiceplay seem to wear black/dark colours a fair bit (and Geoff does a lot), I still really freaking love the costuming in this video. They all look so good!!!!!)

Yep, there it is! J has a ring as well!

"BURN IT"

((If you've been reading/paying attention to all my Voiceplay Visuals posts, you might have picked up that usually, Geoff is the only one who gets bold font for quotes, but I'm more than willing to make an exception this time, because goddamn))

"This fire in my skin"

The way he looks down at his hands and arms as if feeling himself changing, as if there really are flames coursing right underneath the surface of the skin!!!!

"This burning desire, is turning me to s i n"

Not here to make fun or tease this time, certainly not! Geoff did a fantastic acting job in this one, and his delivery of every single vocal line was just absolutely *chefs kiss*

Everyone else was brilliant in this too, and Cesar absolutely had some attention-grabbing moments of his own! 😄

The "it's not my fault!" section of the song is really cleverly done here imo. (it's technically visual as well! I can talk about it!) It gives other members a bit more of a chance to shine, in a song which (aside from the Latin chanting in the background) is only meant to be a one-man performance. And the video (arrangement included) does this by turning Layne, J, Eli, and Cesar into a sort of Greek Chorus, or more specifically, a "singing chorus" (yes, that's a real thing, which I learned about when I was double-checking to see if I actually remembered the correct meaning of Greek Chorus). Singing choruses are sometimes incorporated into musical theatre and grand opera, and are "used frequently to interpret the mental and emotional reactions of the principal characters, after the manner of a Greek chorus." And while Eli and Cesar are taking over the lead for this bit here, Geoff becomes a little bit more subdued, head slightly bowed, just doing some little self-conducting hand movements as he holds down the bassline (I'm assuming, though I can't really hear him at all in the background until his arpeggios(?) when J takes over (look, sometimes you really can't fully describe/talk about what's happening on screen without talking about the audio that goes with it!!!))

Cesar with the sick air guitar! (Not all reactors seemingly noticed this moment, which is a damn crime tbh (you can actually see him doing it in the group shot just a few seconds before this too, though that part I myself didn't pick up on till just now))

I can't remember seeing a single reaction video (out of the ones I've watched at least) that actually figured out who the Guard was, even though it's in the description of the video! (Though I guess those who were watching from Patreon have more of an excuse). It's Tony! (Also, this means that this video featured 4 "generations" of Voiceplay baritones - Layne, Tony, J, and Cesar!)

I've heard one or two reactors say they wish they could have seen the guard's face, but nah, I don't think it's necessary. He's there to provide Relevant Information for progression of the plot/song/scene, and that's it! His identity is irrelevant!

(But still, shoutout to Tony!)

"what" (hhhhhh)

"I'll find her,"

"I'll find her and I'll find her if I have to burn down all of PARIS!"

(He did so well! <3 <3 <3)

At first when I watched this video I was like "wow I really love this video, but should I like this video so much? Considering the context/meaning behind the song and all that?" That lasted for like maybe a week maximum. I adore this cover and this video and I make no apologies about it!)

*swoon*

Very cool flame effect in the eyes! According to one reaction video I watched, that likely was not easy to do, but it's a great addition to the already-very-awesome video!

The zoom-out on Geoff is done brilliantly for dramatic effect here as well!

Do I even need to say it at this point? 😂😅

Well anyway, obligatory "he's so pretty!" comment

(Here's a slight shot of Cesar's ring btw)

Man I love it when he belts <3

Firstly, the absolute power and feeling that Geoff put into this, like it's absolutely amazing to watch and it delights me to no end. Secondly, I wasn't going to include that third pic above, but turns out Geoff is wearing a gemstone ring as well! (maybe more than one?) I knew he was wearing rings in the video, but I just assumed they were his wedding/engagement rings, as he pretty much always wears them in videos (unless he can't for costuming purposes), one on each hand, but now I wonder if he was in fact wearing them at all in this video?

Excuse me while I just- *muffled yelling into pillow*

As I type this, Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire is just 4,700 views away from reaching one million hits on YouTube! I hope it gets there, it certainly deserves it (and more!). (UPDATE: As of the morning of the 20th of February (AEST timezone), it's now at one million views! Can I hear a wahoo!?!) (SECOND UPDATE: and it's now at over 1.1 million, as of the 25th of March!)

It's not exactly a typical Halloween-type video for Voiceplay, no super-elaborate character costumes or coloured face/body paint, but just like practically everything Voiceplay did in 2023, this was EPIC!

But anyway, I'll be skipping over Whiskey In The Jar, and I'm not doing any posts about Christmas videos (for now), which means that I'm finally onto the first two full-length uploads of 2024! (And I really would have expected there to be a third 2024 upload by this point, but it seems we're just gonna have to keep on waiting.) Stay tuned!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Creep

Not a Voiceplay video I watch as often as others (though I've also listened to it a few times on Spotify), but I know there are certainly a few things for me to talk about with this one, and since I skipped I Can't Make You Love Me, this one can also kinda make up for it.

Creep was uploaded on the 15th of July, 2023, it's another guest feature of Anthony Gargiula, and, in a very rare case for Voiceplay, the credit for both video and arrangement goes solely to Eli! (And he also did the lighting design, of course.) Eli rarely does arranging for Voiceplay, and when he does, it's in collaboration with Layne, such as with the Queen Medley and Enemy. The only other time he did an arrangement all by himself (in the past 7 or so years at least, not counting the older stuff) was for Eleanor Rigby back in 2021. Anyway, let's get into this!

One thing I must immediately note/mention is that although Eli is credited with the video production overall, the description also says "w[ith] concepts from Casa de la Castellucci" (fancy! 😝) Apparently what this means is that Eli was explaining his video concept to Geoff and Kathy via videocall, and they (I'm not sure/can't remember which one first had the idea) suggested the usage of a mirror (a mirror which was then provided by Cesar - a real collaborative effort for this one!) (And Eli and Tony directed this together also)

I'm not sure what's larger - Cesar's vocal range, or his acting range!!!! He's so talented and multi-faceted! Give him an acting award!

Speaking of acting abilities!! 🥺

Note how Geoff is wearing a plain long-sleeve t-shirt here, which isn't inherently unsual or anything typically notable, sure, but apparently (according to comments I've read), Geoff used to struggle with body image issues when he was younger, and here he sings the line "I want a perfect body", so for him to be wearing something that fully covers his arms and chest for this one? Not sure if it was fully intentional, but oof, hurts my heart a little bit 💔

(Also, on a cinematography note, the transitions between the different guys each sitting in front of the mirror are very smoothly done 👌)

Group shot! Interesting to note that the guest vocalist, Anthony, is not sitting in the middle here, which is rare for Voiceplay, but not entirely new. This really was Eli's song/video all the way (but Good For Him, and everyone else still got moments to shine as well!)

Eli The Lighting Whiz at it again! (Also see how it kinda looks like Eli is conducting/controlling the lights in the second and third images here?)

More lighting changes!

Screencaps still don't do it justice, but what a freaking flawless transition! And apparently it didn't involve any post-production editing magic at all! According to a comment or two on a reaction video, the other vocalists got out the way when the camera was fixed on Cesar, the lights were changed/dimmed right down, and the mirror (which I think was on wheels?) was quickly moved in front of him. The result is honestly *chefs kiss*

Damn. Bravo boys, bravo!

Not a super massive post I know, and a bit more of a sombre video, but my next post will certainly be longer, and the video much more fun! Stay tuned!

[acaplaya-musings]

Altered lyrics in Geoff Castellucci arrangements

Okay so most if not all of us Geoff/Voiceplay fans know by now that Geoff has a great talent for writing original lyrics (bridges especially), and has done so for VoicePlay covers such as Golden Hour, Christmas Don't Be Late, and Drunken Sailor (as well as his own cover of Man of Constant Sorrow). But sometimes lyrics in his arrangements aren't extended, but in fact altered, and it might be extremely subtle, especially if the original song is lesser-known.

(rest of it below cut)

An extremely minor version of this (but the first time I really picked up on it) is in Geoff's cover of Way Down. He sings "a hundred magic fingers, a burning carousel", but the original line is "a hundred magic fingers, a swirling carousel". I assume he just changed it to make the line flow better and/or to make it easier to sing, but still, interesting!

But the example which prompted me to make this post is Daddy Sang Bass, which is slightly altered and slightly extended? Now maybe there's multiple versions of the song or a cover which Geoff took inspiration from in his arrangement, but my point is that I went to look up the lyrics to Daddy Sang Bass while listening to VoicePlay's cover on Spotify (with Spotify now restricting lyrics to Premium members only, dammit), and there are definitely differences between VoicePlay's version and the original 1969 version by Johnny Cash.

First of all, lyric alterations. In Voiceplay's version, Geoff sings "Just a simple people, that's all we were." But in the original, it's actually "Just poor people, that's all we were". The altered version flows better for the arrangement, but also it sounds more positive <3 Another change is "singing seems to soothe a troubled soul" as opposed to "singing seems to help a troubled soul". Making it more alliterative makes it better!

And one more that I just caught while relistening with the original lyrics pulled up on my phone, and this one's not just a single word:

"One day soon and it won't be long,"

Vs the original:

"One of these days and it won't be long,"

There's one or two others that I could point out, but here's the other thing. You know the bit after the first chorus? The part that goes like "And we were singing, (singing!), singing, (singing!), singing in harmony!" ? Yeah nah, that's not in the lyrics of the original song at all. As I said, maybe someone else did it first, but knowing Geoff, I have a feeling he stuck that bit in himself, because why not I suppose? After all, if you go listen to the original version of the song Unshaken by D'angelo, for example, and then listen to his version, you'll notice he repeats the "chorus lyric" more times than the original, turning it into more of a proper chorus, and that's not to speak on the literal everything else about how he made the song his own.

I'm not a music expert, but I'm very happy to talk about lyrics, and I thought I might as well share my findings with y'all!