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!
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas — VoicePlay music video
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Between promoting their season of The Sing-Off and releasing the songs for their Collide collaboration album, VoicePlay didn't put out a Christmas video in 2013. They definitely made up for it in 2014 with this combination of vocal awesomeness and visual ridiculousness.
Details:
title: I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
original performers: Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy and Marjorie Reynolds as Linda Mason in Holiday Inn (1942)
written by: Irving Berlin
arranged by: Geoff Castellucci
release date: 28 November 2014
My favorite bits:
the jaunty tempo that makes it more upbeat than the original
their festive sweaters in Geoff's fantasy sequence
an appearance from Tony's good boy Fletcher
Layne's incredible sleigh bells — I've seen him demonstrate how he does it, and it still astonishes me how real it sounds.
the fact that Earl's fantasy isn't just having a lot of cookies, but specifically having enough to satisfy him without sharing
Tony, Eli, and Layne just barely managing to keep straight faces during the candy cane chase sequence
Geoff's lovely riff and the ending harmonies
the extended slow-mo clip, complete with the guys losing it
.
Trivia:
VoicePlay originally recorded this track for their 2012 holiday album, "Peppermint WInter".
The video got a nice listicle writeup in Buzzfeed.
This song was part of their rotating setlist for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney World from 2015-17.
They had previously recorded a video for an arrangement of this song as 4:2:Five (with Danny and Ryan) in 2010. It was made private along with the rest of the 4:2:Five YouTube channel when they changed their name to VoicePlay in 2012.
Eli does know what it's like to have long hair, because he used to have a full head of curly auburn locks. He decided to shave it off one day with the help of a bandmate and has maintained the look ever since.
Geoff, Kathy, Eli, and Danny with their castmates for the 2009 Luminescence holiday show in Kissimmee
So, I recently binged my way through VoicePlay’s music videos on YouTube. (Hello, latest hyperfixation.) And I couldn’t help but notice that there was a period of a year or so when they were being particularly deliberate about some of their staging to ensure that their incredible tenor / short king, Eli, was boosted up to be closer to the other guys' heights. Specifically, during the era when both Earl and J.None were full-time members of the band, so everyone else was a fair bit taller than him.
(Side note: As someone of about the same height and prone to perching myself, I can totally understand if being up higher was at least partly his own preference. Shout out to my fellow kitchen counter and furniture arm sitters.)
Do I think it's necessary to hide the group's height differences? Absolutely not. And clearly neither do they, because there are plenty of videos where they don't do it. (Or just pop him on an apple box for closer-framed shots.) Which is part of why it caught my eye when it did happen. But it's interesting to look at their methods and degrees of adjusting as additional aspects of their creativity.
From a production standpoint, it makes a lot of sense to have everyone’s heads at roughly the same level in the visual frame. It can make camera and lighting setups simpler. Especially since they’re singing together, so we want to see their faces. But the deliberateness in some of the blocking is more successful than in others.
In my opinion, it seems most natural when the guys are in more varied positions that feel motivated by the set dressing. For example, in their videos for Tennessee Whiskey and Sh-Boom, they have someone standing / leaning and the rest seated on slightly staggered levels to create a line that arcs a bit, both vertically as well as away from the camera at the center. They also all have at least one foot off the floor. So Eli being on the highest seat with both feet up stands out less. It seems more like casual happenstance.
screencap from VoicePlay’s video for Tennessee Whiskey
promo image from VoicePlay’s video for Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)
Honorable mention to the Candy Girl section of their Boy Bands in 5 Minutes medley, which gives Eli a brief respite from being towered over, and gives all the guys a break from the dance choreography. It's a cluster rather than a line, but it has a similar effect as the other two examples.
screencap from VoicePlay’s video for their Boy Bands in 5 Minutes medley
It’s a bit more obvious when Eli’s the only one on a different level. I think they made it work fairly well in their video for Bridge Over Troubled Water, because he’s at the end of the row on a piano bench. So it feels like there’s a plausible meta-narrative reason for him to be there, maybe playing notes on the piano for pitch adjustments or warm-ups. But everyone else gets comfy armchairs, which feels a bit unfair.
promo image from VoicePlay’s video for Bridge Over Troubled Water
I also noticed it in their Thinkin Bout You video. Because the other four are in (different) upholstered armchairs, but Eli’s tucked between Geoff and J on a plain, armless wooden chair. To their credit, they did their best to adjust the spacing and camera angles to make it look like maybe there just wasn’t enough room in the three-walled set for a fifth wide seat. Honestly, I might have spotted this one only because I was looking for it by the time I watched that video, but now I can’t unsee it.
promo image from VoicePlay’s video for Thinkin Bout You
“Do you have a point in all of this?” I hear you asking. Well, kind of. It’s this:
Once I noticed that it was happening, every additional instance caught my eye. And then came Hide and Seek. It also has static staging, but it's much more spread out — partly to accommodate the green-screening of Lauren and Cesar, and partly in keeping with the Haunted Mansion theme. Eli is quite visibly elevated on a barrel top like the character from the theme park ride that is also in the portrait behind him.
screencap from VoicePlay’s video for Hide and Seek (Ding Dong), feat. Lauren Paley
But that brought to mind the darn bit from That 70s Show that’s now become a meme.
And now I guess you get to be reminded of it, as well. I take no pride in this. I just had to get it out of my weird brain.
My sincerest apologies to Eli for that last part if he somehow sees this. I mean no disrespect. We see you, and we definitely hear you. You’re an amazing singer and artist, somehow getting even better with each project. I hope that your recent, more comparably sized collaborators have been a nice change of pace.
#and then you wonder why she freaks out when you take away her only form of stimulation and contact with the outside world
I sent 3 gifts in 2022
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
A Story in Expressions
24 notes - Posted August 11, 2022
#4
"You may talk vaguely about driving a coach and six up a good old flight of stairs, or through a bad young Act of Parliament; but I mean to say you might have got a hearse up that staircase, and taken it broadwise, with the splinter-bar towards the wall, and the door towards the balustrades: and done it easy. There was plenty of width for that, and room to spare; which is perhaps the reason why Scrooge thought he saw a locomotive hearse going on before him in the gloom. Half-a-dozen gas-lamps out of the street wouldn't have lighted the entry too well, so you may suppose that it was pretty dark with Scrooge's dip."
This is another spooky bit we miss from the adaptations. They always have the knocker and then skip to the fireplace. This is an amazing bit of creepiness, juxtaposed with Scrooge just ignoring it because it's dark and indistinct and he's "bah humbug"ing it away.
25 notes - Posted December 4, 2022
#3
"Scrooge said that he would see him—yes, indeed he did. He went the whole length of the expression, and said that he would see him in that extremity first."
They needed to add THAT to one of the adaptations!
My Impressions: "The Little Mermaid Medley" by VoicePlay
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Wait, Little Mermaid had a song like that in it? I like that style. Very nicely done, guys.
Serious vibes of VoicePlay Disney Princess Rachel Potter Collab Medleys right now. This is just, like, their thing. Fun beginning song (with Eli, too!), then Rachel’s princess “I Want” song. It’s also similar to their collab with Adriana.
“The girl who has everything”. Wasn’t that a TTS song? (now I want that VP cover of Ready As I’ll Ever Be even more)
Rachel’s got a good voice, all right.
That transition, y’all.
Oh my gosh, that “going up there” sounded AMAZING. This is gonna be a J song.
“What more is you looking for?” is so familiar.
Oh, wait, they did “Under the Sea” in their Sidekicks Medley, and Geoff did that part (but I guess with a different verse)
Definitely a J song. Slay those riffs.
Ooh, this part is a jam! Rachel goes into her thing, and then everything goes fun.
GEOFF, your bass riff, oh my gosh.
W…why? Why a snail? Why a J Snail? Just… why?
Sweet key change though.
Aaaand swiftly transition from fun sidekick to creepy henchman.
Those two are probably the best at being creepy henchmen. Earl was good, too.
Weird visual effect there.
Ooh, Geoff getting another villain song, I see. Should’ve figured.
This is probably the most of this song I’ve actually ever heard (except that one single time I watched the movie ages ago). I’ve only ever heard tiny snippets in medleys.
But seriously, that little “I’ve been a nasty” just sounded so good. I don’t even know why, I just love it.
Henchmen. Really trying to be creepy. End up kind of funny.
Ooh, that was cool. Fire in his eyes.
Vocal effects, interesting.
“Pathetic.”
So many visual effects in this one, gosh. I’m not used to this.
DUDE, that was cool sounding. Geoff goes high, then the harmonies!
Was that a sweet little riff there in the background, Eli?
Geoff: “Crying SPELLS—” Harmonies: “Ursula, please!” So nice.
Little country accent slipping in there on “yes I do”
Geoff, man, why do you want Rachel’s voice? Your voice is AMAZING. As evidenced from the way you even SAID you wanted her voice.
Nice little bit of acting there in the decision, Rachel.
Oh, I’m just remembering that Earl did this part in the Medley. Not going as high as he did on that bit, though.
OH MY GOSH YOU GO SUPER HIGH AND THEN JUST DRONE DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS AND WHAT
The spell sounds so creepy
SING.
Oh man, Phantom of the Opera vibes. Why’s VoicePlay always stealing her voice?
Sweet vocal effects making her voice go out of her.
What is this, Layne?
Oh no. This song.
This actually sounds a little like Be Our Guest… oh wait, never mind. Violently killing fish.
Is the French laugh just part of the lyrics? As in, part of the rhymes and everything?
Layne gets the weird songs in these Disney Princess Medleys, like, every time.
Geoff’s “Sing it with me now…” What does that remind me of? He did something similar to that in something else. Was it the Moana one?
Pretty fireflies.
Nice dance moves, Rachel.
And back to the Bird Eli being weird.
Normal Eli is looking at Bird Eli funny. I mean, I would look at a squawking Bird-Me funny, too.
No, no, everybody is looking at him funny.
Those were some interesting sounds, Layne. Also, can I just say, his beatboxing has been on point this whole time?
Ooh, is Rachel getting a villain song too?
Man, she’s killing it. Maybe she should get villain songs more often.
OH THAT EVIL LAUGH FROM RACHEL TO GEOFF
The glowing voice breaking out and the reflection in Geoff’s eyes is just visually pleasing
He just really looks like a creepy old sea sorcerer, but also super cool, like not how you think of creepy old guys (because, ya know, it's Geoff).
I’m suddenly thinking of how this could be an alternate version of the story with the villain being like that.
I almost feel like this is them telling the whole story, but it doesn’t have the final battle. I mean, the final battle doesn’t have a song, so that’s fine. But it just seems odd for the voice to break out for no reason. #WriterNitpicks
Why does Geoff’s “No” look out of sync? Is that on purpose or something, because it seems to fit the voice going out, as if hers breaking out is taking his with it.
Geoff is just staring into the abyss now.
Rachel’s voice gets closer, and you can just HEAR it. It’s so cool.
Oh, that last note as she gets her voice back and the harmonies go into the last song. Ahh.
Geoff is still just staring, by the way, doing his bass part motionlessly. Defeated, I guess.
Rachel, your VOICE. I’m starting to see why Geoff wanted it.
WHOA WHOA WHOA, is this foreshadowing?!
No, like, is Rachel going to become part of their world? Is that what this is? Is that why they keep trying to steal her voice? Is Rachel singing “part of your world” meaning she’s going to officially join VoicePlay, and be officially a part of that world?
Also, am I reading too much into this? I think I could be. Maybe just disregard everything I just said.
...
But I swear, if she does join VoicePlay, I am going to know this was foreshadowing, and I WILL say I told you so.
Anyway...
Wait, wait, who did that “Sing it with me now”? That wasn’t Geoff, was it? It almost sounded like him, but I saw him, that wasn’t him.
Was that J? I think that was J. That’s kind of cool.
Also, I’m just noticing J’s red fingerless gloves, and they’re very nice.
Costumes are actually pretty chill in this one, if that makes sense. Not crazy over the top. Well, except Bird-Eli. And Geoff is purple.
That’s not to say they didn’t do an epic job on it, because they totally did! The costumes fit the roles really well, they look great, but they aren’t so over the top as to distract from the actual people and the talent.
Nice ending. They always make the last chord count.
Oh, slipped it in. “Pathetic.” XD
And… the remix? Apparently? Very odd. Geoff’s good, though.
…
Geoff did a LOT in this one. I think he got the majority of the video, just because of that one song.
I forgot how much I loved Geoff, actually.
I think this is the third Disney Princess Medley they’ve done (well, except for that Tangled one they did with aca-Disney). I wonder how many of them they’re going to do.
(I really really want them to do Ready As I’ll Ever Be, please please please please pl-)
Overall, very good. I only ever watched this movie once, when I was like twelve, and I did not like it. So I only know maybe three of the songs, and even that’s because of VoicePlay’s other medleys.
So to put it simply, VoicePlay is the master of taking songs I’ve never heard from movies I don’t like (or haven’t watched, in other cases), and making me love them just through their own sheer talent.
This whole thing is just SO FUN, thank you very much. I think it will be on repeat for quite a while.
reasons voiceplay’s newest video is incredible: lots of geoff and j none solos, super cool arrangement, wonderful visuals as always, tIED IT BACK TO THE FUCKING P!ATD MEDLEY VIDEOS HOLY SHIT
reasons it was bad: not enough layne that’s it that’s the only thing i didn’t like
Hoist The Colours was uploaded on September 18, 2021, and features Jose Rosario Jr in his second collaboration with Voiceplay. This one stunned a lot of reactors (one of them, Dennis King of King Family Reacts, literally got up and left the room after the video was finished because he had been rendered speechless by it!), and the video currently sits at 4.6 million views (close to 4.7!) (EDIT/UPDATE: as of the night of the 8th of March, it's now at 4.7, close to 4.8!). So without further ado, let's get right into this one, and hope I don't have to start paying attention to my screenshot count!
Can you believe this was only Cesar's second (full-length) video as a full-time Voiceplay member? Because wow
(Also interestingly enough, Rick Underwood is credited with makeup in the video description (shoutout to Rick!) but no one is credited with costuming, so did everyone just acquire their outfits themselves or what?)
Geoff was in charge of the video creation for this one, as well as doing the arrangement, and he worked together with Eli for the lighting design, so big shoutout to Geoff! (And as always to Eli the lighting whiz)
OKAY a few things to talk about here
First of all, love the set design, it's like the Little Mermaid Medley but on steroids and more pirate themed! Also love the horn-playing skeleton on the left-hand side of the screen (took me a while to notice it ngl 😅)
And of course the outfits/costuming! I can't really think of a lot of things to say individually right now, but there was 100% a lot of thought and effort that went into the clothes (even if the description won't specify who acquired the clothes. I'm going to assume Geoff, since the overall video credit goes to him.)
Oh hey it's my blog banner/background, or close enough to it at least! (Hoist The Colours has a decent few very cool visual moments that are totally screencap-worthy, and of course that's what I'm here for - to point them out!)
Geoff may play the villain (or otherwise just-generally-creepy/spooky/scary guy) a lot in videos, but as of the last few years at least, Eli's often been looking like the one that you really don't wanna pick a fight with. (Also cool ring, and is that fake scar tissue on his head?)
This is a better shot of everyone's outfits actually. A few notes on everyone (except Eli, who I just talked about?)
Cesar: Very ghostly, especially with the cloudy contact lens in one eye. Love the white coat/jacket, and love the pop of colour with the red sash! Also what is he holding/shaking? I thought it was a set of old-fashioned keys, but it doesn't look like it.
Jose: The "captain" of this "motley crew", obviously. Cool coat, and love the sword.
Layne: Not too much going on with his outfit, relatively speaking, but I love the bit of eyeliner under his eyes, and the fake scar on his cheek! (Seriously Rick did a great job here, as he always does)
Geoff: Wearing at least two necklaces, and in true Geoff Castellucci fashion, he's got the top two buttons of his shirt undone (well, gotta show off those necklaces! 😉😁). ALSO, bonus thing that I literally only just realized after taking this screencap, is that Geoff has "VP" on his right arm, done in a way that makes it look like like scar tissue I believe.
That is seriously a very cool and very smooth transition. Who edited this? Was that Geoff too? (Also Crazy Eyes Layne!)
As I figured, one of the necklaces Geoff is wearing, the gold one, is for costume purposes, and the other one, the silver one with the diamond-shaped pendant, is the necklace from Kathy that Geoff basically never takes off (bless him <3 )
I think Cesar's holding old-fashioned shackles/handcuffs or something?
Hang on that skeleton on the left lost his little horn/trumpet and got stabbed?? 😅😂
Yeah Layne had fun in this one I can tell 😁 (also his vest is more detailed than first appears! Very nice!)
What a really freaking awesome shot/moment. In terms of "money shots", these two might in fact be two of the most awesome stills from any Voiceplay video ever (or so far, anyway).
He's got charisma, I'll give him that (also cool necklace!)
How are they just an independent acapella group that make YouTube videos that we can all watch for free? Like seriously, this is top tier stuff (both in terms of the video and the song cover itself), but this wasn't even Voiceplay at their peak! Voiceplay doesn't have a peak! They don't stick to a lane, they take "risks", they get creative, they will sing pretty much anything, and it works
Voiceplay says in the description "we may have gotten a little carried away with this one", but honestly would it really be Voiceplay if they didn't?
Anyway, I've got many more awesome videos ahead of me to write about, so stay tuned!
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).
From one post about a kinda-strange Voiceplay video to another!
It took me a while to decide to watch this video as well (because basically I saw the thumbnail and was like "Hm."), but I'm very glad that I did, because, well, if you've seen the video, you know what I'm talking about. 😁
This video was uploaded on the 18th of March, 2023 (almost exactly 11 months ago as I type this, though for you it will be just slightly over a year ago), and stars the young and talented Anthony Gargiula (pronounced gar-jool-a) in his first guest collaboration with Voiceplay, and, in an acting role, the video also features Kathy Castellucci as "the toymaker"! So let's get into this!
For any of you who haven't already realized: "Stimmen Spiel" is the literal German translation of "VoicePlay"! (Also I wonder if 1999 was when 4:2:Five (aka VoicePlay) officially began and/or got its original name?)
You'd think this would be obvious enough for all reactors to notice/comment on it, but no
VoicePlay certainly never fail on the creative front, I'll give them that!
It was Geoff's head that struck me as the most odd-looking here, and it took me a while to figure out why that was (kinda embarassing, really ^^;). It wasn't until I was watching a reaction video where the reactor was speculating on if it was very difficult to edit around Cesar's beard that it hit me: it's the hair. It's notably flatter than it usually is (i.e. less volume), and possibly shorter (or at least shorter-looking) as well.
It then wasn't until a while later (I'm really not always the sharpest tool in the shed 😅) that I realized that this explains why in Geoff's Headless Horseman video, the disembodied back-up Geoffs have their hair pulled back - to make the editing easier!
Geoff asks in the comments "who thinks they know what's in the mug that Kathy's drinking?" For the record, I have no clue, but I'm gonna guess coffee 😄
(If you think you're gonna be getting a lot of screencaps of the "singing heads", think again!)
Really good drawing actually (kinda looks like Cesar - deliberate perhaps?), I wonder who actually did it?
Not entirely sure what the sideways writing on the left page says, but I think the third word is "comparable"? And the writing underneath it I believe says "legs same". The sideways writing along the edge of the right page says "eyes have to be evenly spaced apart".
"Perfect Man"
(Also the writing across the top of the right page says "all features must be constant by numbers")
The width measurement between the two eyes on the right page is 9 inches, and I wonder if that was just a random number/average distance between the centres of a person's eyes, or if actual measurements were taken from you-know-who for this? (Same goes for the other measurements written in the book!)
Did the person who did the drawings in this book do all the writing as well? Because it's aesthetically nice, but not the easiest to read!
The writing on the left page says "all markings must be [????]" (I can't make out that last word).
Also might as well take this opportunity to point out the Pinocchio doll sitting in the windowsill in the background! (Above Geoff's head.) Pinocchio is of course the story of a puppet who becomes a "real boy", so a very fitting inclusion/easter egg for the video (and Pinocchio is originally an Italian story - coincedence? 👀)
We stan Kathy Castellucci in this house! Love her! 💜
Partially sharing this as a "this was an interesting little visual effects/editing moment in the video that I felt like I had to acknowledge" thing, and partially sharing this as a "if I had to see this, so do you!" thing 😆
(Layne really had fun with this one honestly)
The mannequin body now has a white shirt with slightly-puffy long sleeves and a loose collar. Hm, who of the group has occasionally worn shirts like that I wonder?? 🤔 (😜😁)
I'm wondering a lot of things about this video I know, but did Kathy actually do any proper tailoring/stitching on that outfit?
*gasp* Geoff's head is missing! I Wonder What The Reason Could Be For This! /j
There's my boy <3
Also shoutout to Geoff on the acting here! Very doll-like, definitely got the characterisation down-pat!
One of the comments made a joke about "of course the first thing Geoff does after getting a body is try moving his hands around" 😂
(Also compare Geoff's hair here to his hair in one of the previous shots where he's still bodyless; different, right?)
🥺🥺🥺
God help me they're TOO CUTE
Honestly what a freaking payoff for a video that my brain was otherwise reluctant to fully process. Sure, there are reasons for at least listening to this song on Spotify, such as swoon-worthy original bridge section written by the one and only Geoff Castellucci, and the gorgeously stunning 5-part harmony on "shine" right after that bridge, but THIS ^ right here is the reason for watching the video. Shoutout to Layne, who edited this video and did the arrangement (other than the bridge, which was all Geoff's), and shoutout to both Layne and Tony, who are both credited with video concept, set design, and direction!
(And I feel like I must add that Kathy herself commented on this video, telling fans that "This only shows me creating prototype #1. You can safely assume my next projects were numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5. And they all turned out perfect 💙")
2023 was one heck of a year for Voiceplay content, so I have a lot of big videos to cover. Stay tuned!
I've never seen any episodes of Stranger Things, but I've learned bits and pieces about it from Tumblr/the internet, and of course I heard about its usage of Running Up That Hill (which I did know a little bit already) in season 4, which had the song shooting up to the tops of music charts, breaking a record for the longest time for a track to reach Number 1 spot on the UK's official Singles Chart (as well as the oldest female artist to get there).
Voiceplay's video for their cover of Running Up That Hill was released on the 2nd of July, 2022, and like the other "trendy"/popular song featured in a piece of recent media that they covered that year, it features Ashley Diane! So let's go! 😁
Apparently (if I'm correctly remembering the comments I read about it), Voiceplay used mops to cover the floor with a thin layer of water (which had to be done multiple times during filming), to get a cool reflective effect that would give the vibes of "The Upside-Down" from the series.
(And as always, shoutout to Eli for the lighting design!)
Ayyyy
Eli is going double-denim (very 80s) with his jeans and denim jacket combo, and his "Hellfire Club" shirt is merch from Stranger Things! Ashley is wearing a cute crop top, and I love her hair and makeup here. Cesar's got a button-up shirt and a maroon jacket (which I kinda want for myself tbh), Layne's wearing ripped jeans (like Eli) and a kinda-patchwork-pattern button-up (which I also want), and Geoff... is doing The Least again. 😆 His "80s-style" outfit is a plain black/grey shirt, jeans, and a barely-noticeable jacket/jumper tied around the waist. I do love him but I can't help but (lightheartedly) call him out sometimes. 😂
Love the eyeshadow! 💜
Cesar is absolutely vibing at the start of this and I love him
Lighting change!
And again!
When your multiple superhuman abilities include lighting control /j😝
(Also notice the water droplets around/near Layne and Cesar's feet?)
Cool 3D-glasses-like visual effect!
Man she's so pretty (Voiceplay videos spoil me sometimes, they really do)
"Let me steal this moment from you nowwww"
(Trust Geoff to get a low-key dark line of a song and make it even darker/spookier! 😄)
Lighting change again!
As if I was going to talk about the visuals for this video without talking about this moment! So extremely cool, even if you're not into Stranger Things. No clue how they managed to pull it off, but very well done!
The guys' reactions are all absolute gold, of course 😂 ("what should we do?" "I don't know, just keep singing!")
Based on the very-fixed and very-specific shots we get of Ashley while she's "levitating", I'm guessing this was more done via clever editing and post-production work rather than anything like harnesses to actually lift her in the air (not sure if Voiceplay/Pattycake Productions would have the money or resources for that anyway), but still, absolutely brilliant job, and what a way to elevate the video! 😉 (couldn't help myself 😁)
3D-glasses effect again!
I honestly wonder whether or not it was difficult to hold those expressions and not break character, while still singing/vocalising
The last frame of the video, right?
Wrong!
This is the actual last frame (before the Patreon credits), thanks to a very quick bonus scene that Voiceplay decided to include. They sure do have a flair for the dramatic, don't they? 😄
Shoutout to Layne for both the arrangement and video for this one! Voiceplay continue to knock it out of the park, every time, without fail. They know how to do songs justice, while still putting their own spin on it, and it always works so well!
Voiceplay Visuals: A Chance To Fly (Wicked Medley)
You'd be hard pressed to find a Voiceplay arrangement that took more time to create/finish than this one. This was Geoff's creation (he arranged it, came up with the video concept, co-directed it, and collaborated on lighting design), and he apparently worked on this for years. I don't know how long exactly, but I'm fairly certain he vaguely alluded to it in a live Q&A he did on his channel in 2020, when someone asked if Voiceplay was planning to do any Broadway stuff. And based on comments I've read on reaction videos, I believe he's worked on it since sometime in 2019 or so?
But anyway, as spectacular an arrangement as it is, I'm not here to talk about it! I'm here to talk about the video which accompanies it, which was released on the 26th of November, 2021, and features the awesome Emoni Wilkins (in the role of Galinda), and the wonderful Rachel Potter (in the role of Elphaba) (and yes, this is another rare six-vocalist video for Voiceplay, though this time it's 4 members + 2 guests, rather than 5 members + 1 guest). One of the comments says that this is apparently Rachel's 10th collaboration with Voiceplay, though I can only count 7 previous ones (or 8 if you count Just Sing (she was in that too right?)). But regardless, what a veteran!
Anyway, the medley itself clocks in at about 7 and a half minutes, so enough backstory - there's a lot to get through!
Group shot! Love the giant clock backdrop, very cool (and very accurate/appropriate of course)
(Note that I've never seen Wicked, not even a bootleg, but I've listened to the soundtrack a few times on the odd occasion, and I know how the story goes)
(Also this video really highlights the height difference between Layne and Eli, the tallest and shortest of the group, respectively. Apparently Eli isn't actually even that short - he's like 5"5/165cm (which is about how tall I am) - it's just that everyone else in the group is taller than him, whether by a little (like Cesar), or a lot (like Layne, who's 6"1/~183cm)
I adore Emoni and Rachel's makeup looks in this one. Shoutout to Rick Underwood for doing amazing things yet again!
(Also that's a super gorgeous necklace that Rachel is wearing and I want it)
Super massive shoutout and kudos to Geoff and Eli for the lighting on this one! This is top-tier stuff! And so much variety throughout the video in terms of colours and light levels!
Cute earrings, and also face jewels! (Those things can be an absolute pain in the backside, both in terms of applying and then getting them to stay there! I'm assuming Rick used some special skin-safe "glue" product to make them stay in place, and/or some setting spray afterwards?)
Get it, Rachel! 🙌👌
Geoff is handsome as ever, of course
Firstly, go off, Eli! And second of all, Rachel looks so freaking enamoured by Eli during this part, which obviously would be because he's filling the role of Fiyero, the love interest of Elphaba (whom she's acting/singing as here), but also it's just a little bit amusing too 😁
"Think of it as personality dialysis!"
Cesar being adorable 💜
Layne popped a bubble! (With matching "sound effect" of course) (Also I only just realised earlier while watching this that Layne is wearing a tie, just that it's mostly hidden/tucked in)
"And with an assist from me, to be who you'll be, instead of dreary who you were- well, are"
Nothing but respect for my Wonderful Wizard! (He did nothing wrong 😁😝)
I love him your honour
(Gonna do a Geoff Hair Study for this one too, but won't include it in this post, because frankly this post is long enough ^^;)
(Also just realised that Geoff is also wearing a tie that is mostly hidden, and wait hang on a minute, that means that his shirt is actually fully-buttoned-up? Gasp!)
I know I'm going quite heavy on screencaps (and we're only halfway through the video, heck), but I had to share these blink-and-you-miss-it shots of Cesar and Rachel 😄
Cesar: "KILL THE WITCH!"
Geoff (noted bass singer and sometimes sea witch): Uh oh 😬
(Joke stolen from a YouTube comment, but it was too good not to include)
"Because I knew you," (🥺🥺🥺)
The urge to take a million screencaps of the Defying Gravity section at the end is strong. It's so good on all levels!
The quality as an individual screencap is not the best, but still, I'm calling it another "Voiceplay money shot", and such a cool way to end the video!
As I am typing this, the trailer for the Wicked movie (or part 1 at least) has been out for a few days, but I'm yet to even watch it, and I probably won't see the movie, because honestly I don't see how they could make any of the musical numbers better than this. And this was just a medley! And acapella! Re the movie, I'm a little uncertain on how to feel about Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, and I'm definitely skeptical about Ariana Grande as Galinda. Rachel and Emoni killed it though, as did all of the guys of course! Well done Geoff, this was definitely worth the hard work and the long wait!
This was one I was ridiculously eager to get to, because it is an absolute visual treat!!! Layne and the rest of PattyCake Productions really went all out with this video, and I think that it might actually be the most movie-accurate video for a Disney cover that Voiceplay has ever done (and although some things are changed, it's all so amazingly cool that you don't care in the slightest!). Also J None came back for this one to take the lead as Dr Facilier! Heck yeah! Let's get into this! (Oh and nearly forgot to mention: this was uploaded in mid-October of 2021 and was Voiceplay's Halloween upload for the year).
We got Cesar as Prince Naveen (perfect casting btw) (also he looks a bit different without more of a beard, but I don't hate it), and Eli as Lawrence, Naveen's servant (also another Eli Eyebrow Raise! And a strong one, too!)
PattyCake Productions has their own YouTube channel where they create videos based around Disney movies and Disney characters (often writing original songs for them) and it shows. They really went off with the costuming and set design (better than Disney would do with a live-action version of their own, almost definitely)
(Also peep Geoff lurking in the background, which I don't think any reactor has noticed when watching the video)
A more full-body look at J's costume (and cool staff!), plus Geoff and Layne as voodoo spirits! (Also note how Geoff is, once more, the one with the most-exposed arms/shoulders (love that for him 👌)
Geoff was asked on a Patreon Q&A or something like that if the thumb-down-the-side-of-the-head movement had any meaning to it, but no, he just thought it up himself as a little interesting/spooky/cryptic gesture (I mean... it worked??)
(Also there's so much detail to his outfit and I love it! The subtle patterning on the vest! The things that may or may not be fingerless gloves! The metal boney-finger things hanging off the shoulders! All the things around his neck! (And yes, he's still wearing the necklace he wears all the time)
And shoutout to Layne, who as you can see in the photo above this one, is wearing basically just as much stuff around his neck as Geoff, and he's got a (fake of course) bone through his nose as well? (I know the official audio is all overdubbed anyway, but I wonder how hard it is to beatbox with something like that on/in your nose?)
Now this is goddamned clever. How do you split the vocal lines of a single character up between multiple vocalists while still making it make sense in-universe? Well in this case, you have Dr Facilier work some voodoo magic so that he and/or the spirits are singing through Lawrence and Naveen, kinda sorta possessing them! The video is enhancing the song itself!!!
I actually went and watched the original Friends On The Other Side scene on YouTube (which I haven't done in ages), so I could better make comparisons, including screencap comparisons!
"I got voodoo-"
"-I got hoodoo-"
(also rip Hei Hei)
"-I got things I ain't even tried!"
Man they really did nail this, huh?
Also I just realised that after "Naveen's" little "I got friends on the other side" solo, while "Facilier" is echoing it as he sits down, "Lawrence" is attempting to get "Naveen's" attention with his eyes, and making facial expressions/head movements that can basically be summed up as "Hey! We need to leave! Now!"
(Seriously it often pays to focus on different people when rewatching Voiceplay stuff (or in my case when scanning for interesting/screencap-worthy moments, to rewind specific parts to focus on different people))
"The cards! The cards!"
Geoff was absolutely hamming it up during this section. It's kinda hilarious and I love it. Go off, my dude 😂😁
Very smooth editing!
Pfft 😆
(Also Eli's acting was phenomenal in this and I swear he kept one eyebrow raised for at least half the whole video)
I love the expression on Geoff's face here that no reactors have seemingly picked up on, like he's both expectant and eager for "the real fun" to begin
Also check out the details in Layne's outfit! It seems that he's got the same things on his shoulders as Geoff does (except over sleeves instead)
Geoff: "Oh yeah now it's my time to shine!"
Okay so I'm definitely counting those as fingerless gloves. Also shoutout to Eli for the lighting once more!
"Reformation central!"
There's a lot going on in this picture. And also this moment made more sense after I rewatched the original scene (just that Voiceplay are swapping out the amulet for a shrunken head (fair - it's probably a lot harder to find an amulet that bites 😂))
Firstly, nice bit of acting/visual storytelling from Eli and Cesar there, and secondly, hey that's the magic lamp from Aladdin in the background on the left there!
And I haven't talked about it a ton here, but J 100% understood the assignment when it came to playing Dr Facilier. He even did some of the same kinda dancing/moves as in the original scene, like the side-to-side head movement on "I hope you're satisfied" (it was so smooth!)
Man, what a video. Disney could NEVER
Voiceplay always does something mind-blowing for Halloween. It might not always be something you expect, but it's always something that gives us plenty to talk about!
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!
("You're gonna show/talk about That Moment, right?" Yes of course I will be showing/talking about That Moment; who do you take me for? 😝)
This video was uploaded on the 26th of February, 2022, it features Ashley Diane (in her second full-length collaboration with Voiceplay), and it is of course a cover of the ridiculously-popular song We Don't Talk About Bruno, from the very-popular Disney movie Encanto (which I have seen 2 or 3 times, including in cinemas, but I'm also very familiar with the movie soundtrack, because it's amazing). To cover such a popular song (let alone acapella-style) can be a challenging task, because obviously there'll be a lot of people who'll already know the original song quite well and who will be prepared to make comparisons, but this is Voiceplay we're talking about! They're not called "the theatre kids of acapella" for nothing, and Disney covers is one of the things they do best (and the video currently sits at a very impressive 5.6 million views on Youtube! (EDIT: as of the 13th of March, it's now 5.7 million!))
So of course I have a lot to talk about with this one, so let's get into it!
Layne was in charge of the video, arrangement, and direction for this one, and he and Tony worked together on set design and costuming. Needless to say, Layne and Tony did an amazing job (and yes, this was of course filmed at Pattycake Productions Studio, which Layne and Tony own and run together)
As for the costuming/characters: Cesar is playing Felix (is it perfect casting, or is Cesar just amazing at slipping into basically any role he's given? You decide), Ashley plays triple roles of Pepa, Isabela, and Mirabel, Eli is maybe Agustin (Agustin doesn't have a lead singing part in the song but the outfit is close enough), Layne is Dolores, and Geoff is either Camilo, Bruno, or both (Camilo pretending to be Bruno perhaps, like in the original scene in the movie?)
If we don't count Jingle Bell Rock (where Eli was wearing glasses while dressed as "Sandy Claws", then I'm fairly certain this is the last/most recent time that Eli has actually worn glasses for a Voiceplay video? And perhaps the only time he's worn them since growing out his facial hair.
Also I'm pretty sure I heard from someone that Geoff's "ruana" (google it) is in fact just a regular blanket/piece of fabric draped (possibly secured/pinned) over his shoulders (it's kind of a Look though ngl)
Not even 30 seconds in and I already stumbled upon a way-funnier-than-expected screencap 🤣
*pfft* XD
Basically, Cesar 100% understood the assignment as Felix, totally hammed it up, and it's highly entertaining 😁
(Also I swear Geoff did a very miniscule eyeroll here? Amazing, love him)
"Hey where'd you get that?" 😂
I know I'm not meant to be talking about vocals in these posts (per my own rules), but I have to give a big shoutout to Layne, who freaking killed it with Dolores's solo part, and it's always so lovely to hear him actually getting a vocal part in a song, as amazing as he is at vocal percussion 💜
Cesar continuing to do The Most (affectionate), and also it's kinda sweet how Geoff is looking at Layne here imo <3 (and also it kinda fits with how the characters they're playing, Camilo (probably) and Dolores are siblings!)
"Grappling with prophecies they couldn't understand." "Do you understand?"
(If you're rewatching a Voiceplay video, try shifting your focus to someone other than whoever you typically focus on for a certain part of the song! It will probably be worth it!)
Trust Geoff to get a dark/spooky section of the song! Voiceplay is nothing if not consistent 😝 (well, sometimes, in regards to some things 😂)
"When he calls your name, it all-" "-fades to black"
I was trying to get a good screencap of Cesar and Ashley on the "we! don't! talk about Bruno!" line, but eh, couldn't get a decent one.
(Oh btw obligatory kudos to Eli for lighting design!)
"He told me my fish would die, the next day, DEAD!"
(Great face, Ashley 😂👌)
Also pay attention to Geoff during this line (before it cuts to a closeup of Ashley) - I love his little shoulder shimmy to the more-uptempo beat!)
"He said that all of my hair-"
"-would disappear..."
"Now look at my head!"
(Rip Eli, but there was no way anybody else was singing that line - it was practically made for him! 😆) (Also love Ashley touching his head in comfort/sympathy 😄)
"He told me that the life of my dreams would be promised and someday be miiine"
(Yes yes of course Ashley is very pretty and I love the petals and the slow-mo on her, now CUE!)
"He told me that my power would grow, like the grapes that thrive on the viiiine"
Yep, that still continues to be up there as one of the most bonkers-ridiculous moments in a Voiceplay video ever. 🤣 (Also if it weren't hilarious enough, check out Ashley's Offended(tm) face in the first and second pictures above, and Layne's Extremely Concerned face in the second picture! ("uhh, Geoff. something you wanna tell me, dude?"))
I'm a little fuzzy on specifics, but apparently the idea for this moment came about when Voiceplay was acquiring clothing for everyone, and Ashley's outfit arrived in two different sizes (just in case one might fit better than the other). Turns out one of the copies of the outfit was a perfect fit for Geoff, and one thing led to another, and we ended up with Aspiring Disney Princess Geoff that you see in the images above 😄😋)
(When I said "don't just get you a man who can do both, get yourself a man that can do everything" back in my Frozen 2 Medley post, I meant it!!!)
(Oh and this section really was slowed down in post-production in order to make the petals (and hair flips!) look nice, and so both Ashley and Geoff were having to sing/lip-sync to sped up versions of their vocal lines!)
"Hey sis..."
(I don't know why this is so funny but it just is 😂)
Ashley in glasses for Mirabel's part!
"Seven foot frame, rats along his back!" *(goat scream)*
(Genuinely not even joking about the goat scream actually)
Geoff and Cesar were competing this whole video in terms of who could be the Biggest Ham I swear 😂
I somehow didn't pick up on this till a commenter pointed it out, but Layne copies Geoff's "spooky finger wiggles" movement! It's got Younger Sibling vibes ngl (though Dolores is actually older than Camillo iirc, and I'm an only child anyway so idk)
Ashley and Cesar were both great in this video, really seemed to play off each other quite a bit!
Man, what a video. Amazing to watch, and also a really great to watch other people react to, for multiple reasons! 😁
There's not much for me to say that I haven't already said about Voiceplay before, but I will say that if you liked this one, go watch their Mini for Surface Pressure if you haven't already! It was filmed during the same shoot as this one (same set, same clothes), and uploaded a few days prior. It's only a short video, sure, but it's still very much worth a watch.
So obviously I'm not the only one who loves talking about Voiceplay and analysing their content, but I wanted to do something a bit different from the kinds of analyses/reactions that other people do, both on here and on Youtube (and music theory isn't really my forte anyway). So I'm planning on making some posts just focusing on the videos (and Geoff's as well, eventually), rather than the music arrangement or vocals or anything like that. My credentials are being a Drama Kid during my high school years, and experience with this sort of analysis from my time in other fandoms. I'm not planning on doing every single video, and though I'm gonna go chronologically from mid-2017 onwards (why not earlier? Because Reasons). However, since I yesterday finished a fanfic based on Voiceplay's cover of This Is Halloween, (which I studied a fair bit to get details right), I might as well start there!
Oogie Boogie pumpkin just outside the front door! (And a Jack Skellington one on the other side I believe?) These pumpkin also shows up in the spooky Halloween realm the group are transported to after eating the candy.
Credit to one of the comments which said that Earl is wearing a cow onesie and Eli is wearing a rooster onesie, which more likely than not is a callback to their (extremely hilarious) Chicken Song performance. (J is wearing a CatDog onesie, I think Geoff is wearing a giraffe onesie? And I'm not sure what Layne's onesie is meant to be)
Again credit to a commenter (different one), pointing out that Eli deadpan elbows Layne in the back, pushing him down after he eats the candy (likely a not-so-subtle acting cue or something like that, but still very funny once you notice it)
The return of the Jack and Oogie Boogie pumpkins, along with some other creatively-designed Jack-O-Lanterns! Peep the one on the far right, a little more towards the back; its 'eyes' say VP, and its mouth is the Voiceplay logo!
Also a little bit of foreshadowing, whether intentional or not: when Layne wakes up, one of the first things in his line of sight is the axe resting on the hay bales...
First of all, how many pumpkins were carved just for this video? Because a lot of effort went into making all those different designs for sure (and no, I'm not part of Voiceplay's Patreon, as the tier that lets you see behind-the-scenes stuff is like $8.50 AUD per month, rip). And second of all, this is a decent shot of how the group starts out upon waking up. J None is wearing a yellow plaid flannel quite similar to The Wolfman in Nightmare Before Christmas, and Earl is wearing denim overalls, like the behemoth character. Eli's outfit is of course representative of the Mayor of Halloweentown, but no spider bowtie or "Mayor" rosette (would've loved to see it, but eh no biggie). Layne I will get to in a moment, and Geoff a little bit after that.
I can't be bothered getting a better picture of it but Eli's half-concerned half-weirded-out face after J's helium-like vocal line is very amusing to me
On the "eyes glowing red" line, Earl's eyes (which are white at this point) flash red for a very brief moment, basically blink-and-you-miss-it.
The colour-change on Eli's left eye is so subtle that at first I didn't notice it at all, and then I only noticed it later on in the video, and only now, doing this analysis and taking a dozen screencaps, do I realize that it happens way earlier than I first thought (which explains why he takes his glasses off at this point I guess) (so uh, that's a minor inconsistency in my fanfic but it's fine)
Shoutout to the makeup/SFX people who helped with this video honestly, they did a super good job, genuinely!
(In which the frame-by-frame scrubbing technique comes in real handy)
An interesting choice to have Layne go through a sort of "half-transformation" stage, where he has a horn and red eye on one side of the face, while the other side of the face is normal. I like it though!
People have said that Layne is meant to be the devil (who is in fact another Halloweentown resident, but honestly I think he's meant to be Lock, or at least a combination of the two, because this what the two characters look like:
See how Layne resembles Lock more? In the outfit choice if nothing else (Also he's kinda sorta got the right face shape for Lock imo). Also, Lock wears a red trick-or-treating mask with horns on top!
Earl is really distressed about his hair falling out (not that I can blame him, really)
This shot/moment is probably one of the ones that stands out to me the most (other than Certain Other Ones for Other Reasons that I will get to in a moment), because J comes across as pretty mournful here, like he knows what's happening but he's feeling really sad/regretful about it? (Also I only just noticed Eli's face in the background and I'm not sure what to make of it 😅)
"pog" is not a word in my vocabulary 95% of the time, but this is basically just Pog faces right? (Geoff and Layne probably have the most fun of the group in this video ngl)
(Also I haven't yet touched on Geoff's transformations but I love the contouring work on his face!)
My god this video is comedy gold when it comes to pausing/taking screenshots
I daresay Eli ends up one of the least recognizable of the group by the end of it (other than J), and I wanna know how long that took to do
Geoff is the only one in the video who gets an outfit upgrade (Good For Him)
They didn't bother being movie-accurate with Geoff's vampire appearance, and honestly I'm definitely not complaining. (they made him hotter)
Layne did the music arrangement, but Geoff was in charge of the video production. How much say did he have over his own costume/appearance I wonder?
Visually speaking at least, nobody is even paying attention to him, they're just like "yeah that's just Geoff, normal behaviour, nothing new" 😆
I can't get a decent picture of it but shoutout to Layne doing a silly little run around the pumpkin stack, love that for him
Another small moment that a screencap wouldn't do justice: even as a vampire, Geoff still does his little self-conducting hand motions, which you might notice as he walks around the pumpkin stack, in the shot right after his "filling your dreams to the brim with fright" line
Also love Geoff's little almost-Elvis-like moves in the background for a brief scene. I know multiple commenters have mentioned it, but I'm yet to see a reactor notice it
Suddenly Layne is Concerned(tm) about Geoff's vampireness it seems?
Also for someone who very much adores this guy, it took me an embarassingly long time to realise that Geoff's face at this point had become paler and his hairline had changed (and actually now that I type it up here, I think that might even be a wig? Oh dear)
I don't really have anything to say about J's full transformation, but it would be unfair of me to not include him as well, and it's definitely a *very* impressive costume. Almost like one of those rubbery fully-covering-the-head costume mask things, but like it's his actual face?
Is that tattoo real or fake, because I literally have never noticed it in any other Voiceplay video, but it's very realistic! (For that matter, what aobut Earl's upper-arm tattoo that kind of looks like a ring of barbed wire?)
I basically watch the This Is Halloween opening scene from The Nightmare Before Christmas every October, and same with the What's This scene in December, but I had never actually watched the movie in full until December last year. So basically when they had the axe-in-the-head moment in the movie I was like ohhhhhhh so that wasn't just a random moment that Voiceplay dreamed up for the video! (I had a similar moment with the Mr Hyde character and his Mini Mr Hydes in his hat in the movie, but in relation to Voiceplay's Kidnap The Sandy Claws video)
When Elizabeth Zharoff/The Charismatic Voice reacted to this video, she said that the kid at the end (Layne's nephew, apparently), was "adorable". Meanwhile Mortius' reaction to the end scene was "oh I didn't like that! It makes me feel like I'm next!" 😂
Also suddenly just realized that the "real world" scenes are in a different aspect ratio to the "spooky dream realm" scenes? Possibly intentional, but also possibly just due to them using two different types of cameras for the shots.
And that's a wrap! I was hoping to get this done and posted last night but it took longer than expected. Hope you enjoyed it, as I'm thinking of writing up at least one or two more now, and scheduling them for daily releases. See ya!