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G.C.F in Tokyo/Osaka - a director’s outlook

Well, Jeon Jungkook has done it again ;D

A few weeks ago, I decided to re-visit G.C.F in Tokyo, as I do very often, for some mental peace. I’d been wanting to share my two cents on it for the longest time, but since many of the reviews I read here on Tumblr were similar to my own thoughts and sentiments, I hesitated. But then I thought, why don’t I take an outsider’s opinion on the video and share that instead.

A professional director’s opinion, for instance.

So I contacted a close family-friend, who is a veteran Indian film-director/screen-writer. A brief insight into his background:

He is 60+ years old.

He’s been in the film-industry for approx. 40 years.

Won Best Debut Director award and several screen-writer accolades

One of his films won twenty-three international awards at the Cannes film festival

His first noted screenplay was for the first Indian 3D film.

He comes from a society where male/male romantic relationship is not seen as common-place, even in movies.

He is not familiar with Kpop groups/music or Korean entertainment industry.

To say that he took an immense liking to JK’s video and his skills as a director/editor/story-teller would be an understatement. He LOVED it. I had originally planned to post his thoughts as a stand-alone review on G.C.F in Tokyo, but since JK decided to drop his second bomb on us today, I jumped at the chance to show him his new video.

Needless to say, he LOVED G.C.F in Osaka too. And since he had a lot to share about both videos, I think it would be better to share his comparative thoughts on both.

(Disclaimer: I did not disclose any info on both videos as well as about BTS, to keep his opinions as unbiased as possible. The context he perceived was JK as a semi-professional director and the videos as his ‘short films’. He thought JM to be an actor in the first video (deduced from the end credits). In the second video he concluded that all the boys are JK’s actor-friends)

Initial impressions:

(on G.C.F in Tokyo)

“The actor in the movie is a personification of the director’s happiness, pleasure and joy. He uses the actor’s actions to show us his own emotions, reflected off of the other. The immediate narrative we get is that of a love story. He uses [JM] to showcase his love for the city he is in, the company he is with, the events he goes to etc. But the focal point, the crux for all of his emotions is [JM]. Without the actor in it, this becomes a travel video. With [JM], it becomes a movie with a story. More than a simple recording of the trip, it’s a narrative with a purpose. Every shot was intentional and in tune with the music and the lyrics, meaning he’d already picked out the song and was likely humming it in his head as he shot the clips.

Contrary to the title, this video is not about Tokyo.”

(on G.C.F in Osaka)

“The narrative here differs from the first, but not entirely. It is more of a sequel I’d say. Here, [JK] balances out his focus between the city (Osaka) and the actors. He paints the city as a caricature but he uses a very limited range of motion. There a lot of elements referenced from the first video, especially the shots with the first actor [JM], which means that he is continuing his narrative of ‘love and happiness’. The added narrative from this video is ‘friendship and fun’, as showcased by the rest of the actors, mainly by the masked actor’s [TH] and [JM]’s playfulness.

I wouldn’t use the same actor [JM] to portray the same narrative unless I am filming a sequel movie, since without correlation the original narrative could easily get lost. Had he not filmed the first video and posted it before this, we would miss out on this double narrative and only take it as ‘friendship and fun’. The reference to the first video was intentional, hence the double narrative is made clear. Here the crux of his emotions branch out among all the actors, but with a very biased focus on [JM’s] narrative.”

On the song choice and focus of the lyrics:

Was the song choice random or deliberate?

“Given the amount of detailing that has gone into capturing each shot, it is clear that the songs for both videos were chosen intentionally. When a director wants to tell a story to the audience, every single element requires careful planning. Similar elements in both videos - the traffic signal shot in the first referenced in the clock ticking shot in the second - can attribute to this fact. However, the level of planning put into both videos is very different.”

What about the lyrical focus? Does that have any significance?

“It is indeed interesting to note how he carries over the narrative from the first video not just via the shots but also through the song lyrics. Lyrically, the message from the first video aided the single narrative. ‘I’ll be there for you’ was the message, spoken with a clear focus on the actor in the movie. In the second video however, the message is not to the actors in the movie, but to the audience watching it.”

Which part of the lyrical focus stood out to you the most?

Around 3.43-3.50 in the second video, the focus is particularly interesting to me since it is a direct correlation to the clips in the first video. We see the lyrics ‘I got me someone else instead’ being focused on the first actor a lot, indicating the first narrative. The lyrics that immediately follow, ‘He’s taking your side of the bed’ focuses on the masked actor, the second narrative. From a story-telling perspective, this tells me that the first narrative of ‘love and happiness’ takes precedence over his second narrative of ‘friendship and fun’. This is only seen if the second video is taken as a sequel to the first video, which he has already made clear that it is.”

What do you think about the bit where the music cuts off and we hear them talking/laughing?

“That bit was beautiful, I applaud him for including that. Not only was it a very direct link to the first video, where he showed [JM]’s, and by extension his own, happiness through the actor’s goofy dancing and bright laughter (referring to JM ‘dancing’ in disneyland, the street, the suits shop etc), this time we have the sounds along with the visuals. He did it only with [JM], meaning he dived deeper into the first narrative and not the second. That clip was not about Osaka, it was about Tokyo. I’d say he was reminiscing Tokyo in Osaka. The correlation between both videos is the strongest in that clip. Now when I go back and watch the first video, and the clips of [JM] laughing, I will be able to clearly hear his laughter. To an unfamiliar audience, that bit is very very precious. It’s like a color blind person seeing color for the first time.”

On the overall editing:

“The editing is beautiful and differently done [in G.C.F in Osaka], yet in a familiar style reminiscent of the first video. He’s brought out a lot of similarities from the first video, mainly the shots with the first actor. I’d say he referenced the first video deliberately. Notable added elements would be the second actor [TH]. The director used him and the other actors to paint the city as a caricature, with a playful vibe. He’s excited to be here with them. While in the first video he is hugging that ‘city’. showing a huge infatuation, a loving vibe, he’s showing pleasure, love through the emotions reflected on [JM] in the first video.”

“What camera does this guy use? How do i make him my assistant? Or become his assistant, whichever works best.” (lol, JK you have a new fan looks like)

Any bit that stood out as funny or weird?

“There were a few shots where he included the filming crew I think? Who was that fourth guy? (I told him he was the manager-hyung). Nice of [JK] to include him but I wonder, if he wanted to show an intimate side to their friendship he would not have included that person. Considering the similarity to the first video’s elevator scene, he’s showing the same element - using the first actor - in different settings. With friends, without friends. I think his focus here is still the first actor. He seems pretty obsessed with [JM]”

Why do you think he’d be obsessed with [JM]?

“I don’t know, but if I were him I’d use both actors to tell different narratives. He used [JM] to show love and pleasure for the ‘city’, like I mentioned. In the second video, in a totally different city, he used the same actor to show friendship, fun and playful excitement BUT he was able to do it only with the addition of [TH]. Without him, the narrative is still the same as the first video. Every bit where he focused on the first actor alone was the same story re-told in the same fashion. Even the shots were similar. [TH] kept it goofy, friendlier. Clearly he has boxed them into these roles in his head so it makes sense, from a story telling perspective”

What do you think about the actors (JM and TH) in the second video? How did their acting seem to you?

"Goofy friends doing goofy things. [TH] is very aware of the camera. [JM] doesn’t bother about it much. i think he’s the one the director films the most, that shows why he’s more natural here. He was very natural in the first video as well, his ‘acting’ was not acting at all. It reflects in the second video, and the way he ‘directs’ [TH] in some shots. When an actor is attuned to a director’s style of filming, he ends up not acting on camera and projects his actions naturally.”

"Where are the other two actors though? They just ate and left. Guess their narrative was not important here so he fired them. I can relate to that” (lol)

Concluding thoughts:

So, any final takeaways from both these videos?

“Plenty. This person is telling us a beautiful story, one that is abundant in love, happiness, friendship but with the undertones of longing, apprehension, an ache of some sort. It’s beautiful yet bittersweet and he can only express it with the people around him. He masks his frown by using their smiles to reflect his smile. It’s subtle, but to me it is very hard to ignore. I want to shake his hand for a video well made, but also hug him tight for a story well told.”

“A director always uses references that are symbolic to him first and foremost when he is telling a personal story. Both these videos, while professionally shot and edited for the most part, convey narratives that are personal to [JK]. The creative romanticism in both videos are very apparent, portraying very different vibes yet staying true to [JK]’s personal style. He is someone who writes a lot in between the lines, but leaves very apparent hints on where we can find them. There is no need to over analyse, everything is laid out neatly, artistically. He sings to us through his videos, and the actors in them, especially the first actor [JM] whom I feel is the most attuned to his style, dance beautifully to his song.

[JK] is already a wonderful director in my eyes.”

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