Bridging the Gap

Songs and music videos that involve fans or random audiences can be incredible. Of course, a lot of work must go into a music video that has audience involvement if the artist is looking for a specific outcome. The Japanese song that we listened to in class seemed to have a very organized and controlled video. It must have taken so much time and effort to control the outcome of that video, making it exactly what the artist wanted.

On the other hand, the artist could give more freedom to the crowd and let them do what they want to do. The video for Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave" that we watched in class falls into this category. Even though there was a framework to work with, the crowd could draw anything that they wanted in the video. There can be unwanted outcomes when it comes to this type of process, especially if the video-makers are not paying careful attention to what is being done by the audience. 

A music video that comes to mind is the one for Justin Bieber's and Jack Ü's song "Where Are Ü Now." The crowd was given free rein to draw whatever they wanted onto frames of Justin Bieber moving around. With many people out there who approach Justin Bieber with disdain, there was bound to be some unwanted outcomes in the video. If you watch it, the frames go by fairly quickly, but if you pause it, you might find yourself staring at crude remarks and pictures. Maybe those who were putting together the video did it without checking the individual drawings or released it in spite of them. Either way, I find it kind of great that there were no censors. It makes it feel real, and in reality, those who wrote the crude comments and drew the inappropriate pictures seem like the childish ones in the end.

But the best audience-participation  music videos are the ones that are a collaboration of the artists and their fans. It gets rid of the invisible wall, the barrier that keeps the artists as something off in the distance that can sometimes inspire idolatry. Bringing people in who like the music together with the artists can be summed up in saying, "Hey, we're all humans. We all get the feels when we listen to music. Let's do this stuff together." At least, on the audience's side, it feels like gaps are bridged.

"Playing for Change," "Sour," "First Day of My Life," and even "Ain't No Grave" brings people together and unites humankind in a video. Being a part of something can feel great, and I love watching these kinds of videos. Especially those of bands that are not at the top of the billboard. The bands feel loved by their fans, and the fans enjoy being a part of something even if it is not the biggest-budget video of all time.