There will never be a true escape if you allow your nightmares to consume you, but as long as you wake up you can keep the scariest of dreams at bay for a moment of peace...
Continuing our journey to All Hallow's Eve, it's time to go back to the beginning and understand the origins of a curse placed upon seven girls long ago. Once innocent and filled with life, the members of Dreamcatcher soon found themselves pulled into the world of Nightmares, a place so dark and consuming that it becomes harder to escape with each passing day.
Similar to our last review it is time to enter into another realm, but this time it is a world that we can all fall into if we are not careful. A place that you can only enter when asleep, it seems as simple as waking up to escape, and if you have the means to exit this world then please, take it take it and fly further away from the Nightmare that tries to consume you each and every night.
Yet if you neglect to take that chance your wings will be clipped and the door that was once open will close behind you, never to open again...
It's time to return to the mesmerising and dangerous world of Dreamcatcher once again in this years Idol'ween series, but this time we will focus on Fly High. Acting as the root of the story that we have all come to know and love, it is time to indulge in the ethereal, haunting beauty that is Dreamcatcher's Fly High. The question is, are you ready to fall into the nightmare to learn about the curse and how it all began?
Let's step into this new world and find out, but beware that the doors don't close themselves behind you...
This scene is so pretty!!!
As I said: PRETTEH!!!!
Also, is this scene an allegory for freedom or something?
"Let's go down to the woods today...~"
Er... where are you going whilst it is all gloomy and filled with fog?
Okay, who let Sadako play with the TV again? I told y'all to stop letting Sadako play with the TV!
The precision of their choreography and how cool the dance shot looks from afar is just... 👌
Loving the warmth in this shot, too.
That camera work is also pretty damn amazing, and only enhances the choreography.
Also: oooooh, blue outfits and grey tones in the background!
A Dutch angle already? Dreamcatcher, you're spoiling me!
Ah, what happiness. Frolicking in the sun, no care in the world... What simpler, happier times.
Until The Covid-19 Pandemic happened...
Close the gates and lock the girls in. It's time to self-isolate, ladies!
Er, what are you doing outside, Siyeon? Get back in the house, you're supposed to be in lockdown with everyone else!
Ah, a nice socially distanced game of 'Back off, you might have Coronavirus!'
"I SAID 2M APART, LADIES!" screams the girl at the wall.
Jiu: "Wait, are you writing another Halloween-themed review???"
Yes, Jiu, because the only time I ever really review your PV's is around Halloween. Your PV's are perfect for this time of the year!
All I see is pavement. What the heck are you trying to catch, Jiu?
I wish we had more of this perspective, because whilst it is jarring, it's also pretty interesting. What a waste to use it for a scene or two, and never again.
No, not the jar, Jiu! NOT THE JAAAAAAAAR!!!
Jiu: "So cute! So damn cute! I wanna keep ya!"
Damn, I love this setting. It's so aesthetically pleasing, and beautifully cluttered in a tidy way.
I love this framing and how they managed to perfectly capture Jiu setting the jar onto the table.
Yeeeeah, that thing is already dead. It isn't moving.
Ooh, look! Marbles and tarot cards! I wonder which cards the girls pulled here?
Again: Beautifully cluttered. I love the whole look of this video and how normal and beige it looks, compared to everything else in this music video.
... Is - Is that the web from YOU AND I?
Did they tie all this together? I need to watch all of the music videos in order, now >_>
These outfits = everything.
I am also in love with the manor house, because a classy setting for classy idols is needed.
Why are there marbles on the piano keys? And why does it look like there are giant marbles in the room?
What do the marbles symbolise, Dreamcatcher?
Okay, this is pretty. It reminds me of Sleeping Beauty, in a way.
"Good Night..."
No, I reviewed Good Night last Halloween. We're reviewing Fly High this time.
MOOOOOOOM, Siyeon and Sua are being creepy again and disobeying the 2m rule!
Welp, this doesn't look good. RUUUUN!
In the creepiest way possible, this is such a cute moment. I really love her wide-eyed stare and the foliage framed around her.
So. Farkin'. PRETTEH!
Erm, whut?
Nope, nop, nop, nop, NOOOOOOPE I am OUT!
Handong is really beautiful, so I gotta appreciate her here and now.
Er... why are there two girls watching Handong from the lower window? And why is this my first noticing that they're there?
Why the fuck are you so creeeeeeeepyyyyyyy?
... Okay, so you're all cursed now, yeah?
Hey, are antlers symbolic of something in this PV, too? I'm seeing a lot of those around, I swear.
We're at a bit of a crossroads, lads. Do I go the path of Siyeon, or the path of Sua? Help me choose my bias, please!
I love how well-done the editing is in this. It's so fluid and effortless that you hardly notice the location change from the study to the dining area.
I never noticed this until I was reading up on another analysis of the PV's story, but one side of the table has books in white to signify their innocence, whilst the others have black books to signify the members who have already been cursed.
It's bloody interesting, to say the least. Also, notice how the door to the left is closed to potentially signify that those three members are trapped, whilst the door to the right is open, which means that there is still time to escape?
Er, she's cute??? How have I not noticed before? Like, she's a doll. I love her?
Ah, yes. A diet of yummy flowers. My favourite dinner time treat!
Okay, this video gets even more interesting the more that I look at my screen grabs.
Okay, Siyeon, sweetie, please stop walking down the path that may lead to you being cursed. It really isn't all it's cracked up to be, I swear.
Ah, boy, that fog does not look inviting.
A random mirror in an open, foggy place? Yeeeeah, I would avoid this one if I were you, Yoohyeon.
GIRL, what did I just say? Seriously, this is somewhat similar to the spinning wheel from Sleeping Beauty, because bitch this mirror is dangerous, yeet yourself away from it NOW!
GIMME ALL THEM BOOKS!
Also, what's above Dami's head? Is it a branch, a web or more antlers?
I had to, for those who know.
Dami: "Bring me Pizza and Coleslaw sides..."
No clue what Dami is conjuring here, but I like to think it's a free takeaway that is made up of her favourite foods.
When your rich, widowed step-mother Jiu catches you doing something she forbade you from doing ever again (because it reminds her of your father).
Jiu: "I thought I told you to never play that damn piano with marbles again!"
Cue the long corridor sequences! Man, I have missed these from Dreamcatcher. It really does feel like they are running from a never ending nightmare.
I am enjoying these parallels of Jiu and Yoohyeon running, and how different they look. One is dark, closed off and cold, the other bright, open and a little more warming.
This transition is everything, and it's simply amazing how different Yoohyeon looks in both sequences. Innocent and cute in one scene, dark and done with your shit in another.
Yoohyeon: "God, I am so done with this curse."
But the backdrop is so pretty!!! It can't be all that bad, can it?
Well, that's ominous o 3o
Yeah, that's hella ominous. Does she still have a soul, or is she just bored of being in the bath?
Cute girls and scary backgrounds? Why, this smells like a Stephen King plot!
Okay, Yoohyeon, sweetie... I told you not to go near the mirror, right? So, why in the fuck did you go near the mirror and touch it? Why?
It's essentially the spindle on the spinning wheel, and you fell for it! Welcome to a hundred years of nightmarish sleep!
When you bit the end of your pen and ink just explodes all over you.
Yoohyeon: "Urgh, I really shouldn't have done that."
Siyeon: "Aaaaaaand this is where the nightmare begins~"
Siyeon makes the act of looking cute but creepy seem easy.
RUN, JIU, RUN! Siyeon and Sua are ready to get you!
Also, loving how much the dark yellow background of the interior contrasts the grey and dreary outside. It's so jarring in an oddly beautiful way.
Siyeon and Sua: "Come play with us, Chiima. Come play~"
Er, no thanks. I'm pretty content with just being a basic bitch, thanks.
So empty and sparse, just like my head.
How dare she be this pretty? I mean, it's a crime.
Ah, a little replay, because why no---
YOOHYEON, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?
Yoohyeon: "I hate spiders~"
YEAH, BUT DON'T FUCKIN' KILL IT VIA HEAT, THAT'S JUST CRUEL!
Y'all, this is why spiders have a vendetta against us in horror movies.
The butterflies are back! So pretty, so free...
Aaaaaaaand your freedom is gone. Back in the cage, honey!
It's so symbolic and beutiful, and I love it for that. But yeah, now it all makes sense.
It's time to succumb to the nightmare, Jiu my dear.
Don't look back, just run, Jiu! Run!
Sua: "You did good, my friend."
What ya holding there, Sua? Is that a book of fairy tales, or a book of satanic spells? Tell me, Sua. TELL ME!
Oh crap, Good Night makes so much more sense now. The plot has thickened, readers!
Yoohyeon, retreating to the manor where she will continue to be a part of a nightmare, the freedom that she looks for no longer within her grasp...
And Jiu deciding her own fate and turning her back on freedom as she closes the gates, fully surrendering herself to the nightmare that now cages all of Dreamcatcher.
This is a powerful shot, and I am honestly living for it. Jiu, you absolute beauty!
I love how her back is turned from the outside, and how the gates look so similar to the bird cage that has been present in this music video.
Sua: "I said NO to Sepia pictures!"
Ah, so that knife was important from way back when. And hey! Where are Yoohyeon and Siyeon in this scene? And why are Dami and Jiu the only ones to look at Sua and then the picture, whilst Gahyeonand Handong lack any form of reaction???
That is interesting...
From free, happy young girls to cursed beings who are aware of our presence...
If that isn't creepy, then I don't know what is.
... Are they standing in these positions for a specific reason? Probably. Now I need to watch the rest of the music videos to see if this makes an appearance.
Like any Dreamcatcher music video, Fly High is a visual masterpiece that not only tells a story, but ties up a few loose ends the more you watch it. With contrasting tones and an incredible setup, the music video for Fly High acts as a wonderful opening to the nightmarish realm that we have come to know as fans and viewers of the group.
It goes without saying, but Fly High is actually my favourite song and music video from the group. The song itself feels bright and poppy despite the circumstances of the group, and the juxtaposing visuals between their former lives and their cursed selves is absolute visual pleasure. I just love how Fly High as a video manages to depict both the beauty and horror of their situation, whilst also introducing us to the origins of this nightmarish world they have entered into. It's an inviting video, one that gets even more interesting with each watch, and yet again I manage to learn something new every time I view it.
Throughout the entire process of me screen grabbing this PV, I picked up on something different and felt like I learned something new. The use of the black and white books for the members depending on who happened to be cursed and who wasn't, the salt and pepper shakers sitting on a specific side, the way that a door being open might represent freedom and how the bird cage, though not a prominent feature, was symbolic of Dreamcatcher being trapped in the house as each member succumbed to the nightmare that was cast by Sua. I also loved how the warmer, more inviting scenes represented the life that they had lead before, whilst the dark, foggy scenes depicted their descent.
With that said, there were some scenes that felt warm despite the members being under the influence of the curse, however these scenes often showed the cursed members - Yoohyeon and Jiu especially - turning their backs on freedom, either because of the curse, or in Jiu's case specifically, because she made the conscious decision to turn her back on freedom in order to find an escape with everyone.
There is a great deal to unpack with this video, much like any other Dreamcatcher release, and enough can not be written about it in a pic spam review. Still, I will do my best to pin-point a few of my favourite things here, such as the effective use corridors with no end in sight here to depict the never-ending nightmare and how claustrophobic it can be, the expansive and open areas to showcase the freedom that had once been available to Dreamcatcher before entering into the Nightmare realm, and the use of lighting to create a specific ambience for each scene. I also love how the interior of the manor house is so beige and uninteresting, yet it holds so much personality and life thanks to the clutter. The use of beige interior may mean nothing to the video and its concept, but it may also act as a symbol of the warmth, familiarity and safety that is home, something that is shattered when something that is supposed to be kept outside is brought in. In this case it is the spider, which begins its webbed curse that inflicts the inhabitants of a once safe household.
Other aspects of the video that I greatly enjoy are the framing devices used for some of the scenes. The dance shots are a great example of this, with the daylight dance shots being framed by the trees as Dreamcatcher dance in the garden of the house, and the evening scenes being framed by the open gates as they dance on the driveway. I also love how Jiu placing the spider on the table is framed, and how open doors are often used to frame specific scenes, as if we as the viewers are peeking into this world and catching a glimpse of something we shouldn't.
Oh, and Handong was literally sitting in the window frame. I liked that scene a lot, too.
The use of opening and closing doors to represent freedom (or lack thereof) was wonderful as well, and I enjoyed seeing so many Dutch angles being used in various parts of the video to set off that feeling of unease. The only things that I didn't understand were the foliage - though that could easily represent the outside coming in (again, the spider) and disrupting the safety net that is home - and the antlers. What in the heck were the antlers for?
Confusion towards antlers aside, yes, this is my favourite music video from Dreamcatcher right now. It may change down the line because - let's be real - I still need to analyse the other music videos a little more. Still, Fly High is a divine experience and continues to amaze me with each and every watch. I adore it in all its glory, from the warmth it exudes in some scenes to cold, haunting beauty that it holds in others. Fly High is glorious, and I will happily delight in it again and again.
Are you ready to get trapped in this web of nightmares, or would you run towards the freedom that Jiu turned away from?
I hope that you have enjoyed this music video as much as I have, and I hope that you saw something different that you didn't see before today. Of course, I ultimately hope that Fly High has given you even more reason to get into the Halloween spirit for 2020, because whilst it may not be as creepy as Chase Me or as ominous as Good Night, it still has its fair share of eerie scenes and haunting edits to give you goosebumps.
Regardless of if it made you excited for Halloween or not, what were your thoughts regarding the PV? Does it live up to the standard you expect from the group, or did it fall further from the ranks than you anticipated? Whatever your thoughts may be, be sure to share them with the world; after all, sharing is caring, as the curse of Dreamcatcher showed today.
Of course, be sure to share your own favourites when it comes to Halloween themed PV's! Until the next post though, I will leave you with this. Please take care, be considerate of those around you, look after your own physical and mental wellbeing, enjoy all that you do and - of course - love your idols and the content they produce.
In the meantime, don't watch too many movies. You might just have a nightmare that won't let you leave even after you wake up.
Sweet dreams, dearest Readers...
Chiima~
No comments:
Post a Comment