Angry Planet video pulled by band

[Johnz]

For those that haven't read this interview, here is the reasoning behind the original decision not to release the original video.

John Sevigny: "I just did a quick perusal of the conversation board on your Web site to see what people were talking about. One thing was what happened with the Angry Planet video? There was all kinds of speculation about it being too violent or that you scrapped it for ethical reasons or something".

Justin Sullivan: "Funny you should say that. I'm just sitting here talking about it with Dean White who did most of the video editing. It was done really plundering Youtube and we set out to make something which was sort of a video with the band and footage from Youtube. Basically it got very difficult to avoid the charge of "well this is just sort of a rock video." It's a rock song. You're putting band footage in it, and yet you want to put all these really horrific images off Youtube in it. Some people saw it and said, a) it's a bit obvious, but b) it's impossible to avoid ... I remember going to see Crass when I was a kid and they would play their Crass music on stage and on the side of the stage they'd have screens showing Belsen. And I remember thinking that's really unnecessary. You know what I mean?"

Sounds like there may have been some band footage in the original video. I kinda agree with JS.

[szmurf]

And I remember thinking that's really unnecessary. You know what I mean?

I was thinking the same thing when I watched the video.  It is quite obvious, basically every hardcore band out there does this sort of thing.

But - On the flip side, I don't know how you'd do a video for the song without going that route. 
Maybe go the opposite and show 5.5 minutes of balloons floating in the sky.

[Guillaume]

It's a well edited effective video, though to be honest i'm not the greatest fan of the song, the one i like the least on the new album.

[Rusco]

I checked the video today and stopped it while in the middle. Couldn't watch it `till the end.
Now I understand well why they refused to release it earlier.

However I like the song very much on the other hand.

[cthulhu]

I'm really thankful that the descision was made to share the work and show that powerful video to that strong song. to me personally it meant a lot when i saw the vid and i was thrilled, because i saw so much similarities to the vid i made and so much differences at once. there are even some of the same images i used, too.

i know that some people find the video offensive and that seemed to be the point for the decision not to release it at first. but to me, i just saw the same approach i would have handled the video to the song with that lyrics. it's a rollercoaster ride through the images of our planet and societys transforming and i can reflect myself when i see that video, because these images are anyway in my mind and i'm aware of them and i find them in good company, when illustrating a powerful song with that subject of an transforming and angry planet.

the video is kind of an assault to the viewer, so the video itself is a bit angry when unleashing the horrible images to the recipient. and i like that kind of art, which demands something of you and evokes an emotional reaction you have to work with.

i have to say, that i still cannot understand (well, i can understand but i feel different about it) why they had the first feeling, that the video should not be shared, but i can respect that first descision and so i'm more glad they thought about it again.

i have some thoughts which could be seen as a critic, but these are all about rhythm and stucture and pace of the video which would only come to different styles and opinions and do not refer to the video itself.

only one thing i want to mention as a thought. to me one of the strongest and best lyric lines is "As the monkey tribes advance across the bleak terrain
All sown with seed of mono-culture...." and i was waiting while watching to see how this was integrated.
i like the lyrics so much, because i feel that "mono-culture" is one of the most important aspects when thinking about problems of the humans, and there's so much indications in it, a powerful metaphor, angry and aggressive in itself and therefore so brilliantly observed and put into context of the lyrics. so i would have tried to find more images about that. but tha'ts just my 2cents.

this was a lot, a lot of work and i really dig and like the editing and approaches of dean white. keep on the good and independant work!

[Johnz]

I think the reason for not releasing it wasn't so much that it would be seen as offensive but rather that it's a bit of a cliché to have these sort of images with that kind of music. At least that's how understand it from JS's response.

[New Model Army]

To clarify, please understand that this is not the original video that was withdrawn by the band, but a serious re-edit.

[Johnz]

Thanks for clarifying that! I did wonder.

[cthulhu]

Oh, c'mon! What does that mean? We now have a video that is pretty drastic but the original version ist still not being released for ethical reasons? So this is just a censored version?

This story now is really making me curios about how all fits together.
When justin said in the interview: "dean does most of the editing" does it mean, that he does not all of it?
is he doing a rough cut and then somebody is doing the final edit? this wouldn't be unusual.
what could be so unethical in the first version that you go through time-costly re-editing and the come up with this version, which is pretty graphic anyway?
how much of the new management is part of these decisions?

well, this new information puts a very different light on for me on this subject. it could also explain some of my rhythm and structural thoughts i had when watching it.
i just hope that the original version and vision of the video is not compromised to much with these new edits and that everybody is satisfied with the result and that it is not just because there was so much work behind it, that you just cannot not show it but have to get a version which is just for the sake of having a video.

somehow this feels not so good to me as just have to accept, that they would not like to release the original. now we have this version and know that its not the original, which just leaves you thinking, but i'm just curios, thinking out loud here and don't mean to be argueing.

it's still a powerful video to a great song. and the rest maybe will just go to the universe of unanswered popcultural stupid questions, right next to the parallel universe of lost old left socks.

[Pol]

I've already stated that i totally love this video.
What ever reasons the guys took to re-edit that video is totally up to them. I'm always happy to support any decision that they choose to make. Its their band and their dvd to do as they like.

[Rusco]

Cthulhu, I know personally some artists that do contemporary videos and installations and I'm a fine artist & print maker too. I agree with you on that a depiction of such issues has many ways and other "layers" too than just underlining the first immediate thing that we see "there" happening. F.e. at first hand there is the "shock", then you may keep thinking about the issues further combined with the lyrics, then "heal", find yourself living as a part of some society, possibly able to make some stations about something...

I understand if someone likes the video. Indeed it is a very effective and powerful "slideshow" about all the pure craziness of the human kind and power. But I've become quite softie later on. Although used to watch all those great Romero classics and horror films since a kid, but these days I just can't or don't want to. People change by the time.

[szmurf]

Didn't the quote from Justin above state that the original video had images from YouTube woven in with video of the band?  Any who - one trip through the video was enough for me, and I found myself not really watching it towards the end.  I just don't like images like that.  They don't challenge me or make me think, they just make me a bit queasy.  And the speed at which the images were changed made me a bit dizzy.

Artistically, I still think it's right up there with 90% of hardcore videos made today.