We recently covered a review called ‘Fantasy of Companionship Between Human & Inanimate’, Dr. Susan Lim & Dr. Christina Teenz Tanz, and they returned once again with a music video called ‘New World Order’. To recap, the directors come from a neuroscience and surgeon background who used their skillset to combine it with their passion of film, music, and animation. It appears that the music video is a part of a bigger production called ‘ALAN the Musical’, which explains how the art style and music are similar to the previous production we reviewed. For those curious about the musical, there’s a website you can check out at http://www.alanthemusical.com.
The message behind now focuses on the idea of robotic prosthetics and artificial intelligence used to repair Alan the Bear’s broken legs. The music lyrics are calling out for the idea that the bear wants to become independent again, to have the ability for mobility, and the respectability for itself to be part of the future of companionship.
The animation and computer digital assets are just as visually stunning as their previous piece, as they are very similar in the art direction for this music video. The scenes transition at a fast pace of the bears recovery, keeping viewers on their toes to watch the blends of futuristic colors and parallax effects as the song is being played. The visuals give a sense of hope that the future of technology can be a good thing for creating prosthetic limbs to get them moving again like how the bear demonstrates in the music video.
Hearing the riffs of guitars, piano, drums, violins and the vocals singing out the emotional lyrics expresses the feeling of hard-hitting energy for the bear trying to fight back and seek the redemption of being able to move again. The lyrics made sure to reference their message about the Future of Companionship. The repeated word of “respectability” in the lyrics was a nice double entendre of trying to convey the message of having your own self-respect, as well as respecting the ability to recover.
Given that the theme is about prosthetic robotic legs, expect to watch the bear walk his way back to his freedom. Seeing ALAN climbing the piano stairs, running the treadmill, breakdancing, and the simple task of walking, one would want to give this bear a FitBit to see how many steps did he take to get his mobility back. It is definitely more than the recommended 10,000 steps. It is very inspiring to see the willpower Alan has to do whatever it takes for him to get himself back up on his feet. He symbolizes the idea to not take your legs for granted and to exercise daily to keep yourself in shape.
For those who like theatre, this music video’s influences are much akin to popular works like Disney’s Fantasia. The song is part of ALAN the musical as mentioned at the beginning of the review. It combines the work of fiction and facts that provide an engaging story that is for all ages who are interested in artificial intelligence, robotics, or just general interest in science.
I have to acknowledge once again that the directors Susan Lim and Christina Teenz Tan come from a science background. It is just incredible to see how they can find a creative outlet of combining their passions with film and animation just because they can. Their Fantasy of Companionship Between Human and Inanimate has already been screened in many film festivals as well as winning multiple awards.
This is a true testament to the fact that anyone who wants to create films has become more accessible in today’s world of technology and the platforms created by New World Order festivals to help promote their work. Creating a story is no easy task, and it takes a village of creative artists to come together and use their skillset to create something special. And it’s an even bigger task knowing that this music video is an extension of their bigger theatre productions. I truly hope to see more of their future projects come to life as they have all the right tools to make beautiful moving pictures for the audiences to experience.