Christian Valdez
Cycle
Music Video
Cycle, led by a three-member team, Christian Valdez, Soyeon Kim, and Yuli Wang, is a subjective reflection and exploration of themes such as the internal conversation of self-doubt and finding yourself. My research question asks, “How can I create an engaging narrative through a music video that portrays the meaningful message of fighting and discovering creative freedom, utilising Visual Effects (VFX)?”. The aim of the project is to illustrate the struggles I internally grapple with told through the actions of the character and the symbolism surrounding him. The music video was inspired by works such as Disney’s Wreck-it-Ralph, and BTS’ (방탄소년단) Blood Sweat & Tears (피 땀 눈물). The story follows a lost soul stuck in what seems like a never-ending dull cycle who is then greeted by not only manifestations of his hopes and dreams but his deepest fears. This may be his only chance to ever break out of his cycle and it will be up to his sheer willpower if he were to succeed. The project is a personal, reflective, translation of internal and external struggles I have and had experienced coming to terms with my passion for music and the drive to satisfy my creative bounds.
"Cycle", is a sincere, live-action, and story-driven music video filled with symbolic imagery and visual spectacles that are accompanied by an upbeat pop-punk track. The lyrics paint the angst of people who feel lost or find themselves in a never-ending loop trying with all their effort to reach high for their dreams but ultimately crashing down back to where they started.
The music video through symbolic and environmental story-telling illustrates a lost soul who struggles to find himself due to societal pressures. He continues in his dull, repetitive cycle until the catalyst for change comes in the form of a teddy bear who is also greeted by physical manifestations of his deepest fears. Unbeknownst to him, the opportunity to step out of his comfort zone and conquer his fears once and for all has come. With his trusty side-kick teddy bear by his side, will he ever break out of this cycle?
Composed of three creatives, Christian Valdez, Soyeon Kim, and Yuli Wang. We created a high-energy music video comprised of a mix of visual prowess of live-action, CGI, and 2D animation. Used software such as Nuke, Maya, Houdini, Blender, Photoshop, Procreate, and DaVinci Resolve to achieve the level of aesthetic that we aimed for.
I was in charge of the script, screenplay, acting, motion capture acting, motion capture clean-up, lighting, main editing, tracking, 3D modeling, texturing, animating and rendering knives, explosion simulation, 3D and 2D compositing, masking, sound design, title design, and the song-writing and producing of the song.
