#I really like practicing new styles with all these MVs art. Really educational. Especially the color theory

[j-and]

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[dojae-huh]

Do you have favourite concept among kpop groups cb? The ones that use the concept in depth? Do you have background in fine art btw? My fine art knowledge is not extensive, so the only input that i can get from the concept they did is how the neos look. And I mostly focus on the face, so quite a lot are missed. Is that the reason they’re slacking because most fans just look at their faces anyway like me. The only thing I noticed is kpop style nowadays, are quite the same, they have same cloth silhoutte, same makeup, same hairdo. Pretty boy next to a pretty girl next to another pretty girl next to another pretty boy. Even when the concept is grunge the makeup is still pretty boy. It just ruin the concept for me. They really don’t want to ‘ruin’ the faces much. Honestly, for neos, I think firetruck and limitless era is truly the only neo era, concept-wise. I just saw Taeil’s pic during the firetruck? on tw the other day and wow he actually looks great with the spiky hair. I like neos makeup in firetruck mv but they toned down the makeup for the stage.

I need to think about favourite concepts, I'll return to it with a later post. My knowledge of k-pop pre-NCT is not very extensive, so the overview will be pretty shallow. But I think "a passerby's" opinion has some value as well. New fans don't need to know the history, they see and buy what is of today. And if a casual fan, like me, remembers something, then the team behind the group/MV did a good job of catching attention of a non-fan.

I'm a book illustrator (CG) and I do fine art with traditional media as well (I sold oils, watercolours, even one batic, lol). I've worked at an animation studio and did character design for games, drawn comics, posters, liquor stickers, etc. I tried this and that and settled on just plain illustration (educational books and books for kids, preferebly about animals). I like when there is no discussion with the client/editor, just a given task and "I know better what to do", lol. Saves a lot of brain cells.

I did study the history of art (twice), but I mostly forgot it. Still, as a professional artist I have visual sense and pay attention to a lot of things by habit (colour schemes, proportions, balance, lines, the creativity element, etc).

You answered your own question. The majority of fans are hooked on idols as pretty boys/girls, Koreans especially pay attention to the face first and foremost. 127 once did a black&white photosession with unfiltered skin (pores, scars, acne present). Fans didn't like it. Companies repeat what works, what is safe. Listen to the music producers, how tired they of smaller companies representatives asking them to write "a song like EXO". The producers want to do something new, sell some creative stuff they came up with, challenge themselves, move forward. Regular-Irregular photoalbum was done very well from artistic point of view. It is very atmospheric, very memorable. Fans complained their biases' faces were blurry...

That being said. The fans might not have much of taste, but well done design or art works undetected. A person suddenly starts to cry watching a movie. It's director's job to know how to put a scene in a way that would pull on heart strings, the viewer can be oblivious, not his area of expertise.

Same with k-pop concepts. "Hobgoblin" is a well known example of a concept that almost saved a group (CLC). Almost, because the company didn't cash on the success properly. Dreamcatcher gained popularity emulating j-rock and using the dark lolita aesthetics. Stray Kids catapulted to real fame once they found their over-arching concept with "Back door". How many boys got long hair for the next comeback after the MV? Practically every 4 gen bg.

Back to NCT. As a group it has an extensive lore and well-defined images for all units. Dream is doing well with their "Youth" concept. 127 is responsible for "Neo", but the clothes and concepts sometimes are not neo at all (the topic itself, or the execution).

"Boss" didn't have success originally in Korea, but it was the song that brought a massive number of i-fans. Exactly because the concept was done well. The "soldier" clothes are even copied now by other bgs. It's one of the few MVs with over 100mln views (=non-fans watch it).

Street cool boy fashion is everywhere in k-pop. Even if clothes are well matched and the boys look good in them, the concept is unmemorable.

Oh, wait, right, Jaehyun's cover's popularity. Yes, he is a super attarctive man, but it doesn't help with his other covers and songs. "I like me better" gained millions of views because of the concept "exploring a city with my boyfriend". The MV evokes the feeling of being on a date, being infatuated, having a nice time, it shows the atmosphere, a viewer wants to experience it again and again by repeatedly watching the video.

"90's love" is an example of excellently done concept. Watch any reviewer in their 30-s or 40-s, they are hooked to the sound and to the retro game theme, they get nostalgia. Again, the MV is over 100mln (=non-fans watch it).

I've recently came across Olivia Rodrigo. The team behind her knows how to produce a star. Yes, she has a nice voice (I really like it), but the producers created a very strong "American teenager" image. Her being a latina doesn't even stand in the way. I've never been to US and know of suburbs only from TV, I'm not from a country with cities developed around cars and can't even drive, and still I, a foreigner, "get" the vibe despite the lyrics reflecting none of my own experience. Imagine how easily the targeted audience is hooked. That's what a good MV and well done concept achieves.