RECENSIONI/REVIEWS

Som.1-Ultimatum

 

Alessandro Amaducci directs a glitchy, hyperactive promo for French producer-duo Som.1. This concept is executed in a frantic amalgam of character performance and distorted textures, building to a riveting climax of pulsating strobes and split-screen edits - before a final scene with a sand timer running down. 

"There is no more time," Amaducci explains of the idea behnd the visual. "The countdown goes faster and faster. In a world inhabited by animals and few surviving humans, a final celebration of dance is staged. A post-apocalyptic fashion show. We must run. Dance. Until the end."

A thought-provoking concept with a lo-fi, dystopian aesthetic that is haunting and alluring in equal measure.
Rob Ulitski, https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/04/20/som1-ultimatum-alessandro-amaducci/81203

 

A dynamic music video with masks, dancers, horses and clocks.

 With a duration of approximately five minutes, this video is basically a montage of many shots, some of which appear to be related to others. Beginning with a robotic horse running, the film moves on to a series of shots of masked people. Each of these shots contains either one, two or three people who are wearing masks (rather cool ones too), some of which look like TV screens with moving images and some appear to be in a club, while others are in an environment that consists of electronic lights that are moving and flashing. These people are dancing and some do not wear much clothing, some that stand out are one who holds two katanas and an unmasked woman with long white hair who is holding a bunch of burning flowers. Things then move on to a group of horses running in slow motion, a shot of a knight from the game of chess, analog and digital clocks going backwards and scenes where the camera is rapidly moving through an abandoned building or over a river or a field of flowers.

 The shots mentioned above are intriguing to watch and what their presence in this video means could be open to interpretation. Masked people dancing, horses running, nature, clocks turning back time, all these seem to have no connection with each other, which is not a bad thing as they are all nice to look at and creatively edited together.

 This is a music video and the music is certainly there and adds value. The awesome track that dominates from start to finish is Ultimatum, by French music duo Som.1, that consists of Djena Altrad and Benoit Dumas. The electronic dance song contains few lyrics and it is the heavy bass, tense drums and fast breakbeats that do all the talking.

 The 3D animation deserves commendations and there are parts where the shots are a camcorder's point-of-view and why that choice was made feels unclear as it does not seem to add anything.

 The song Ultimatum was taken from the album In Order To Dance 4.0, which consists of tracks by a variety of artists, including the track Something Flash, which was utilised by Amaducci in another music video. And just like Something Flash, he created an entertaining experience with many images that are accompanied by a song that will most likely make the viewer want to dance.

Jason Knight, https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/reviews/som.1-ultimatum

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Insider - Something Flash

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Is there still space for a revolution in a world dominated by social media? That's the question Alessandro Amaducci poses in this raucous promo for Kris Vanderheyden, aka Insider. 

The video is a pulsating, hyperactive blend of stock footage and lo-fi effects, which reflects the overwhelming stream of content we experience on a daily basis. 

As the video builds to a climax, references to revolution are peppered into the mix, suggesting another direction we could move in as a society.

The video works on several levels, and there's plenty to dig into here, which makes it an even more fun experience to watch.

Rob Ulitski, https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/03/17/insider-something-flash-alessandro-amaducci/80789

 

A music video with mobile phones, funny faces, punk, dance floors, office workers, a woman with a baseball bat and the Joker.

Something Flash is a song from the album In Order To Dance 4.0 by R&S Records and it is the work of Belgian music producer Kris Vanderheyden, who is also known as Insider.

The video is five-and-a-half minutes long and the constant accompanying sound is the title song and being put together with the images creates quite a ride.

Visually, the video is basically a montage that contains a variety of subjects that alternate between them and it mixes live action with animation. These subjects include closeups of people looking into the camera, with their faces cartoonishly altered and surrounded by symbols that are found in social media, such as 'Thumbs Up', 'Hearts' and 'Emojis', floating around the person. Other shots show people with changed faces again taking selfies and surrounded by floating symbols, while others have a man in a suit, with a television instead of a head. Sequences that are not animated consist of people dancing, rioting and a man wearing makeup that resembles the 2019 film Joker. All these shots alternate between them throughout, along with two characters who make frequent appearances. These two characters are a live action woman wearing punk clothing and an animated woman holding a baseball bat, also dressed in punk clothing and she looks like Harley Quinn.

The video appears to be satirising society's obsession with mobile phones and social media and the world of high-tech corporations and rebelling against them. This is indicated with the funny faces taking selfies, along with the symbols, the suited man with a TV head and scenes where the punk woman has been edited in front of occupied offices and boardrooms, primarily sticking her tongue out and a scene where fire is coming out of her mouth, torching social media heart symbols. Punk is sometimes associated with rebellion and the character of Joker represents anarchy and having these two present could mean an opposition against a world dominated by technology and rules and the footage of people dancing could be an idea that people should stop being slaves to a system and dance in order to be free.

Listening to the Dance/Electronic track Something Flash, while watching the intriguing and occasionally awkward images is quite an experience. The dynamic song is the kind that would be very appropriate for a dance floor and it provides more energy to the images. There are no words, apart from the few that are uttered by the Joker character.

This is a super cool music video. What the main message is might be open to interpretation, however its true value lies in the awesome song and the creative animation. It offers entertainment and for the viewers who are interested in looking into its themes, it offers a thoughtful experience.

Jason Knight, https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/reviews/something-flash

 

Paul Roux - Bapteme

Alessandro Amaducci directs an impressive animated promo for Paul Roux.
The video for Bapteme sees an astronaut trapped in a cage of data, searching for something or someone. He eventually discovers a host of cyber insects creating another world, and another person waiting for him. The encounter between the two characters produces a technological reaction that helps free them.
The glitchy black and white textures amalgamate with retrofuturistic design, creating something that feels ethereal and evocative. The splash of colour at the end perfectly represents the journey towards freedom, and a new world lying ahead of the characters.

Rob Ulitski, https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/12/01/paul-roux-bapteme-alessandro-amaducci/79525, 2022

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The music video for Paul Roux’s Bapteme artistically and imaginatively captures the essence of connection. With a futuristic setting that matches the electronic soundscapes the artist operates with, this video is well-suited to accompanying the new track.

The video loosely follows an astronaut as they explore a desolate, abandoned city seemingly made of stacked-up records. The astronaut travels in zero-gravity through this strange, sometimes intimidating world, and eventually meets a partner who they initiate a connection with. This connection brings new life and colour to the world as the pair embrace.

Bapteme’s video is interpretive, and as with all music videos, designed to emphasise the song rather than any great plotline. Using impressive visuals, the video is a treat to watch, and matches the song’s tone. Electronic music can be tailored to many emotions – and here it is clear that the importance of contact, forging relationships and communication is what the artist seeks to embolden with his music. The video envisages this without awkwardly inserting a complex or distracting plotline.

The visual effects themselves work well and look crisp, slick and convincing. The video is designed to look robotic and otherworldly – with crackling static embroidered into the design of the bizarre city, and a digital space background bringing a definite sense of unease to the astronaut’s adventure – with the danger of floating away into nothingness an ever-present threat. Mostly in black and white, the film intentionally mixes the futuristic and the distant past to place the events in an uncertain timeline – possibly at the creation of a new world or after the destruction of an old one.

The actual music is allowed to dictate the video’s events, with the repetitive beats convalescing their own momentum and grabbing directly into the listener’s chest. With electronic music particularly designed to be shared with others, the normally-solitary act of watching and examining a music video tends to run in countenance to this. But Bapteme’s is visually interesting enough to fit-in should it be required at a dance event or anywhere else it may be required. Even brief glimpses of the film are attention grabbing and dynamic enough to supplement its pulsating music.

So whilst the Bapteme’s track is interesting enough alone, fans of Paul Roux and the electronic genre in general should check out the interesting music video and appreciate the imaginative work in bringing the crafted beats to life.

Patrick Foley, https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/reviews/bapteme

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PROGedia-Down (Original mix)

(…) The new single by Fed Conti opens with a theatre setup in middle of the night sky. The camera slowly zooms into it, transporting the audience in the world of Robots. The curtains pull up and the downloading sign comes on the screen as the concert kick starts. The masses enjoy this new concept to the core and look forward to such content by R&S Records- the long standing electronic music powerhouse in the future as well. The upbeat track with the drumming, guitar, microphones, and the piano all gives the vibes of a real virtual music concert. The twist to the tale comes when the concert is customized according to the robots. This is the refreshing unexpected change that the audiences are also surprised by. As an audience and a music lover I liked the inclusion of computer coding at the end of the music video. This was a smart move to increase the audience engagement with the high end concept.

The camera angles, set design, the lighting, color palette, editing and the special effects all of these come together to work hard and build such a brilliant piece of art. All the elements-Robots, set of the concert, the computer codes are very well placed. It does seem very smooth and does not break the continuity of the music video. The gate of the theatre has the logo of R&S Records; this music band invites the viewers into the world they have created for the masses. The audience wants to be left in the same environment and not come out into the real world. The makers of this music video pay attention to all the minute details of the creative piece so that it appeals to the audience and the public spreads the word of mouth.

Swati Verma, https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/reviews/progedia---down-(original-mix) , 2022

Alessandro Amaducci creates a darkly futuristic animated promo for PROGedia, a mash-up of psychedelic rock and dance beats by Turin-based producer Fed Conti.

In the video for Down, a group of lonely androids absorb the energy of the music of the past from a screen, producing a digital hybrid that tries to interpret the sights and sounds.

The glitchy textures and unsettling atmosphere of the video perfectly encapsulate the haunting soundscapes of the track, and balances a bittersweet contrast of post-apocalyptic narrative versus our innate appreciation of music - even when our human bodies have evolved to android form.

Rob Ulitski, https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/02/11/progedia-down-alessandro-amaducci/ 74913 (2022)

PROGedia-We Are the Night (Original Mix)

A combination of beautiful animation and wonderful music create a rather unique music video.

Composer Conti and director Amaducci collaborate and the combination of their creativities resulted in a five-minute long video that is filled with captivating visuals and a rich and enjoyable score.

Visually, this video consists of a montage of images that offer a surreal viewing experience. Many of the images contain women, the vast majority of which are naked and for it should be mentioned that the nudity is rather graphic. Women appears to be the main subject here as are constantly present throughout the video, either lying down, standing, dancing or floating in the sky. Although many women are seen, the ones that stand out the most are the ones who are dancing and it gives the impression that they are dancing to the music that is heard. Some of the women remain still, while others move. Women are seen in all sorts of environments, including mountains, beaches, the countryside, near buildings and there is architecture that resembles Ancient Greece. The animation looks beautiful and every moment looks like a painting coming to life. The sequences that utilise computer animation look great and there are brief moments that include live action.

Concentrating on the music now, the track, it consists of a mixture of psychedelic, electronic and nu jazz and listening to it is relaxing and mesmerising. Viewing the film while hearing this song is quite an experience, in a way it brings the audience into a world that feels like a dream.

Due to the nudity, this video will probably not appeal to everyone, however the creativity that was put into it is admirable and the outcome is an experience that takes the viewers on a journey that will most likely leave a memorable impression.

Jason Knight, https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/reviews/we-are-the-night (2002)

Alessandro Amaducci takes viewers on a journey into the world of nocturnal paintings, in the video for PROGedia's We Are The Night.

The haunting promo is presented as a dancing celebration of the night, with ethereal beings and patterns intertwining in a magical fashion.

The hypnotic blend of textures, desaturated colour palettes and surreal visual effects amalgamates into an aesthetic that transcends the concept and leaves a lasting impression.

Rob Ulitski, https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/11/22/progedia-we-are-night-alessandro-amaducci/73917 (2022)

Che fine ha fatto Baby Love?

Alessandro Amaducci si propone sulla scena con un originale progetto per i Roulette Cinese, folle brillantissima band di art-rock. Si tratta del concept video-album Che fine ha fatto baby love?. Nel prologo un rullo fa scorrere l'antefatto, spiegandoci che "presso il Centro di Igiene Mentale della città di Traunitz, i due attori e coniugi R e C metteranno in scena il loro ultimo spettacolo", con 'la "straordinaria partecipazione mentale della loro figlia, Baby Love", la quale nella rappresentazione è una insulsa bambolina caricata di significati, I due della Roulette hanno una forte impostazione teatrale, con tanto di facce imbiancate dal cerone nello stile dei mimi e contorni marcati come nell'avanspettacolo. Buñuel è subito proposto come nume tutelare in 1999, dove si esprime il progetto estetico dell'opera: un reticolo di effetti elettronici che divengono pittura schizofrenica, laddove il furto dichiarato di materiali visivi dà più la sensazione di avere una matrice nello stile di Rotella piuttosto che nella verifica incerta di Alberto Grifi. Il segmento anatomico si (s)compone per dare senso alla loro idea di Trasfigurazione, mentre la Roulette cinese è vista come un gioco pericoloso con la vita e la morte, in cui i loro volti sono resi orrendi da elementari ma efficaci morphing. In Vegetale prendono forma gli effetti di devianza psichedelica che può procurare alla mente una eccessiva esposizione al tubo catodico, adorato ma anche letteralmente violentato sessualmente, in un isterico flipper di schizzi elettronici su cui si stende il ghigno mefistofelico del cantante. Immagini di devastazione in Con-forme per ricordare l'orrore supremo; acida grottesca rappresentazione fashion in Salubre per ricordare l'orrore ridicolo della moda; stilizzata messa in scena delle vite di coppie (più o meno) re golari in Un giorno normale per ricordare l'orrore asfissiante della famiglia. Pura astrazione per rendere in forma colorata le Ombre sulle ombre, dove l'elemento umano è la grazia infinita d'un corpo di donna che minaccia di farsi offendere da un coltellaccio. Decisamente personale la loro versione di una Love Song, unico tomo dell'opera che possa ricondursi alla forma più ortodossa del videoclip, accennando un playback per quanto in maniera singolare, attraverso lievi animazioni di immagini fotografiche. Un giostrare di bambolotti crea una Sacra danza che alterna amore e guerra, sottomissione femminile e machismo militare, se non fosse che alla fine la minuta bambolina si ritrova a mostrare orgogliosa la testa mozzata al violento soldato che l'ha posseduta. Tra un clip e l'altro, dei siparietti di puro teatro off, i quali rendono omogenea la materia incandescente del concept video-album, il quale in fondo potrebbe essere definito un Teledramma.

Domenico Liggeri, Musica per i nostri occhi. Storie e segreti dei videoclip, Bompiani, 2007, pg.540-541

Baron Samedi, Scarlet Woman, Fools and Dolts

Tra le altre opere di Amaducci, ecco le più importanti. In Fools and dolts dei Sadist ben asseconda i clangori del brano inoculando nel clip segni metallurgici e cattiveria obitoriale. Per i Death SS del l'inquietante Steve Sylvester realizza quindi Scarlet woman e Baron Samedi: qui malattia e decomposizione divengono horror-fashion, carico di simbolismi medievali ma anche attento a esaltare la vanità del leader, in un sovraccarico di dissolvenze infuocate.

Domenico Liggeri, Musica per i nostri occhi. Storie e segreti dei videoclip, Bompiani, 2007, pg.541