Here it is! Our latest music video for AJ Rafael’s song “When We Say (Juicebox)” A little bit of commentary if you’re interested:
THE IDEA
Since the song itself narrates a very clear story, we made a conscious decision not to illustrate the video to song verbatim. Most of the video is a flashback of the couple. The chronology goes something like this:
Present: Noelle is at a cafe remembering / AJ is at the beach remembering
Past: AJ sings to Noelle at the loading dock (we are unsure of their relationship) / They used to go to the beach
Past: Noelle leaves AJ
Present: Noelle leaves cafe / AJ leaves beach / They meet each other / Noelle chooses to let go of AJ
Present: AJ goes to the beach by himself
I’m not sure if that breakdown was totally necessary but that’s how we saw it. We purposely left it unclear as to how much time had passed. In terms of story, we tried to distance it from the lyrics while still hitting certain points. The song is about not being with the one you want. But we wanted to finish on a positive note. In the end, the feeling is actually of hope and thankfulness rather than bitterness and frustration. Everyone can relate to the lyrics and the video is no different. We all catch ourselves thinking of a certain someone. We find ourselves overwhelmed with emotion and memory when we see them, hear them, touch them. And not every story ends the way we think it will. The question is what you will take away from the experience.
THE CAST
Thanks to AJ, we were able to use friends for the entire cast. Noelle, the female lead, is actually from Hawaii so we flew her out to California for her part. It was definitely a fun atmosphere working with AJ and all his friends. Even the talented JR Aquino has an appearance.
PRODUCTION
We shot this back in February. A week prior we did some location scouting.
Recognize this spot in the video? Here is a pic of the precise momenT it was decided we used it. wows huh?
This video was a two day shoot. Our schedule was dictated by Noelle’s stay in California. And since she was in town for only two days, we had to work quickly.
Day 1
The first day we shot everything at the Hermosa Beach. A beautiful day and a chance to get some fresh air for once! As always we were racing against the sun to knock off all the shots we needed. Thankfully we were able to time everything and finish the closing scene just as the sun was setting.
Day 2
The second day was spent shooting around Los Angeles. We went to the Chinatown area and the Pasadena City Hall. We were on our toes because both areas were wide open in the public and it’d be easy to run into complications with security. In anticipation of possible problems, we had to prep well for these spots. The day before, we went to the loading dock and scoped it out from our car, sting style, to see what the traffic was like and if there were any security guards roaming. I felt like we were secret agent spies on reconnaissance mission. Luckily, on the day of the shoot, we didn’t encounter any problems. Nice. Some workers even came out to watch us shoot!
Finally, we closed the day at a cafe to shoot Noelle. We choose a local tea shop called Cofftea. Since there was really no way to hide, we had to be upfront with the owners and ask before we shot. Thankfully they were suuuuper nice and very interested in the project!
FUN FACTS
- This was the first music video we shot using some new equipment of ours, so we were very anxious, excited, but also apprehensive.
- Noelle and AJ have been friends since middle school!
- Timothy DeLa Ghetto came by the first day of shooting. Him and JR were on the side making a video of their own (Beautiful Girls cover LINK) while we were off working. You can see us in the background of that vid at 2:53, that’s us.
- As much as we WISHED this video was sponsored by Minute Maid…no it was not. It was made from our own pockets, our very shallow pockets. =P
- The City Hall location where they meet at the end was actually a place we shot before, just a different area. “Tech Ruins Romance: Destiny” was shot there, and we took note of the archway at the time thinking to ourselves, “ok, we have to shoot something there someday.”
- We first met AJ in Oct 2009
- The stool Noelle sits on at the loading dock, is the same stool from David Choi’s “Won’t Even Start” music video that we made. Recognize it?
- We had to go bottle shopping for just the right bottle. After going to 3 different places, we ended up just using one Wes already had in his bathroom.
Here’s a look behind-the-scenes! Courtesy of AJ’s flip cam, edited by AJ.
April 27, 2010 at 10:31 am
where was ted?
April 27, 2010 at 8:37 am
Where was Ted? =[ But you guys did a FAN-TASTIC job! Can’t wait til you guys come to visit us in Seattle! C=
April 27, 2010 at 1:12 am
Absolutely “Wongful”!
I “less than three” you guys!
April 25, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Yo i really gotta give u props for this vid. like dam, it looks like its done by professionals from hollywood. sick stuff man, i respect that
April 25, 2010 at 3:00 pm
GOOD JOB!
April 25, 2010 at 3:54 am
You guys are amazing!! Everything you guys do is genius! I love how much thought you put into this. <3
April 24, 2010 at 5:12 pm
OMGGG!!!! sooo good!
April 24, 2010 at 2:06 pm
awesome job as always wongfu.. haha
April 24, 2010 at 9:55 am
absolutely amazing… <3
April 23, 2010 at 1:38 pm
AMAZING. I love ALL of your guys’s work. And I love AJ too. I cried when I watched it.
April 23, 2010 at 11:05 am
hehe like many others, i think that the video was crystal clear.. in that it wasn’t, really, and was left open to interpretation. but thanks for the breakdown anyway =) i love the commentaries!
aw man, how awesome would it be if you guys got minute maid to sponsor you? now whenever i see a juicebox i know this vid will be on my mind xDD
you three are simply… well, what kind of adjective can i come up with that hasn’t already been used? amazing, awesome, not to mention extremely talented people with brilliant artistic minds.. this mv rises above and beyond par. definitely hope to see more in the future
.. pretty words but too bad it doesn’t mean as much as it would if someone important said them >_> oh well!
AND CAN’T WAIT FOR YOUR NEW SERIES bahahaha.
April 23, 2010 at 12:20 am
Minute Maid ftw!!!
April 22, 2010 at 5:53 pm
What kind of steadicam is that?
April 22, 2010 at 5:01 pm
yes i saw the video, yes i cried, and man, that was hella amazing. good job guys!
April 22, 2010 at 4:51 pm
This is beautiful. The story is so sweet and well-told. I really love the lighting, especially in the scenes at the beach. And I think you guys ended up using the perfect bottle! =)
I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of your work!
April 22, 2010 at 2:10 pm
It was an awesome music video. And reading the commentary is always nice. I like your decisions to leave it unclear and to not follow the lyrics of the song despite the temptation. However, I don’t think you needed to give us a “break down” of what goes on in the video. It was very clear. When you give a breakdown I feel like the video loses some credibility. It feels like you don’t trust the audience enough to understand what you are trying to present or you don’t trust yourself to tell the story in a way the audience can understand. You don’t need a break down at all. You are all such wonderful story/visual/etc tellers. You do a good job. =D
But, yes, I got the entire feel of the story without needing a breakdown. And it was very beautiful and touching. I enjoyed the bottle of sand–it was very symbolic. Thanks for sharing something poignant and heart warming to the world.
April 22, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Hahahaha, I liked that the ideas about the music video was shared.
And I love AJ Rafael.
April 22, 2010 at 5:49 am
whats on AJ’s ears?
April 22, 2010 at 4:40 pm
i think its called uhhh earrings
April 22, 2010 at 4:39 am
geez wes you don’t have explain it all! this is art in the form of music; it can mean something different for each individual! everyone should kinda get something different from music videos like these— oh well that’s just my opinion too i guess
April 22, 2010 at 2:07 am
Definitely noticed the stool! Will be looking out for it in every music video you do from now on
haha
April 21, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Very moving song \(ToT)/
April 21, 2010 at 9:34 pm
i love the color tones in the vid
and love the bottle as well haha
just wondering what Wes kept in that bottle…
April 21, 2010 at 8:00 pm
amazing video you guys!… great work!… u guys will be a success
April 21, 2010 at 7:50 pm
WongFu, I seriously stood up at the end of this video and applauded you guys. This music video is amazing. There are so many amazing Asian music artists out there and it’s a pain in the butt to know that the world picks people like Justin Bieber : X. It’s a relief to know that there is finally an amazing Asian Film production team to make amazing music videos for them. (I know I said amazing 3 times, wait- make that 4 haha)
*claps*claps
April 22, 2010 at 7:05 pm
actually, you said amazing 5 times :], including mine that makes 6. hehe
April 21, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Loved the concept of the video! The video shows how hard you all worked on it – it came out superb!! I am a big fan of you guys!
April 21, 2010 at 5:20 pm
This is a great video. I love it
April 21, 2010 at 5:01 pm
superbly awesome!! =))
love it! <3
April 21, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Yay!!! New MV!!!
*enjoys the sound and view/
Way to go with the new equipment! I liked reading the commentary too.
tinsel
April 21, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Hey guys,
Looks pretty good. Maybe try and keep the shutter speed at 1/50, though (1/48 is ideal, but Canon DSLR’s don’t have that option). If you want to keep a wide open aperture, then buy an ND filter. Check out the Fader ND.
Sean
TakeZer0.com
April 21, 2010 at 3:43 pm
I like this video so much! Because its in Hermosa Beach and in Pasadena City Hall!
April 21, 2010 at 3:09 pm
once again, you guys have outdone yourselves this is such a beautiful and amazing music video! Wong Fu is #1!!!
April 21, 2010 at 2:18 pm
That was an amazing video guys. =) It’s also interesting to hear about the direction you guys were trying to take with the song. But yes, very very well done. =D Yayyyyyyyy.
April 21, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Quality vid. Especially in full HD. Great great great!
April 21, 2010 at 1:39 pm
AWESOME JOB WONG FU!!! i LOVE this music video. It’s so sad when AJ poured the sand in the bottle. It’s as good as letting go and never looking back.
April 21, 2010 at 12:38 pm
J’adore!
April 21, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Great Job! I was wondering what kind of equipment you use (camera…etc.)?
April 21, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Great video! I noticed that the traffic light (at the background of City Hall location)seem to change with Aj’s mood! Is it just a coincidence or what?
April 21, 2010 at 12:03 pm
LOVE IT!
April 21, 2010 at 12:01 pm
You’ve just made this my best day ever. That was quite beautiful.
April 21, 2010 at 11:53 am
aww guys you did it again
It was sooo sweet ugh I felt so sad because of the bittersweet ending
April 21, 2010 at 11:53 am
Your music videos are the best ones ever!
April 21, 2010 at 11:51 am
I was praying that you guys wouldn’t film the the video exactly the same as the lyrics and i’m glad you guys didn’t!
Love the music video! <3 Good job!
April 21, 2010 at 11:48 am
I actually teared halfway through this video.
Well done =3
April 21, 2010 at 11:48 am
The video composition is so amazing! I’m always surprised by how well you guys tell the story
Thanks for highlighting another great artist! One more to add to my playlist.
April 21, 2010 at 11:44 am
Awesome work on the music video guys! And very interesting description/fun facts! Definitely felt myself connecting with the idea behind the video!
April 21, 2010 at 11:43 am
this music video deserves an A PLUS!!! it is absolutely amazing and beautiful and so professionally. sometimes it still amazes me how three guys working on their own can produce top notch videos. i am absolutely in awe!!!
wonderful wonderful job!
April 21, 2010 at 11:43 am
Absolutely gorgeous shooting, song, and video(:
Good job.
April 21, 2010 at 11:34 am
This was a very nice piece. I really enjoyed it
Keep up the good work guys!
April 21, 2010 at 11:31 am
Omg!!!!! It was super cute and amazing!!!! Very great job wongfu and aj!!!
April 21, 2010 at 11:22 am
This is such an amazing MV & AJ’s song is so sweet. Love the meaning behind it. You guys did great! =)