When listening to music, I don’t think the song itself is the most important aspect but rather the story behind it. Perhaps it’s not really noticeable but when you take into account the amount of time and effort put into a song, that’s when it truly shines.
Last year on Oct. 18, 2016, American electronic music producer Porter Robinson in collaboration with A-1 Pictures, Crunchyroll, and French music producer Madeon released a music video, that in my opinion, captured the essence of what a music video should really be.
Before you continue reading, I highly recommend watching the video if you haven’t already. Don’t worry. It's okay to cry.
The story of Shelter, written by Robinson himself, revolves around a girl named Rin who lives in a virtual reality world where she has complete reign over the world using a tablet that can change her physical surroundings. Within her own little world, her imagination can flourish and be a reality. But then you wonder, where is everyone else?
As the music video progresses, you come to understand the story of how Rin ended up in the virtual reality world and can’t help but feel immense sympathy towards Rin. Within only a minute, you are already taken through a roller coaster of emotions as you watch Rin slowly regain her memories of her childhood before ending up in her own virtual world.
Recently in my film class, we were assigned a project requiring the use of a technique known as “visual storytelling” where only the visuals should tell the story with no dialogue. To me, Shelter is a prime example of visual storytelling because there is absolutely no need for dialogue—with the exception of the few lines from Rin at the beginning and end. The song by Robinson and Madeon combined with the visuals of A-1 Pictures both compliment each other and creates an impactful story told through its phenomenal audio and visuals.
I have watched some works from A-1 Pictures such as Saekano and Erased but this time, they definitely went beyond and really showed their hard work and dedication to making this a wonderful music video. Throughout the music video, the visuals were breathtaking and because of this, it added more to the already exceptional story.
Returning fans of Robinson and Madeon would know they’re very well known in the EDM industry and within Shelter, they created a techno song that explores the many emotions evoked throughout the music video. From upbeat synths to an emotional combination of piano and strings, the song conveys its message and leaves you satisfied with a beautiful musical composition.
However, I do understand that some people dislike anime but in the end, does that really matter? Like I said, I think what's important is the true story that is conveyed through Shelter. The effort and inspiration that was put into production.
Not convinced yet? This video covers the production of animating Shelter and it really shows the passion Robinson and others has for anime and Japanese culture.
For a 6 minute short to make me feel these many emotions between bliss and melancholy, Shelter is an extraordinary product which all stemmed from a single individual who had a dream which later turned into a reality.
"I had a moment where I was like 'even if the world could never see this video, the process alone would've made it all worth it.' For me, the fact that people get to see this beyond just me seeing it is even more incredible."
