Heard 'Em Say (version one)
From Videoville
artist: Kanye West with Adam Levine
director: Michel Gondry
label: Roc-A-Fella
year: 2005
antville post
treatment
A department store at night. Except for the safety signs, all the lights are off. The security guard (Adam Levine) is doing his tour; he is sleepy. We follow him. He leads us through the main entrance which opens to the street. Outside it's dark and freezing cold. Adam is waiting for somebody who isn't there. Nervous, he looks at his watch. Soon after, in the distance, we see a family of homeless people; they rapidly approach. Discretely, Adam lets them in. Inside we recognize Kanye - he is the father. He is with three kids: a little girl and two boys. The mother is not with them. Adam hugs both the children and Kanye and then returns to his control room from where we can follow the little family.
It is [as] if they are at home. Kanye changes his clothes and picks a nice outfit in the men's section. The boys run into the toy section and magic starts to happen. They open a box of race cars and the tracks build themselves into the biggest racing track you could possibly imagine. It builds itself so fast that the cars go full speed without ever returning to the beginning of the track. Things start to animate everywhere. The effect is done in pixilation [sic]. This in-camera technique consists of moving objects frame by frame. The result will be very filmic like in Mary Poppins.
All the televisions move together to create a giant screen. The chairs move as well and form a theatre. Curtains rise up and cover the television wall. All the video cameras line up behind the TVs. The curtain opens and, behind the TVs Kanye re-enacts scenes of famous movies. His image is projected on the wall of televisions. His children enjoy the show.
In the musical toys section, a mysterious magical man (Jon Brion) plays a mini-piano. 50 identical mini white pianos animate around him and create geometrical patterns. The kids drive beds around like cars in between the aisles. They jump from table to table as the table[s] are moving in shapes. They ride bicycles down the up-escalators, so they remain at the same spot, all shaking. The lamps dance around the little girl, following her around like tray of light. All the clothes form imaginary animated people on the floor. Sofa beds unfold and refold themselves on beat.
But all the best things always come to an end and they have to go to bed. They pick 4 beds next to each other and Kanye puts them to sleep. As soon that he goes to his own bed, the three kids rush into Kanye's bed to sleep with daddy. Kanye pulls a framed picture of his wife and places it on the side table. The camera pulls back and elevates (yes, Kanye: The crane shot!!!) all around them, it's total chaos.
But wait a second, the video is not finished yet. Jon Brion, much like Mary Poppins, cleans the whole mess in a second. All the objects magically return to their initial position. Jon vanishes. Adam has fallen asleep in the control room. The morning comes and customers are running their errands everywhere. Discretely, Kanye and his kids get up, make the bed perfectly and leave. Everything is back to normal.
The End.
Michel Gondry
