Critiqued by Lukey Lenz
2000’s videos were known for having a greenish tint to them. This color grading was reminiscent of home video recordings on a vintage camcorder. The vintage look of this color grading was not only a reflection of the popular and personal media home videos allowed users to have, but an exhibition of how appealing the hue actually was.
In the video for Token's, I Was In Hollywood, Token takes us through his life story. Starting in a cafeteria, Token is shown at his current age in a dreamlike flashback. This flashback depicts Token at a young age being made fun of for being Jewish despite not being very religious. Stylistically it implements him as being similar to a 4th-wall character, looking directly into the camera at pretty much all times and staying the same even through the change of locations or change in effects. The varying zooms are also a nice addition to this as the camera seems to move like an establishing shot of a movie.
To add to the 4th-wall element, Token is walking on a bridge and a green screen is brought out behind him. It’s obvious that green screens are used in post editing, but it’s very meta to bring out a green screen amidst a video to add another layer to an effect.
In compliance with the dreamlike vibe this video carries, Token is stuck to a wall with two fingers as legs like something out of an abstract 20th century painting. With the light and color grading this whole video seems like it was shot on a very hi-def film camera in 2006. Even Token’s persona reminds you of rap figures like Eminem because of the comedic aspects woven into deeper underlying messages in both song and production.
Above all, the flow and wordplay on this track are ridiculous.
At the end of this track Token expresses that he lost his father not too long ago. Condolences to he and his family.
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