“Name” is a song written and sung by mukio who is a new singer/songwriter from Taiwan. The music video is directed, written and edited by Bryan Ko, who was also responsible for mukio’s previews one, “mukio: My Light”.
Mukio: Name is screening at New Filmmakers LA
Mukio’s eerie and dreamy voice and her electronic/pop sounds definitely have a soundtrack-like quality, and”mukio:Name” is a testament to the fact. The narrative has a man entering a bar and almost immediately start flirting with the barwoman. Through flashbacks presented throughout the six minutes of the video, it is revealed that the barwoman, Celine, and her team posed as employees and customers in the particular bar, in order to kidnap Justin, a wealthy heir. As the two start dancing in the middle of the bar, it seems that something else is happening. Nevertheless, the plan progresses and Justin founds himself tied to a chair in an underground location, tortured by the two men in Celine’s team. She, however, cannot leave her newfound feelings behind, with the story eventually ending up in fireworks. Or is it?
With the pace, as implemented by Bryan Ko’s editing, fitting the music, the narrative definitely has a rhythm, with the story unfolding in a way that mirrors the highs and lows of the song. At the same time, Ko manages to tell a full story in just 6 minutes, even including a couple of twists, in a testament to his prowess as (music video) director.
That the music video has evident cinematic value becomes apparent also in Wan You Ming’s cinematography, who induces the whole thing with a dreamy essence through a ‘fogginess’ and the many close ups on the protagonists. Sasa’s coloring also works well in that regard, with the images throughout being quite memorable.
mukio as Celine highlights her beauty that goes along with her excellent voice, with her anchoring the film in the best way, while presenting a number of different feelings and psychological statues quite convincingly, even without speaking. Ivano Huang as Justin is also an appealing presence, with his chemistry with his co-protagonist being of the highest level.
“mukio: Name” is a music video with the cinematic quality of a short movie, to say the least, and an overall quite pleasant spectacle to both eyes and ears.
