Get the Look: "OTIS" Music Video
So I love the song “OTIS” by Jay-Z + Kanye
West. It’s a great soul full song, which makes you, feel warm and relaxed yet
excited and ready to groove and get on the dance floor. I was excited to see
the video when it first came out because I wanted to know how this lyrics,
production + sentiment would be interpreted.
I was curious to see what the visual story
telling of this song would be like and I must say I really liked the creative
direction behind the video. The original
song sampled is Try A Little Tenderness by Otis Redding. As a young girl I grew
up hearing that song and it always felt very masculine + strong while being
inviting warm and affectionate. The creative direction of the Kanye version
{OTIS} video felt very masculine and inviting as well. I’m going to break down
the look of the video + the set then show you how you can achieve this look in
a living room/lounge area.
via upscalehype
So the video opened up with Jay + Kanye
walking towards a car and they proceed to chop + strip it using a series of power
tools including a torch. The video is set in what look like a hybrid of a
loading dock or airplane hanger. It’s a very simple and understated space yet
feels very strong + industrial.
via upscalehype
The car starts to be worked on by
professionals and they make it into this awesome futuristic rustic looking car
which is very aesthetically pleasing yet with a dangerous feel.
While this luxury car has been modified to
a less than casual look, the close ups of Jay + Kanye narrating their song is
shot with them wearing an understated white t with blue jeans and an oversized American
flag as a symbolic back drop behind them.
via upscalehype
The casual look of t-shirt and jeans
topped off with a backwards-sitting baseball cap is an everyday look, but the
loading dock/airplane hanger they are filming in is not an everyday
destination. Not to mention the luxury car in the background isn’t a car most would
own. The collision of these unexpected pairings is very common in hip hop
culture but also makes for a cool story for a song sample which was originally
a song by a man wearing a suit begging his lady for her love yet once again.
via upscalehype
That comradery and
love originally sung by Otis Redding himself is seen in a few of these shots
with Jay + Kanye where you can clearly see two guy not only having fun but enjoying
and acknowledging a friendship and years of a creative relationship + duo. That
for me lends to warmth and intimacy, and you’ll see how that makes it’s way
onto the décor further below.
via upscalehype
In these shots I see men at play…guys
having a good time playing with their toys, while enjoying the companionship of
a few ladies. A true bachelor dynamic or shall I say bachelor feel {as they are
both married men}.
This shot is one of my favorites because I
feel it truly does show how men love power, tools + in essence power tools. He
has on a glove which sparks when it hits cement at a certain speed angle, and
that gives a very industrial and primitive feel to the video and the mood board
I created below.
“Otis” Inspired Living Room
A combination of the deep blues such as
the navy and denim in the video is used here in a lovely distressed acid washed
looking area rug and a denim upholstered accent chair.
The industrial light fixtures I placed in
the mood board are a representation of the torch and other tools used on the
luxury automobile. The tufted couch gives a strong, masculine, rustic feel,
which can be paired with a myriad of accents.
In this case I paired it with more leather
pieces, such as the leather mid-century inspired accent chair and serving tray.
The USA Flag/Map wasn’t an easy choice
selection as they’re so many options available to in regards to USA flags as
home décor + accessories. I thought this
was a good choice because it’s the flog of the USA but in a slightly unexpected
shape and it’s not too overwhelming for a room.
I added the faux fur pillows to give a
softer feel to the room, the same way the women in the video provided a softer
dynamic. {It’s just what we do as ladies} I kept the colors dark and strong to not only coordinate with the room but
also to represent the primitive and masculine dynamic of an alpha male hunting.
Now that you’ve seen how you can achieve
the Otis look in your home check out my blog post on the Duchess {Fergie thatis}
