GET THE LOOK: "OTIS" Music Video

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.

via upscalehype

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}.

via upscalehype

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.

via upscalehype

“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}