Sometimes, you have to punch the internet in the face to get yourself noticed. The Biting Elbows did just that with their release of the ground-breaking music video for Bad Motherfucker on Monday, March 18, 2013. Also described as Insane Office Escape 2, the innovative first-person video quickly spread throughout the internet and has reached 3.5 million views on YouTube in 3 days. I spoke with director and lead singer Ilya Naishuller about the making of the music video.
Ilya talked about his appreciation of directors Chris Cunningham and Spike Jonze while discussing the influence The Matrix had on the development of the video style. The action packed Bad Motherfucker video was shot over nine days and is a carefully crafted series of stunts shot in first person using a GoPro camera. During the interview Ilya explains the use of stunt professionals and the larger budget for this sequel to The Stampede. To put it simply, a bigger budget meant crazier action and more stuff to blow up.
The distinct use of first-person parkour in The Stampede is an evolution of a similar camera style used for The Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up video by Jonas Åkerlund. By attaching a portable sports camera to a parkour professional the director has realized an immersive escape sequence and shared it through the eyes of the protagonist.
Toward the end of the interview we spoke briefly about lifecasting soon becoming ubiquitous. As sensors shrink in size and become portable the opportunities to capture heart-pounding moments will increase exponentially. In a world where nearly everyone will wear cameras the Biting Elbows Insane Office Escape series may be a harbinger of things to come.
[…] well done Ilya Naishuller. Turns out this is not a only video the director has done but also Stampede for Bitting […]