Music on Screen: Visual albums are safer choices than theatrical pieces
Analyzing Hurry Up Tomorrow, and what makes a concise musical story in the past
Reading reviews of Abel Tesfaye’s (AKA The Weeknd) Hurry Up Tomorrow had me thinking of visual albums vs theatrical companions.
Both are similar but with different artistic visions. If visual albums and companion pieces are closely related, why is one considered more than the other? - or at least that’s what one critic said about Abel’s new film.
Are theatrical pieces vain when they are in connection with an album? I don’t think so. It’s just a subjective opinion from film critics. Compared to theatrical pieces, they are a heavy step to climb not to appear too self-indulgent. This is why visual albums are the safer choice.
For one, visual albums are copied and pasted. Music from the album is just visualized into a music video playlist with a conceptual theme. I think a lot of artists prefer it because they don’t have to write a full-length script. Whereas theatrical companions are full-blown films that happen to have songs from the album.
Hurry Up Tomorrow's problem for some was that critics couldn’t connect the story to the album 100%. I think it was probably hard for people to understand the narrative when his singing pseudonym wasn’t aligned with the movie. Look at The Beatles A Hard Days Night. The Beatles were themselves and the story lined up with the message of the film.
But there are times when films deliberately disconnect from the album but still create an acclaimed success. Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker for instance used anthology to separate seven parts. If Abel went that direction but with The Weeknd’s storyline, it could’ve proved better by critics. But back to visual albums and why they are safer choices.
Another reason they are safe is because they are easier to make. It’s a concept that’s already branded in preproduction of the album itself. So, the artist knows what they are doing, and they figure out how to make the budget of videos together.
Miley Cyrus’ Something Beautiful is marketed one song release at a time. With each song comes a snippet of the visual album to come creating great anticipation for the collective result. Beyonce’s Black Is King received good reviews even though it isn’t mentioned as often.
I found it interesting how she stepped outside of the Lion King zone and made a separate visual piece for her discography. Sometimes artists can get it right and make a companion film three years after an album's release. I think of Pink Floyd’s The Wall for example. If the psychological film didn’t come out, I’m sure fans wouldn’t appreciate it as much as they did.
Visual albums also stand the test of time if it's done with great taste. It’s also convenient to advertise because it's usually released after the album is out. Theatrical films can feel like weird add-ons to an album even if they are a conclusion for an artist's work.
If a visual nor companion feature film isn’t made, short films are the perfect intersection. There are many ways artist can make their moment work. However, I don’t like how they’re overshadowed at times. An artist like Ariana Grande can drop her Brighter Days short film and the mass public could forget it because a new visual album is coming soon from another artist.
They are just short and beautiful moments that are just cult favorites. I’ll give you another example. Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation short film is a secret treat for Gen Z to discover if they haven’t already.
They see the music video clips on YouTube but unless they read Wikipedia, they wouldn’t have known those videos go together. Not to mention winning her a Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video. There are classic videos like these that can teach the modern generation about how to make a captivating story that doesn’t have to be too rushed. You just have to have a good concept and visual connection.
So yes, I agree that companion pieces shouldn’t be vain. Nor should visual albums either. Short or long music video projects should be “jukebox musicals.” Either make a visual album that has a good artistic direction or have an excellent writer understand the artist's musical meaning in a theatrical piece.
What is your opinion?