poppin in the rain

January 31, 2005 11:26 PM

singing in the rain, as interpreted by david "elsewhere" bernal . Also discussed here.
posted by ishmael (26 comments total)

That song makes me want to go on a raping spree.
posted by pmbuko at 11:36 PM on January 31, 2005

I saw this earlier and have been looking for a high quality version. Anyone got one?
posted by null terminated at 11:41 PM on January 31, 2005

who is this fucking maniac!
posted by luckyclone at 11:53 PM on January 31, 2005

there is something wrong about the angle on Gene Kelly's pasted-on face. It really creeps me out. Anyone else notice this?
posted by geryon at 1:16 AM on February 1, 2005

That was very, very neat. I'll second the creepy, though. Does anyone know of other things done like this? I really enjoy this kind of thing.
posted by Stunt at 2:57 AM on February 1, 2005

geryon, it's because at times they had to take Genes face and mirror it, as in the film he is looking the other way. That may feel very odd for the viewer.
posted by dabitch at 3:06 AM on February 1, 2005

Santa Ana is in the house!! one more link
posted by shoos at 3:10 AM on February 1, 2005

I saw the "Kollaboration 2001" clip back in 2002. When he starts to dance, there was nothing special about his moves. Gradually, he started doing things that look like they were added in post-production. The stop-motion "strobe" effect made me do a quick reality check. If you haven't seen this performance, it is on his website. And I love the "monkey walk" in the Kollaboration 2003 video. Go see em both.

The first time I saw the "Singing in the Rain" clip, I recognized Bernal's style. The fact that his dancing was added in post-production sorta brings the story full-circle.
posted by Enron Hubbard at 3:16 AM on February 1, 2005

More info (from my ad obsessed site here but that is members only), the song has been remastered by none other than Mint Royale and will be released in the charts, it's directed by Jake and Ryoko at Stink, post production magic by the crew at Moving Pictures.
posted by dabitch at 3:25 AM on February 1, 2005

I was totoally captivated, but at the end had to yell "Damnit, it's a commercial!" ...kinda ruined it for me.
posted by moonbird at 4:34 AM on February 1, 2005

You know ... I think Gene Kelly would've loved this.
posted by grabbingsand at 5:20 AM on February 1, 2005

um. why does this have a "nsfw-quicktime" tag? seems pretty inoffensive to me.
posted by grabbingsand at 5:22 AM on February 1, 2005

They had to ask his missus for permission, she approved of the idea since Gene was a dancer and a fan of modern dance as well, so I think that yes, he probably would have loved it, and if he lived today he might even have been jelous of Davids boneless moves. ;)
posted by dabitch at 5:22 AM on February 1, 2005

This and his kollaboration pieces make the link between dance and tai chi so clear. (Be sure to check out the Santa looking for foo fighters clip).
posted by tidecat at 6:00 AM on February 1, 2005

Ruined it for you? Surely that's a bit strong. With all the advertising in the world we live in I'm happy when it turns out to be thought provoking and artistic once in a while. Inevitably some of the world's talented people are going to be employed in finding ways to sell people to others. When the results are this good I don't mind.

Also, it's a cool product and VW stike me as being non-evil (I could be wrong). And that's coming from someone that pretty much hates cars.
posted by nthdegx at 6:07 AM on February 1, 2005

Thanks for the david clips. I saw the movie last night and it's nice to get the metafilter-more-information about who the dancer is, who did the music, etc. Thanks ishmael and dabitch.
posted by zpousman at 6:41 AM on February 1, 2005

Hey thanks, ishmael. I saw the VW clip the other day and thought that the "dancing" seemed familiar, but didn't make the connection.
posted by shoepal at 7:02 AM on February 1, 2005

tidecat, some of the moves might be similar, but whoever that guy is in the tai chi videos completely lacks the finesse of kelly or bernal. as far as martial arts videos go, those were very unimpressive. maybe i just don't appreciate tai chi like i should. what about david carradine?
posted by Igor XA at 7:07 AM on February 1, 2005

I have to say, that's damn good compositing. I wasn't sure if it was really Gene Kelly's face or just somebody who looked a lot like him. Makes the old Dirt Devil commercials look like amateur work.

Of course, the fact that he's doing robot moves, and holding his face still at certain angles while dancing helps immensely.
posted by fungible at 7:47 AM on February 1, 2005

Good compositing, yes.
And creepy as hell.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:09 AM on February 1, 2005

That's a brilliant spot. I hope they play that one during the Super Bowl.
posted by Down10 at 10:24 AM on February 1, 2005

They won't, it's British and the US advertising during the superbowl does not include this particular VW commercial. (but perhaps other VW ads.... nudge nudge, wink wink, mums the word... ;)
posted by dabitch at 11:19 AM on February 1, 2005

"Three of the world’s greatest break dancers and body poppers were used to perform some of the most phenomenal dance moves seen on the screen. Each actor wore exactly the same suits as Gene did in his memorable scene."

No mention of Elsewhere *anywhere*.
posted by Fstop at 12:42 PM on February 1, 2005

Very cool. Thanks for the link!!!
posted by Outlawyr at 2:48 PM on February 1, 2005

The second link (updated) is now saying who the dancers are:
David Bernal, Bboy Crumbs and Jay Walker
posted by shoos at 5:01 AM on February 10, 2005

Kottke posts an interview with David Bernal/Elsewhere on his experience in filming the "Singing In The Rain" Golf GTI commercial.
posted by ericb at 10:34 AM on February 11, 2005