‘Not you’ represents an imbalance in art and human connection. It follows the story of an artist who leaves their significant other in order to concentrate on music. This theme is not only common in media, but it is also common in real life where human connection is not found in modern art leading to most of that art being heartless. Art cannot be made without human connection and humanity. Being able to feel emotions inspires heart and the primary way humans can feel things is by connecting with other humans.
The issue lies when humans are unable to make connections with each other because without that there is no inspiration for art. The way this is shown in the music video is in the way that Jack ends up, creating the song Not You at the end of the video being canonically about Sol. This is also shown in the promotional video for the music video where Jack is nowhere to be seen and then he is right in the center symbolizing the loneliness he sings about.
Throughout the entire project, I aimed to create a retro rockstar brand for Jack, as his music embodies that old-school 90s rock vibe. On the social media page, I posted vintage digital camera photos of Jack to capture this old-fashioned look. For the album cover and digipak, I used a color palette of red, brown, and yellow—colors typically associated with rock culture—to establish a sense of unity throughout the project. I used photos from the same photo shoot on social media and the digipak to reinforce a single narrative for the audience. The album cover with different emotions of Jack is meant to represent all of the feelings he felt with Sol which ended up being mostly negative.
The color red, in particular, symbolizes the passion and anger between Jack S. Kimmel (the artist) and his girlfriend. Initially, their relationship is filled with passion, but this shifts to anger when she begins demanding more of his attention. Furthermore, Jack becomes increasingly focused on his music, leading to feelings of frustration towards her because she doesn't understand his newfound passion. This dynamic is also reflected in the music video, where both characters wear red bathing suits. The beach is typically a free place which is where Jack takes Sol to feel that freedom but ends up feeling trapped in the relationship which leads to them ending and him feeling the sense of freedom again with the music as well.
Additionally, the sunglasses that Jack wears throughout the music video symbolize his artistry. When Sol, his girlfriend, removes them, it serves as a metaphor for her attempt to connect with him emotionally. When Jack puts the sunglasses back on, it signifies his decision to keep her out of his artistic world and close himself off to her. He then removes them once she is gone because he can be free of this rockstar image and just be himself with the music.
The music video serves as both a promotional piece and a storytelling vehicle that depicts Jack's journey to becoming an artist. The love story between Jack and Sol marks the beginning of Jack's narrative as an artist and is the inspiration behind the song he wrote and released. To help the audience differentiate between the past and present, I applied a grainy filter to the older clips. This visual distinction makes it easier for viewers to understand the timeline. The story presented in the music video not only aims to introduce Jack as an artist but also allows the audience to connect with him by sharing the reasons behind his artistic journey. Additionally, the social media page features intriguing photos and captions that tease the audience with glimpses of Jack Kimmel, gradually revealing more about him and his artistry.
To execute my vision properly I conducted extensive research on rock album covers, photoshoots, music videos, and social media pages, which made creating a backstory for Jack the most challenging aspect of the project. The music video and album cover were inspired by a variety of influences. The concept of multiple versions of Jack in the music video was Jack's idea, and I incorporated it as a personal twist on the classic "playing music in my garage" theme, similar to the Foo Fighters music video for "Pretender." it wasn’t until I discovered that I should have a storyline in my music video that I was able to think of a brand for Jack. To help introduce Jack to the audience, I transformed him into a character reminiscent of Andrew from the film Whiplash, embodying the same dedication and passion that Andrew displays in the film.
The album cover was inspired by a variety of sources, including Queen and Inhaler. The most challenging aspect of this project was marketing Jack as a solo artist, as most rock music is typically created by bands. However, I trusted the process, mixed a few different branding techniques, and channeled this inspiration into the final design of the cover. The photo shoot ended up being an in-the-moment thing which I was so fortunate to have because it made this entire process feel organic, which is how artistry was allowed to shine through. Past research on solo artists helped develop a branding style for Jack Kimmel which I researched and pondered, and ended up putting on a Pinterest Board.
Another inspiration was storytelling like the film Momento in a backward fashion with the coloring telling the story as well. The filters or lack of filters placed on clips are meant to symbolize past and present where in the end Jack drives off and canonically, then begins the music video by walking into the studio and grabbing a guitar and creating a song which is called Not You. This circle-like storytelling was inspired by films like Momento where the story can be told again and again.
Thank you, Cambridge, for this amazing opportunity to create something meaningful and important.
