Let's admit it: Wire work is so passe. Those gravity-defying acrobatic effects from The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and countless knock-offs? Yawn. You know it, I know it and director Nagi Noda knows it. That's why she opts to use something cooler, yet astoundingly simple in this video for Scissor Sisters. It's a form of Japanese puppetry in which stagehands known as Kurokos — who are clad entirely in black and set against a black backdrop — move things around the stage. Since the black on black makes them nearly invisible, the things they control appear to be floating and defying the laws of physics, gravity, etc. Simply put: Imagine if roadies had the grace, dexterity and inconspicuousness of ninjas. In this case, the Kuroko take care of almost all the movement in this dangerous dinner table fight between band members Jake Shears and Ana Matronic. It was all shot in one take, the camera never moves, there's no slo-mo effects and (almost) no special effects — my source tells me there's only one minor effect in the whole video. Watch and wonder. --> watch "She's My Man" (and check this ping pong clip for bonus Kuroko action)
Scissor Sisters "She's My Man" (Universal Motown)
Nagi Noda, director | Hiroaki Nakane, producer | Partizan, production co
