Bartender is a song by Ngọt, an indie-pop band in Vietnam. At first glance, it could be mistaken as any other love song situated at a bar, but this masterpiece hits different.
The bartender, who in fact is a grim reaper, has the right to decide matters of life and death in his own bar in heaven. Three "contestants", all filled with repentance for their past crimes, meet the bartender and are given a flyer to the "HEAVEN EXPRESS" bar, where they can escape from their sorrow.
However, in reality, the bar is where they fight and kill each other for a one-way ticket to heaven. The fierce and bloody battle ended up with no winner, as they were all blinded by strong hostility. It's a bittersweet, but undeniably fascinating story.
"What goes around, comes around."
This message was conveyed repeatedly throughout the song. "Bartender" has successfully reflected the bitter truth that hatred and fear can at times blind us to the point that we stop caring for genuine happiness between people, or between our own selves. Poignant, strange, yet straightforward, this song is like a modern-day parable that teaches us about karma and the philosophy in life.STYLEFRAMES
A bleak, gloomy setting works well for this song. Red and black are both saturated, intense colors, and when combined, they convey a sense of power and destruction. These are the two most sinister colors, as red is typically associated with blood or anger, while black conveys darkness or death.
The grunge textures add a rusty feel and set an intimidating mood to the scene, making it aesthetically horrifying. For character design, I purposely used human anatomy seeing that the fine little details on those sacks of meat and bones intensify the heavy, suffocating ambiance.
This piece uses Burnaby Stencil, an overspray typeface with a faux-military, grungy aesthetic. The other one, Help Me, packs a powerful visual punch with its sharp, rough, hand-scratched strokes. Both typefaces contain a heavy dose of fear and mystery, which makes them suitable for the work.
SELECTED SHOTS
STORYBOARD
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