Hello NSWERs, you might have seen me in the [THEORY] series. Today I'm here to write about NMIXX lore, as always, from a different perspective: the production. I'll compare the Storyboard of NMIXX "Know About Me" to the actual MV to see the differences. The last one will surprise you. (not a clickbait)
Introduction
Producing a K-POP music video is harder and more expensive than any other genre and it becomes even harder when there's a story behind it where the viewer should (or shouldn't) comprehend a certain message instead of another, otherwise the plot could be misinterpreted by fans, creating confusion. Sometimes the messages are unclear on purpose to generate buzz, for example unexpected action shots in post-credit scenes or teasers. As fans, we expect that anything officially released is canon without doubt in order to base our theories and opinions about the story.
Digipedi is a video production company based in Seoul working in the industry since 2007 and mostly known for their work with LOONA and ATEEZ music videos. Both of these groups have based their concepts on the story they've created in their universe, the so called 세계관, Worldview or, quoting the Digipedi director himself "Theory". It is no surprise that this company was chosen for the production and the direction of O.O, the debut of a new universe, the MIXX. Given this background we can consider this company the best choice for a MV with great focus on the lore.
Storyboard Discussion
Digipedi also worked on the production of Know About Me and I discovered only recently that the director SEONG posted the storyboard he drew for NMIXX Know About Me on Instagram. There are a few changes that have been made from the storyboard to the final result so let's see and discuss them together to understand what is the logical process behind the choices made.
- Engine mechanism replaced Whale Skeleton in the braille room
In the HOOK1 strip at the 5th clip we can see the original idea of NMIXX entering the room with the current engine hanging from the ceiling with the skeleton of a whale. The drawing after that shows Lily and the girls looking around, as if they're seeing this place for the first time.
In the MV this room appears in the 2nd hook instead and with the Lily close-up shot right away, without the "entrance". Seems like the original thought was that after boarding the MMU, NMIXX would go explore the ship and end up in this room, which had no use other than dancing already at this stage. The Whale Skeleton could have been discarded since the whale is one of the animals NSWERs are represented, as it is inside the Lightstick. Furthermore, skeletons and bones may shock some people, while an engine is a safer option. An engine could better represent that NMIXX are mechanically and actively moving the ship in this room.
Just a little speculation: what if this skeleton was the whale that dived into the sky from the PICK'N'MIXX shop in O.O? Since long time has passed since that vision, Kyujin might have retrieved its relics as a memorial for what lead NMIXX toward MIXXTOPIA.
- Bae was supposed to throw out everything from his purse at the security scan
In the queue for the security check Bae empties her handbag shaking it upside down. In the MV she just closes her camcorder and put it in the tray quietly. Probably the latter version was chosen to avoid passing the message that she's disrespecting the security or that she doesn't want to board. What she throws are basic things, clearly at this time SEONG had no idea what item Bae had to put.
- The Five Senses +1
It was very clear already at this stage the will to represent all the senses: Haewon smelling the perfume bottle, Bae being whispered to her ear by Sullyoon, Kyujin's mysterious eyes, [Bae's] hand gripping the soft giant cushions, Jiwoo feeding a Fe3O4-like egg yolk in a jelly cube to Haewon. Where's the Sixth? It's represented in the awakening in the very first clip and in the BREAK in that digital wavelength realm from where Sullyoon emerged. Desipte some minor changes such as a different member or different section, the concept of each scene was unchanged.
- The blackhole table was not round and NMIXX were seated
In the brown wooden room the original clip would have been longer: the girls chilling around this oddly shaped table would gather to see the marbles spinning to the center with a marble POV. The choice to go for a round table is merely physical: the marbles would not spin in regular circles if the table had a different shape than circular, requiring the aid of CGI, making the scene not physically accurate.
- There was no Black Hole at the end
After switching off the engine of the spaceship, the shot shows a planet, most probably the Earth seen from the MMU cockpit. In front of the planet there's a satellite. Of course this is a tentative storyboard, probably the first version so it's normal that details are missing, but in this case a black hole is not a detail, it's a key visual. The goal of this last clip is to show that NMIXX left FIELD for good and it does it. But let's be honest, as a fan would you like to see a planet shrinking away in the outer space or a spaceship cruising towards a freaking huge black hole? This is probably the same thought occurred in the following meetings with SEONG and Hasegawa Anderson.
For sure in the starting pitches SQU4D talked about blackholes since they've included one in the table in the wooden room, however an ending scene with one of them was not foreseen, thus they might have changed their ideas while working on it. Either way, the only important thing to know about this last clip is that NMIXX escaped Earth and are traveling through the cosmo.
Key Visuals recap
Let's resume all the elements that SQU4D asked Digipedi to introduce since their first pitch, meaning that these things are (to some degree) important for the plot of the MV and thus the lore:
- The digital realm from where Sullyoon is emerging, representing the Sixth sense.
- The other 5 senses. expressing NMIXX full awakening.
- The boarding on the MMU. Showing the strong desire to escape with many others.
- A room with a whale skeleton. Maybe a discarded memento from O.O era.
- The blackhole table, initially the only clue about those celestial bodies in the MV. The blackhole goes back to the motto "Don't chase, attract", overarching the whole Fe3O4 series.
- Kyujin's cat eyes watching a screen.
- Haewon driving the MMU out of FIELD with the robot arm device. Towards new places.
TL;DR: in the MV storyboard there was a whale skeleton, no black hole at the end plus other minor changes that would had a different meaning in the final cut.
by CromaShin
1 Comment
Oh man. this is so awesome. just starting to read all of your theory posts in chronological order and would love to pick your brain about them eventually.