Lost in the criticism over actor Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of a transgender woman in the music video for Arcade Fire’s gay anthem "We Exist" was the reality that the medium appeals to actors.
It gives them a chance to do something out of character without having to invest a lot of time. They’ll even work for free.
"We Exist," which was co-produced by Maui native Jason Baum, has been viewed more than 4.2 million times on YouTube and received a Grammy nomination for best music video. (The winner will be announced Sunday, before the broadcast on CBS.)
"There are a lot of actors out there who realize it’s a really creative art form and appreciate that they can do things that feature films won’t take a chance on," said Baum, a music video producer and director for nearly 11 years. "They can do something outside the box and experiment on it. If people like it, that’s awesome. If not, that’s OK, too."
Garfield, who is best known for his lead role in "The Amazing Spider-Man" films, plays a young man who shaves his head and puts on a blond wig and women’s clothing. From there, his character walks into a small-town bar where he’s assaulted. The video concludes with a dreamlike sequence in which he ends up onstage with Arcade Fire at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.
That’s quite a swing from the realm of superheroes.
When "We Exist" came out in May, some transgenders — including Laura Jane Grace, lead singer of the punk rock band Against Me! — were openly critical of the video because it didn’t star one of their own. Baum said the complaints trivialized the message of gay acceptance in the song, which is about a son coming out to his father.
"Yes the video could be artistically more honest if we had a transgender in the role but I think Andrew is a talented enough actor to make it believable and convincing," Baum said.
Garfield was the first choice for the video, he said. The actor and members of Arcade Fire, an alternative rock band from Canada, struck up a friendship a few years ago when they appeared together on "Saturday Night Live."
Because he’s a Hollywood star, Garfield raised the profile of the video, Baum said.
"It opened a greater audience to this video and we were able to convey a message that was a lot more global and far reaching, because if it wasn’t Andrew, other people might have written the video off and not engaged in it or watched it," Baum said. "I think his participation only helped efforts in making it more impactful."
The 29-year-old Baum said he can’t remember a time when he didn’t like music. He grew up on the Valley Isle, graduated from Maui High and earned a degree in film and television production at New York University. He started making music videos and has directed or produced work for such artists as Zee Avi, Childish Gambino, She & Him and Ellie Goulding.
"As much as I like watching film and TV, I think the music video medium is unique and different and people are trying to do bold and creative out-of-the-box ideas," Baum said.
The "We Exist" project was shot over two days in April — in Los Angeles for the bar scene and during the concert in Coachella, where Arcade Fire was a headliner.
"Coachella was a one-take deal," Baum said. "It was live. The audience was there. There was no retake. All we could do is put three cameras out there and hope for the best."
A good music video captures the imagination with something special.
It doesn’t have to be realistic, he said. It doesn’t have to be fantastical to be interesting. It can be somewhere in between.
"It is sort of tied with escapism," Baum said. "Viewers want a world they can enter into and be entertained."
Watch the "We Exist" music video at www.vevo.com/artist/arcade-fire.
AND that’s a wrap …
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Mike Gordon is the Star-Advertiser’s film and television writer. Read his Outtakes Online blog at honolulupulse.com. Reach him at 529-4803 or email mgordon@staradvertiser.com.
