Analysis of Historical Styles in K-Pop Music Videos
Much like residential interior design, production design for visual media forms is more than just aesthetics. Multiple considerations are needed to craft the perfect music video that will please millions of fans, viewers, and critiques. The use of such elements can be observed and examined in Korean Pop music videos known for their exceptional creativity and storytelling.
History repeats itself.
Very familiar and quite overused yet never irrelevant, the quote is true not only in sociopolitical aspects but in the design field as well. Fashion and interior designers alike can very much attest to this as each generation brings back various clothing and furniture styles from the past, banking on its nostalgia and relieving its beauty. It is quite inevitable at this point that it does not surprise anyone when a past style is brought back even after so many years of it being dormant.
The relationship between Interior Design and Media Production
The production design in any visual form of media is a form of architecture because full environments are built — from simple living spaces to entire cities and towns.[3] For magazines, films, music videos, and the like, it is extremely important to have an aesthetically pleasing and suitable set design to accompany people and/or objects in a particular scene or photo.
In period films, for example, it is important to have an accurate set design to transport the audience to a certain point in history where they may have not existed yet. Thus, production designers are tasked with a serious challenge to not only come up with a precise depiction of history but to re-energize it enough to capture and maintain the viewers' attention.
When production design gained emphasis in the 1920s to 30s in America, real architects were called to design historically accurate and creative movie and commercial sets — illustrating the relationship of architecture and interior design to media production.
Cinematic interiors are spaces that give context, aid in storytelling, and reflect the personality of the characters [11]. Such characteristics prove why architects and interior designers can become amazing production designers because analyzing the history, background, and personality of the users are requirements for them to efficiently design spaces. They can surely achieve the intentional expressiveness of set designs vital in setting the mood and making the story presented more understandable, regardless of the genre.
A production designer, according to Peter Ettedgui, is the “architect of the illusions” depicted in various forms of visual media. Through the backdrops and furniture, they create and select for a specific set, production designers make the story feel more realistic and relatable thus further immersing the audience in it.
A great example of the creative manipulation of spaces and elements can be found in KPop music videos.
The Uniqueness of Korean Pop Music Videos
The strongest suit of KPop MVs is their impeccable visual storytelling. Aside from the catchy and unique sound of Korean pop, the music videos that accompany their music are intentionally visually appealing as well.
KPop music videos have become more elaborate and artistic as the industry progressed and took international center stage. It takes more than a cheese grater set design like 2NE1’s I Am the Best (2012) and a barren basement like EXO’s Growl (2013) to please the fans today.
According to Seong Won-mo, a director from the well-known video production company Digipedi, visual devices such as dance, fashion, design, and characters have become as significant as the music in KPop.
This is because KPop is now consumed globally — songs and music videos are listened to and viewed by people who do not understand Korean lyrics. The set design is one way to help non-Korean fans to understand the message of the song.
This is why it is apparent that KPop music videos take a huge time, effort, and budget to make. Entertainment companies cannot carelessly release an unpolished music video or else they would risk condemnation by fans on social media. A glance at a KPop music video is enough to know that filming can take several days and requires high-level pre- and post-production work [5].
When it comes to well-designed and obviously high-budgeted music videos, KPop girl group Red Velvet will never be out of the conversation. Popular music video director Jo Beom-jin from VM Project Architecture revealed that they spent three to six months creating Red Velvet’s Dumb Dumb (2015) music video. The design concept was a factory, which needed a lot of work on props, background, and post-production.
Music videos from the Western music industry are artistic as well, but they are often easier to analyze in comparison to KPop MVs.
Taylor Swift’s music videos, for example, always have stories in them making them seem like short films. However, one can immediately understand the point it’s trying to make — the music video is usually just illustrating the lyrics rather than expounding its meaning.
In KPop, that is rarely the case; music videos should often be viewed twice or thrice to understand their connection to the song and the meaning it adds to it. That is why the set design must be top-tier and flawless — every production designer must expect each viewer will zoom in on any frame or scene.
Jo Beom-jin admits that music videos have long surpassed the role of being just a visual accompaniment to the music. It has to tell, as well as add, substantial information to the story or message carried by the song.
Moreover, the music industry is now guarded not only by Billboard chart rankings or Spotify streams but also by music video views. A poorly made music video surely won’t garner more than a million views — an amount that most fandoms would regard as a failure, or in KPop lingo, a flop.
Just like how there is no perfect solution to a design problem, there is no specific set of ways to create a spectacular KPop music video. However, one thing is for sure: for an MV to be successful and remarkable, it has to offer something new. It is extremely hard in a highly competitive industry like KPop, but directors and production designers should always be ready with fresh and exciting concepts that will not only make the existing fans stay but rope in new ones as well.
Red Velvet MVs and Historical Interior Styles
One of the best contemporary KPop groups, the 5-member ensemble Red Velvet has established itself as a legendary artist in the industry. The group is not confined to one concept only — the “Red” in their name signifies a vivid and fun image while “Velvet” is classy and elegant — which lets them play around with multiple themes both in their songs and music videos.
Red Velvet has become the epitome of originality and versatility in KPop, always offering new and much-anticipated performance concepts. From pop to R&B to ballads, from haunted houses to carnivals to castles — the group can execute it all perfectly.
Out of the 27 music videos released by Red Velvet, 4 of them have utilized 3 historical interior design styles: Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical. Unlike the chronological order of the styles, Red Velvet MVs first used neoclassical, then rococo, and finally baroque in their music videos to match the mood and message of their songs.
From simple yet elegant set designs to elaborate and grandiose production designs, Red Velvet’s videography has never failed to put its fans and viewers in awe.
Following their enthusiastic debut song Happiness in 2014, were two music videos where the Neoclassical interior style was employed: Be Natural (2014) and Automatic (2015). The alluring song Be Natural introduced the Velvet concept to the fans, showing the mature and sexy side of the group. The music video was relatively simple compared to the first one they released, but it is very much fitting to the simple and sophisticated vibes exuded by the song.
Directed by Kwon Soon-wook, Be Natural’s music video was filmed using a one-take technique and in two different set designs which both had Neoclassical elements.
The first set design was fairly rustic and unpolished, a contrast to the suits the members were wearing. At first glance, there seemed to be no trace of neoclassicism in the set, but a closer look would lead to the identification of multiple tripod bases and candelabras made in the historical style.
Halfway through the music video was where the Neoclassical elements really showed. The neutral color palette, mainly composed of white and cream, is already an introduction to the use of the historical style.
A notable identifier of Neoclassical style is the use of classical columns, such as the corinthian column used in the music video. Moreover, Neoclassical spaces are known to have large windows and doors, sometimes adorned with drapery or curtains to soften their sharp, geometric features.
Towards the end of the music video, more neoclassical elements can be seen in the set design. The table and tall cage-like candleholders sporting tripod bases are back in the background, in front of the huge window. A decorative wall frieze is also present. Both set designs also utilized high ceilings and geometric floor patterns.
The music video that followed Be Natural was released in 2015. It was for the song Automatic which also exhibited the Velvet concept of the group. The song was a slow jam, almost as if hypnotizing its listener. The music video, with its dim lighting and elegant slow-motion shots, also contributed to the mesmerizing vibe of the song.
Automatic’s set design is extremely simple. The space is dark as if a universe expanding into an unknown. The absence of a decorated backdrop made the furniture stand out more, which is noticeably Neoclassical or harbored influence from the style.
The dining chairs used in the dining space set design are undeniably similar to Hepplewhite shield-back chairs, although the ones in the MV are not as intricately carved as the ones in the illustrations below.
More neoclassical furniture and elements can be recognized throughout the music video. The set design below shows a bedroom with a cabinet quite similar to a commode made by Georg Haupt, a well-known cabinet-maker to the Swedish Royal Family and a significant exponent of the Swedish Neoclassical style [9].
A closer look at the bed shows the bed cover pattern and the area rug under it which had floral patterns similar to a palampore, a dyed cloth that was either used as a bed cover or a wall tapestry in 18th century Europe.
The use of Neoclassical styles in the music videos mentioned is quite limited, but it is undeniable that the style fits the MV concepts well. Neoclassical interior style does not rely on grandiosity and abundance of decorations — rather, it leans into thoughtful minimalism, maintaining its elegance, precision, and simplicity which makes it beautiful.
The aura that Be Natural and Automatic exudes is a perfect match to the simple yet captivating Neoclassical style. It is not excessive nor too eye-catching, but it will surely retain one’s attention and amazement.
Right from the beginning of their career, Red Velvet has already broken records and entered the Billboard charts. But it was not until 2017 when they had their biggest hit song: Red Flavor.
According to a 2019 Billboard article, Red Flavor has practically become RV’s signature song as it instantly joined their best-selling tracks and got them their first №1 on South Korea’s Gaon Chart. The catchy summer song is so popular that it got Red Velvet to perform in North Korea. But just when people thought RV will never have another hit song, the group released Psycho.
Prior to its December 2019 release, Red Velvet put out 4 music videos in the same year under the Red concept. Obviously, the fans craved the Velvet concept after a while, which was why the Psycho comeback was highly anticipated.
The teasers were dark, witchy, and seemed creepy. Some photos had the members dressed in white bridal gowns standing in a gloomy forest or in a circle performing some kind of ritual. It definitely did not foreshadow the bewitching Rococo-inspired music video, which added to the hype once the music video was released.
The Psycho music video is definitely on another level. It is one of Red Velvet’s music videos that does not heavily depend on post-production editing but instead exhausts the set designs. The set is built inside a studio, but it surely does look like it is taken in an actual grandiose interior of a hotel or modern Rococo-inspired castle.
At first, the set might look like it is in the neoclassical style, especially when looking at the ionic and corinthian columns used. However, the color scheme of the set is undeniably Rococo — subdued blue walls, white ceilings, soft pinks, and other gentle color shades.
The set also has double columns all over, albeit not immediately noticeable due to the differing lengths of each pair. The back wall has some sort of gilded boiserie, but it is not as ornate as old Rococo interiors had. There are multiple rocaille-inspired motifs found in the set as well.
Rococo interior style is also known for having ceilings that mimic the sky. In the screenshot below, the set design has an open roof that looks like a heavenly ceiling.
In addition to that, the frame looks like it is inspired by one of Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s paintings called “The Progress of Love: The Pursuit” because of the mural background. The painting is part of the four canvases called “The Progress of Love,” commissioned by Madame Du Barry between 1770 and 1773.
More Rococo elements can be seen in the Behind The Scenes video of the Psycho MV. In the pictures below, more gilded motifs are shown, such as the scroll and rocaille at the top of the set. There are also several crystal chandeliers used, another characteristic that Rococo inherited from Baroque.
According to Billboard, Psycho is about “a relationship full of ups and downs” but the persona won’t give up on it and even assures their partner that they “will be alright” [7] .
That is precisely why Rococo is the perfect historical style to use for its set design: aside from it being about human aspirations, it is similar to Louis XV’s reign in France during the art period. Even if he is dubbed “Louis the Beloved,” his reign is remembered as disastrous and tragic [4].
Louis XV is hedonistic — rather than addressing the issues of French society, he chose to bask in his vices. In Red Velvet’s Psycho, rather than resolving and leaving a mentally-tormenting relationship, the persona kept on going and even romanticized it. The glamorous set design was meant to increase the illusion that the persona was putting themselves in as illustrated by the song.
Rococo is extremely pleasing to the eye with its gentle colors and gilded curvilinear motifs, but it is a master of trickery. Aside from being hedonistic, Rococo is escapist — it creates phantasms of a delightful reality through beautiful paintings and charming style, fooling people into thinking that everything is alright.
The creative juices of Red Velvet’s production team never seem to run out. After a magical music video for the much-awaited RV comeback with their song Queendom (2021), they released another masterpiece.
Red Velvet’s latest title track and music video, Feel My Rhythm (2022), is an exquisite love letter to art and music.
The music video, excellently directed by Shin Hee-won, was literally full of art. FMR was like a collaboration with the legendary Johann Sebastian Bach since the song used a sample of his “Air on the G String From Suite №3.” In addition to that, the music video made it look like RV also collaborated with various renowned painters from different art periods as they recreated their stunning artworks.
Feel My Rhythm MV actually started with two famous Rococo paintings. The first one was “Lady Looking Behind the Wall” by Paul Dominique Phillipoteaux, followed by Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s “The Swing.”
Works from other art movements such as surrealism, impressionism, renaissance, and pre-raphaelite brotherhood were present throughout the music video. The MV did not stick to one historical style.
However, the performance video released after the MV utilized only one grandiose historical style: the magnificent Baroque.
A glance even at just the title card of the performance video will tell that the set design is Baroque, which is very much characteristic of the historical style as it does not shy away from attention. In fact, Baroque would very much like for everyone to stay focused on its unique structures and flamboyant interiors.
For Baroque style lovers, the Feel My Rhythm performance video set design is an overwhelming eye-candy.
There is nothing subtle about the use of Baroque elements and motifs, from the marble ceiling to the elaborate floor patterns. A gilded stucco sculpture adorns the white marble ceiling while the rows of bright crystal chandeliers, girandoles, and candelabras lead the eyes to the double columns at the back.
The set design concept was a fancy ballroom, but it is also similar to the remarkable Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, especially considering that across the large windows on the left are equally big mirrors on the right.
More Baroque elements come to view every time the camera zooms in on the members.
In the picture below, the candelabras, armchairs, and huge mirrors framed by velvet draperies become clearer. The candelabras displayed resembled an illustration from Harwood (2012) while the armchairs were similar to an example of a carved giltwood fauteuil found in Miller (2005).
A picture from Red Velvet’s Seulgi also revealed the use of acanthus leaves and cockleshell motifs for the gilded boiserie on top of a faux marble panel.
Red Velvet’s Feel My Rhythm has the group’s best and most extravagant production design to date. From the highly artistic music video to the luxurious performance video, the set designers did not come to play. Everything was well-planned and beautifully executed, indeed a perfect match to a marvelous song.
Aside from Red Velvet, other KPop groups have also used historical styles and artworks from various art periods to make impressive music videos.
Girl group LOONA’s Chuu referenced “The Waiting Room” by René Magritte in her solo song “Heart Attack ” while famous boy group BTS showed Pieter Bruegel’s “The Fall of the Rebel Angels” painting in their “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” music video.
All these examples illustrate how historical styles repeat themselves and influence contemporary spaces and works of art, especially media and digital forms. But as much as KPop music video set designs seem attractive, some have managed to offend its fans through the misuse of their cultural and historical motifs. However beautiful the KPop industry is, it is never free from issues, especially from its constant appropriation of cultural styles.
Read the second part of this essay which tackles how the ignorance of semiotics ruins KPop music videos here.
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[2] Billboard. (2019). The 25 Best Red Velvet Songs: Critic’s Picks. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/best-red-velvet-songs-critics-picks-8525588/
[3] Egan, K. (2014). Film Production Design: Case Study of The Great Gatsby.”. Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications. http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=968
[4] Encyclopedia.com. (2018). Louis XV | Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/french-history-biographies/louis-xv
[5] Glasby, T. (2018). How to make an iconic K-pop music video. Dazed. https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/40602/1/how-to-make-an-iconic-k-pop-music-video
[6] Harwood, B., May, B., & Sherman, C. (2012). Architecture and Interior Design: An Integrated History to the Present.
[7] Herman, T. (2019). Red velvet Bring Celebratory “Reve Festival” Album Trilogy to Close with Glam “Psycho” Video: Watch. Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/red-velvet-psycho-video-8547031/
[8] Met Museum. (n.d.). Bed Cover (Palampore). The Met. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/453160
[9] Miller, J. (2005). Furniture.
[10] Oates, P. B. (1998). The Story of Western Furniture.
[11] Whitehead, J. (2019, May 27). Creating an interior mise-en-scène: The relationship between interior design, production design and film. Film and Furniture. https://filmandfurniture.com/2019/05/creating-an-interior-mise-en-scene-the-relationship-between-interior-design-production-design-and-film/
