G.R.L. Releases Official "Free" Music Video
3+ paragraphs, 1115 words
After both a drought in appearances and then a sudden influx of promotion, G.R.L. finally released their music video for their hit buzz single, "Free". The video was confirmed to be directed by Anthony Mandler at the time that "Free" was first announced, and he's credited as director with executive production help from Robin Antin and Lauren Bennett. The video features each of the members of the group held captive by their lovers and breaking free, then reuniting with each other to revel in their freedom. The video was filmed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, along with Ibiza, Spain.
The video opens up at the same time as the song does, giving a flash of the four girls in a large, open, garden-like area wearing the same outfits they wore on the song's single cover. The area is huge and open, with a gazebo-like structure shown in the background in front of a large, very green forest. This shot came from their filming time while in Ibiza, Spain. As the opening chorus begins, the camera has various cuts made but still in the same setting around Lauren and Emmalyn as they sing their parts from the chorus. Small cuts are made showing each girl in a different room, completely white with black stripes up and down the walls and even running along the floor, tied in various positions to either a chair, the wall or a bed. The shots are quick, not giving too much time for the viewer to make out specific details, though these shots are central focus in other parts of the song.
Immediately after the chorus, when the first verse begins, it cuts to Simone during her half of the verse. Simone has her hair in long dreadlock-like braids, as seen in the previous scene, and seems totally deprived of makeup. She's dressed in a figure-hugging unitard with black and white stripes, similar to a jail uniform. She's tied to a bed, with her hands tied to the headboard and her feet tied to the foot of the bed. The entire room is black and white striped, with everything in it, including the bedside tables and lamps, also being striped; the bed, however, is pure white. A man walks into the room, carrying a plate of food, and seems to spoon-feed her some mucky-looking food from the plate. Simone spits out the food, and chucks the spoon away with her mouth.
The video cuts to Paula's verse, and she seems to be in the exact situation, except with a different man, and instead of being in a bed, she's chained to the wall (with the entire room being empty) by her ankle. Her respective man comes in, carrying a washbucket and a sponge, and he begins to wash her face for her. She lashes out at him, knocking him down and hitting him with the bucket quickly.
The song cuts to the bridge, which is Emmalyn's part, and she's in the same situation as the previous two, except tied to a white arm chair and her boyfriend doing her makeup. She sits there calmly as she sings her part, not rebelling like the previous two.
Lauren's line comes up, with her pre-chorus, and she's chained up to a wall by her wrists and ankles, almost in a crucifix like position, kept to the wall. She eyes the camera in a seductive way as her man brushes her hair and straightens out her unitard, as if she has a plan that she's going to work out to get out of her current situation comes.
When the chorus hits, it cuts back to Paula despite it being Simone & Emmalyn's lines, and Paula continues to beat her man with the bucket. Once she does this, she reaches through his pockets, and pulls out a key. Soaking wet, she unlocks herself and immediately runs out of the room. Throughout the chorus, there are various shots of the other girls in their situations, with Natasha also chained to a wall in a similar way to Paula. Lauren continues her "I've got a plan" look, while Emmalyn begins to cry as her makeup is done. Simone bites her man's hand when he tries to force feed her, and Natasha just gives in as her man changes puts a black and white shirt on her over her unitard. When the last line of the chorus is repeated four times, it cuts to Paula outside in the big open garden from the video opening, and she seems to dance around to be happy in her freedom; she's wearing the same dress as there earlier, too, instead of her black-and-white striped unitard like the rest of the girls.
The song cuts to the second verse, and during Emmalyn's line, she continues to have her makeup done, but the man apparently gets makeup in her eye, and she shakes her head, causing him to smudge her makeup more. She's crying through this, and the man grips her head tightly and begins to harshly wipe all the makeup off and start again, despite her shaking and trying to fight back. The song cuts back to Lauren, who lunges out at her man when he brings out dry shampoo, a brush and a hairdryer, and he drops the material and glares at her angrily as she tries to fight despite being immobile in her position.
During the chorus, Paula appears in Simone's room, and knocks out her man using a lamp from one of the bedside tables. She then helps untie Simone, and the two girls run off to a scene of both of them dancing freely in the garden. There's also a brief shot of all five girls dressed in street wear against a white brick wall; the girls are slo-mo jumping, and this scene is seen twice during the chorus.
The middle 8 begins, and during Emmalyn's lines, Paula & Simone arrive and save her from her situation. Paula holds back Emmalyn's man as Simone unties Emmalyn and wipes the remaining makeup off of her face. The girls embrace, and they run off to help Natasha. The scene is sped up, so not much is shown. During Simone's lines of the middle 8, the girls all group up to take down Lauren's man, and then help Lauren down from her immobilizing chains.
The final chorus begins, showing all five girls in the large garden again, all singing along to the chorus finally fitting the theme of the video, with being "free". The final shot is of them in their street wear again, at normal speed, they land back down on the ground and hug each other, happy to be together and free from their men.
The video was uploaded to G.R.L.'s official YouTube page shortly after debuting on
E! News, and was also posted on their official website.
Lemme try to at least do a few more before I sleep.
Am trying to come up with names of men but it's a little harder than I thought.
