Cat & Ivy

I C CULTURE

[iccatandivy]

WINNER- The Visitor

written reaction by @im-ivy / Ivy

There is something that just got me with this teaser. You know that feeling when you hear a song and you can feel the build and then it reaches that magical aha moment? This teaser is exactly that feeling for me. Maybe it’s the anticipation of Winner’s debut or just waiting for any news from them, but there is something about this teaser that just makes me so satisfied. Not only is it a visual build up but also an audial one too. The first time I watched it I felt like I was in a daze. I honestly did not expect that tone of sensuality in the audio. I perceived this teaser as somewhat of a marker for Winner. To me it marks, “This is who we are”, “We have come so far”.

 We can see that through Seunghoon’s dancing and all of the member’s expressions. It’s as if they are patiently waiting. At 0:28 we can hear the woman say “breathe, close your eyes”. After that the build up leads to 1:07 where the man counts down from 4 leading us till the instrumental explosion at 1:12. Maybe the visitor is exactly that. Maybe instead the visitor is a metaphor for the arrival of Winner’s debut or birth. There are so many things we can try to decode from the tiger and paint beside Mino, to the cupcake. From my perspective, the tiger signifies power and courage, and when the cupcake is lit and then it pans to the scene with them and the sparklers, it really shows how this is their birth.

 What I also really loved about this teaser is how mature they looked. I’m so used to seeing their silly side from WINNERTV that I was genuinely surprised. Especially Jinwoo. In WIN and WINNERTV he always and this sort of fragility to him that always made him seem like he was the youngest, yet here his gaze is confident.

 Along with that, this teaser just didn't seem k-pop like, in a very good way. There are so many groups that are debuting here and there, so much to a point where it’s becoming a sea. This will definitely set them apart, I believe. I can’t wait to see what more Winner has in store for us and for their debut!

 Ps: (shout out to the sexy cupcake :D haha)

[iccatandivy]

WEEK 2 - WINNER'S NYC PHOTO WEEK!!!!!

THE SCHEDULE WAS POSTED!!!

0 AM? REALLY YG?

Assuming the teaser release will be released at 11am today, I cannot fathom how excited all the aces are today with news. What better way to debut teasers but with photose from New York City (OUR home city). 

The schedule release post captures the Empire state oh so beautifully, but why does the noise on this image bother me so much?

(noise - photography term for the excessive tiny black and white dots  - in this case a filter used to make this image look like film)

It just looks like a low quality photograph as oppose to a filter adding quality to the image. 

But this is just me being knit picky ;)

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

- Cat Sal

[iccatandivy]

Winner Test Week Final Photos (Day 5): My Thoughts

So YG pretty much kept the concept the same through out the whole week, 6 images of 5 men in various locations ( 1 portrait of each and a group photo- With the exception of day 5). Think of it as a one day worthy of teasers spread into 5 days. Fine with that!  Someone claimed after a while Winner was "giving me stoner rich kids vibes." With in comedic, not offensive, grounds. & I couldn't agree more.. But all in all I was happy with the looks and styling given to Winner. Not too obnoxious, not too finessed. Pretty much grounded and still classy yet sensual.

I see a photo book in the works....

- Cat Sal

[iccatandivy]

[[News]] WINNER LAUNCHES DEBUT PLAN… YG SAYS, “TIME TO SEE THEIR PREPARATION PROCESS”

[스타뉴스 이지현 기자] ”WINNER” (KIM JIN WOO, NAM TAE HYUN, KANG SEUNGYOON, SONG MIN HO, and LEE SEUNG HOON), YG Entertainment (“YG”)’s new boy group in eight years, has launched their official debut plan.

 In the morning on the 16 this month, YG announced the beginning of WINNER’s debut plan “TEST WEEK SCHEDULE”, on its official blog. With the announcement, images that show the exact date and time of each of test 1 to 5 are posted, drawing much attention from fans.

 As suggested in the image, a pre-test photo for test 1 was disclosed on the 16 at 9am. The photo displays five WINNER members’ natural and unique appeal, which has never been disclosed before. The image consists of total six photos which include five individual photos and one group photo. The images are designed like magazine advertisements, catching the eyes of many people.

YG said, “’Test Week’ is a time for fans to see the process of WINNER’s preparations for debut. Among the concepts, some show natural WINNER members without any hair-styling or makeup”.

 An YG insider also explained, “The images that will be disclosed during the ‘Test Week’ period have been created by new staff from in and out of the country. The shooting has helped find WINNER’s concept and establish a group of new staff only for WINNER”.

 Meanwhile, WINNER will disclose test 2 photos on the 17 at 9am through their label YG.

2014. 6. 16.

 source: http://www.yg-life.com/archives/32420?lang=en

[iccatandivy]

WINNER - TEST WEEK DAY 1

Cat Sal: My Thoughts

The release of Winner's Day 1 photos reiterates my sentiments towards YG's direction for Winner. Very classy. Very sensual. Something minimal in a not so minimalistic world that is Kpop. A totally different direction, again looking very editorial, clean and high end. I can almost touch the money, haha.

Though it isn't like we haven't seen something like this before. Can we say Marc Jacobs - esque , anyone ?( Simple off guard / candid shots, photographs placed off center next to a clean logo surrounded by white space) Not that it's a bad thing. Again, a new direction in YG promos. But, where are they going with this editorial look? Is it going to be consistent with their first video? With all their promos? Looking forward to Test Day 2 photos tonight. 

[iccatandivy]

WINNER DEBUT SCHEDULE RELEASE Part 1 & 2

Cat Sal : My thoughts

Using one of the Trump buildings in New York City as a back drop, FINE - though it's looking mighty corporate and a bit too formal for my taste and for a teaser in general. However it does address Winner's concept for week two of the debut/promo schedule. 

Laying out the specs for Winner's Debut schedule - FANTASTIC. It will prepare all Aces and others anticipating Winner's debut an idea without giving all of us a heart attack like he did with the teaser. Props YG, props. That also means, HE CAN'T DELAY PROMOTIONS. A constant struggle with YG. This schedule also shows how seriously and how much thought process YG put behind their debut, which makes me oh so satisfied being an Ace myself. He always takes debuts seriously, but YG really has no room for a mishap for his next biggest boy group

Calling Week 1 a TEST WEEK - Um? What? Test? For? This does not hype me one bit, but again raises my curiosity. Is it a theme? We'll see. 

[iccatandivy]

The Visitor - Winner's Debut Teaser

written response by @catchsalonfire / Cat Sal

We were all surprised when YG released the Winner teaser out of the blue last Monday. That fact alone phased me. Moving on to the actual teaser, I have to admit I watched it four times for it to register that this is it, Winner's debut teaser. Right off the bat I loved how the imagery confused me or rather left me curious and asking for more- as to their concept of course. You hear static sounds as well as something taking off - mind you these sounds have nothing to do with what we are watching simultaneously. Shown are also snippets of old cartoons such as Betty Boop and Casper. A visual element that was emphasized was the cupcake being delivered while the other members are looking distraught or waiting on someone to arrive in this high end looking hotel room - the visitor I'm assuming. The teaser didn't automatically feel like a Kpop teaser, it isn't as bold or as flashy as other teasers commonly are in the Kpop world. Nothing about the atmosphere, colors, or anything by that matter said KPOP- to me.

AT 00:47 the instrumentals start…. and I'm hooked! It sounds very sensual and the atmosphere was classy. The visuals from now on are also styled a bit more finessed and sensual as well. Theres facial closeups, perfume spraying, a member popping their collar. It gives a fashion ad vibe, which I'm totally digging. Theres also endless balloons and bed shots - one with Seungyoon holding his guitar 0.o Interesting. Each of the members are playing it cool, giving stares here and there. Jinwoo surprised me the most, his look was so gravitating - He is looking like a villain in this storyline as he is about to cut into the infamous cupcake.

At 01:13 is where I got the chills, the instrumentals reach a new level and Winner's new logo is revealed. At this point, the video is giving us some flashiness with the mirrored cityscapes and the universe. I loved the way they captured Seunghoon's dancing in this portion, it matches beautifully with the instrumental. This hyped me up to an oblivion. Mino is shown looking up, gazing at the camera dramatically…killing me slowly. Taehyun then appears holding a sparkler smiling as he fades way, my fan girling is endless. Moving forward, there were several of scenes of the members reflecting back to back in different settings. I had some Comeback Home feels (2NE1's first single and music video on their album, Crush) when scenes appeared of the group together holding sparklers looking towards the sky. The video ends with the reoccurring theme of  city/universe mirrored images and comes to a close with Winner's logo. Im done for!

You can tell YG is heading in a totally different direction with Winner. Packaging their image with this first teaser, you see a simplistic, classy, and mysterious look going for them. This is a huge difference from their label mates 2NE1 and Big Bang and honestly a very refreshing and positive thing in my book. On this note I am immensely satisfied with the teaser, The Visitor and am looking forward to Winner's upcoming debut!!