I AM LEGION - CHOOSING FOR YOU
- Directed by Tony T. Datis -
The music video Choosing For You, directed by Tony T. Datis portrays the illusion of free choice, mind-control and dominance using distinct symbols of judgment and manipulation. While initially chaotic, the video depicts a clear storyline, in which Noisia is dominated and controlled by the Foreign Beggars and the dancing boy. The video opens with the young boy confidently tossing a coin as Metropolis from the Foreign Beggars sings, “the obscure hand, I move in, fingertips draped in loose string.” The lyrics themselves indicate a hand moving the strings of choice, like a puppeteer manipulating his puppet. Thus, the hand of the boy, which tosses the coin, is the inescapable deciding factor for the subsequent actions.
The lack of choice is primarily symbolized by the watchful eye of the Illuminati, which recurs multiple times throughout the video. We observe it on the walls of the factory in front of which the Foreign Beggars are portrayed singing “you can ask me, the truth about Foreign Beggars, are we truly the Illuminati?” and again towards the end of the video, when the members of Noisia are reflected in the boy’s eye while obediently forming a triangle gesture towards the glowing pyramid. The subtle control of the Illuminati can also be witnessed in the costume choices. Roman numerals appear on the Foreign Beggars’ clothing, while the biblical number of "judgment", 9, ironically appears on the boy’s shorts. The boy's judgment, in my opinion, is a possible replacement for the word “choice", depicting the boy's manipulation of his human puppets.
The boy dances methodically, while the Foreign Beggars “lurk about unknown” in the background supporting him, with the majority of the shots being from below, raising and empowering the team of three. Thus we discover that - like in The Truman Show and Being John Malkovich, referenced in the lyrics - the Foreign Beggars are observers and manipulators of mind control, or “brain fungus,“ which they administer through the boy’s dancing. The intercutting between the Foreign Beggars and the boy’s similar dance movements, depicts the singer Metropolis holding his head, again reminding us of "brain fungus." This is not only an effective shot-matching technique in editing, which editors use frequently to make two locations flow together more effectively, it forms a connection between the Foreign Beggars and the boy, while enforcing the sense of puppetry and manipulation of movement.
A room filled with televisions, which Metropolis chooses to destroy, further complements the idea of brain fungus. The destruction of the televisions is a gesture of power, while simultaneously referencing media manipulation and propaganda, utilized as a brainwashing device by governments and politicians. This idea is also driven by the burning dollar bill picturing the Illuminati, while “the illusion of free choice” echoes in the song. By destroying that which holds power and influences choice, the Illuminati create their own sense of control.
I found the latter to also be depicted in the shooting of the imaginary gun by the boy. The boy is the dominant party with the weapon, issuing three shots to the lyrics “they’re in control somehow.” Using the Kuleshov effect, the frame cuts to the three Noisia members upon whom the shots were fired.
The low angle dolly shot slowly crawls closer to them, entrapping them in a tight frame as they appear to be hypnotized by the majestic size of the Illuminati pyramid. While “the illusion of free choice” is reiterated in the background, Noisia unveil that they are trapped behind a liquefied wall in which a goldfish utters, “choosing for you” to them. Thereby, we witness the true illusion of choice – Noisia are the insignificant, controlled pets of someone else’s mind games. The mocking sock puppet mouthing “brain fungus” reinforces this notion.
The music video concludes with Noisia rhythmically and hypnotically drawing circles on the pyramid, ultimately unveiling a bright light to which they gesture a triangle that resembles the Illuminati. The circle, which Noisia engrave in the pyramid is, in fact, the pupil of the boy’s eye. This is depicted by the slow dolly, which shows Noisia looking out of his mind’s eye, while the boy powerfully and confidently sits with a crown on his head looking at us, as if we are his next victims.
