Arts, Music

Rudy Mancuso and Maia Mitchell Stop Time in “Magic”

 

 

Released on March 2, “Magic” is the newest music video from Rudy Mancuso and Maia Mitchell. Mancuso became famous for his work on YouTube and Vine, while Mitchell gained popularity as an Australian singer and television actress. The two have teamed up for Mancuso’s second music video, in which they trade off lyrics and choruses to great musical effect.

The music video starts by focusing on Mancuso marching down the street holding a guitar. The video is quiet until he begins to pluck on the strings. As the music echoes in, the camera moves with Mancuso to show that the world around him has stopped. People have stopped in the middle of whatever they were doing—time has ceased. As Mancuso walks, he begins to sing—his high vocals and acoustic guitar mix to make a compelling lead in as the song begins to pick up speed.



As the vocals and instrumentation comes in to fill out the song, the music video follows suit. Viewers are treated to glimpses of a world as time has stopped. One girl is stopped mid-jump rope—she stands with the rope above her head, smile on her face.

After the first verse and chorus, Mitchell begins to sing, stopping Mancuso in his tracks. He looks toward a wall and see a moving chalk outline of Mitchell, the only person besides him who isn’t frozen in time. Mancuso steps through the wall that the chalk is drawn on, continuing his part of the song. He finds himself in a colorful and vibrant room, full of motion. Mancuso is overwhelmed and steps out, while Mitchell’s outline sings and dances.

The two share a moment as they touch on either side of the wall before Mitchell pulls Mancuso through the wall. The two sing and dance together in the colorful room. The lyrics of the chorus accentuate the visual effect, as the two sing “Oh I feel this magic / And it’s deep inside / I believe in magic / I see it in your eyes.”

As “Magic” ends, the camera pans out into the real world, showing static chalk outlines of Mancuso and Mitchell together on the wall. The two are holding hands, looking toward the sunset. Time in the real world resumes as everyone else goes their way, while birds fly away as the camera pulls back.

Featured Image by Shots Studio

March 14, 2018