“Cinematic” is often used to describe music videos, but it’s rarely an accurate descriptor; shooting a video in black and white doesn’t magically make it cinematic. The magic of cinema isn’t just how it looks, but how it feels; a good film will transport you to distant, perhaps even fictional lands and make you feel like you’re experiencing what you see on screen.

“Blind Tiger” is cinematic. Following Stik Figa as he is pursued by a menacing and determined stranger, director Joshua Browning brings this foreign world to life, interpreting the song’s content both literally and figuratively. In fact, that’s the allure of the video. In addition to having creative shots in general, the video casually reflects the song’s lyrics in realistic and interpretive manners. For instance, when Stik raps, “I like that,” he’s shown to be washing his face. At another point, when Stik raps, “we grow apart,” he’s actually increasing the distance between himself and his pursuer. Matching lyrics and visuals is nothing new, but this video does this in addition to telling a story. And it’s done with subtlety.  Watch it below. This is how you direct a video.

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