![]() It’s Gonna Be Me very much followed the established trend with this single and experienced wildly different levels of success on either side of the Atlantic. Instead, by grounding so much of itself in high-quality filming techniques, the video remains an impressive visual feat and a perfect summation of the No Strings Attached era. For while there’s little doubt that *NSYNC would’ve commanded the best CGI possible – and there are some digital zoom effects employed to transition between shots – the technology was evolving so rapidly that it would have quickly started to show its age. This is a staggering investment and one that paid off. The toppling dominoes arranged to create the group’s logo? Real. The dance auditorium housing the choreography shots? Real. The shelves where *NSYNC’s dolls are stocked? Real. Similarly, the majority of the sequences were painstakingly created using actual sets. *NSYNC were on a tight schedule, and that wasn’t an option, so instead, the group wore prosthetic make-up – which looks absolutely incredible (if slightly creepy) – and were filmed at a low frame rate to create the jerky movements you’d expect of toys come to life. Stylistically, It’s Gonna Be Me is the product of a perfect juncture where digital effects were being readily utilised in music videos, but CGI still came with significant time and cost attached. Even if there are strong riffs on the Al’s Toy Barn sequence from Toy Story 2, first and foremost, the video feels like a product of *NSYNC’s visual identity at the time. The action is intercut with some terrific puppet-themed choreography shots, and the whole thing is a snapshot of a pop group at the height of their powers. As each member of the group is scanned through the till, they turn into actual life-sized people. After chasing her through the shop – while fighting soldier action figures and being distracted by definitely-not-Barbie dolls – she eventually notices them. She’s portrayed by Kim Smith, who reprises her role from Bye Bye Bye. It takes place in a toy store and portrays *NSYNC as marionette dolls (which were available to purchase, of course) who break out of their packaging and attempt to catch a woman’s attention. Almost as if that’s what they should’ve just done in the first place(!)įurther cementing It’s Gonna Be Me – and No Strings Attached – as a moment in pop culture was the music video, which acted as a spiritual sequel to Bye Bye Byeand drew on many of the visual references from the album campaign thus far. So, after I’ll Never Stop peaked at #13 (completely understandable, but still a minor pop crime, nonetheless), Jive Records seemed to realise their mistake and hurried out It’s Gonna Be Me. Particularly when there wasn’t any benefit to be gleaned, since *NSYNC’s touring commitments meant zero promotion occurred. It’s one thing to know you’re an after-thought – no one outside of America believed otherwise by this point – but it’s another to be treated as such. That might have worked had the two tracks been handled as equally important to their respective markets, but as soon as you see I’ll Never Stopand It’s Gonna Be Me side-by-side, it’s clear where all the effort went. In theory, it was an attempt to cater to European audiences by serving a song reminiscent of the singles from *NSYNC’s debut album, which were more successful here than in America. Serving I’ll Never Stop as the second single – while most welcome – served no purpose when It’s Gonna Be Me existed. The No Strings Attached campaign will never, ever make sense from a UK perspective.
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