Cube 6 Video: TI's Production Note

 

 1. Beginning with an Idea

The video work Cube 6 began with TM sharing an idea with Ricks Ang, Executive Producer at KITCHEN. LABEL. The concept centered on “a mysterious gap between the old and the new.” Through visual representation, the work aimed to explore a parallel-world-like sensation—“What if history had taken a different path?” Ricks agreed with the concept, and production began.

2. Initial Materials and Editing

TM first created a set of short motion pictures—about ten in total—using AI, based on his own MuseScore compositions. I used those pieces as material to construct and edit a full-length version for YouTube.

3. On the Use of AI

The use of AI, which I’ll discuss more below, sparked differing opinions among FMT members and with KITCHEN. LABEL. Personally, I’m generally in favor of using AI and consider myself proactive in its use. However, when it comes to making artistic works—particularly music—I take a more neutral, perhaps slightly cautious stance.

Especially in the area of visuals, I hold concerns that AI-generated images often appear cheap or get lost in the sea of similar-looking outputs. At the same time, we were fully aware that our resources for producing visuals by traditional means were very limited. Realistically, there was no other way to bring this project to life. Because of that, I felt a strong need to justify the necessity of using AI for visual production.

4. FMT and the Affinity with AI

From my point of view, the group FMT had, until this project with KITCHEN. LABEL, only existed in concept—it had no prior real-world presence. That lack of physical form aligned naturally with the unreality or non-corporeality of AI-generated material. To reinforce that connection, I developed a backstory and framework drawing inspiration from the late-1990s PlayStation RPG KOWLOON’S GATE, which features an alternate reality where objects that should not exist in the real world begin to appear, creating chaos.

This mirrored the notion of FMT—an entity that had never previously existed—gradually emerging into the real world. The AI-generated visuals, while humanoid in form, are in fact alien and not truly human. The music of FMT is similarly “non-performed,” giving it an otherworldly or symbolic quality.

In the completed 30-second version, the guitar performer can be seen as a kind of “freak.” The cube motif and Chiaki Tamura’s Time and Gaze also serve to symbolize a space between reality and dream.

5. The Use of French Text

TM also prepared several French texts, which I inserted throughout the video in alignment with particular scenes. The idea of intermittently inserting large-font text came from Jean-Luc Godard’s technique of placing sudden, bold typography in his films.

Practically speaking, the text helped to reinforce rhythmic elements and also served to camouflage occasional image glitches caused by MuseScore.

Given that Le Cube Dans Mon Rêve had already drawn inspiration from French impressionist painting, the choice to use French text felt like a natural extension.

6. Differences in Textual Treatment

There was some disagreement between TM and me about how the French text should be handled. TM advocated for clear readability—displaying one sentence at a time in large letters—while I preferred a stylistic approach, reminiscent of old MS-DOS command-line displays, giving it a retro computer-like texture.

In the end, we each created our own version and left the final decision to Ricks. Interestingly, TM and I had overlapping references in mind. TM had The Matrix in view, while I was reminded of William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer, along with KOWLOON’S GATE. It turns out The Matrix itself was inspired by early film adaptation concepts of Neuromancer, so unintentionally, our directions were aligned.

The differing approaches to the text also mirrored this split: TM emphasized readability and clarity, while I prioritized the visual texture, aiming for the text to blend into the imagery.

7. Feedback from Ricks

After viewing the completed video, Ricks offered a few suggestions. One that left a strong impression was that the concept might be better conveyed in a shorter, vertical format—around 45 seconds to a minute.

He specifically praised the first 1 minute and 40 seconds: the guitarist cuts, the “Type A” text style TM had proposed (i.e., large, easily readable displays), and the synchronization between music and visuals.

On the other hand, he pointed out that scenes featuring contemporary equipment like MacBooks and turntables appeared somewhat incongruous. Since the music already carried a modern tone, emphasizing it visually was unnecessary. Instead, he suggested that the contrast with traditional imagery created a more compelling tension.

He also commented on the multiple visual motifs used in the work, advising that a greater sense of visual consistency could lead to a more unified result. Additionally, regarding the use of AI, he recommended approaching the matter with care, considering the sensitiveness against AI-generated content.

8. Creating the Final 30-second Version

Based on that feedback, we decided to create a new, shorter 30-second version. When I reviewed the edited piece, I found that, though simple in structure, it held up to repeated viewings without becoming tiresome. Ricks also responded positively to the shorter version. After implementing a few minor adjustments based on his comments, we completed the final cut.

For the 30-second version, we focused on making the piece seamless when looped. We reused the guitar duet motif from the beginning, and restricted the footage to only a few elements: TM’s scene of a man and woman playing guitar in a 1900s-style setting, the cube motif previously used in Cube1, and clips from Chiaki Tamura’s Time and Gaze. We inserted a few selected lines of the French text TM had prepared, syncing their appearance to the rhythm or intentionally offsetting them by a beat, in order to emphasize the fusion of sound and image.

(Postscript)

The inserted text reads:

prenez garde au vide

AVANT : 1900

ARRIÈRE : 2000

not yet 

not memory, but DREAM 

rhythm: FIVE intensified

fiction based on ravel 

Although it switches to English partway through, this was simply due to a transcription error by TI and an oversight in TM’s review.

We only noticed it after delivering the material to KITCHEN. LABEL, but we would appreciate it if you could regard this as another intentional “bug” in the system.

Incidentally, in the full-size version, some sections were deliberately rendered in Chinese to simulate a bug, and we also used fictitious Chinese characters to intentionally create garbled text.

9. Closing Thoughts

Through trial and error, Cube 6 came together as a piece where music, visuals, and text naturally blended into each other. While we were aware of our limitations in terms of resources and technology, working within those constraints was itself a valuable part of the process.

Eventually, I would love to collaborate with a creator outside of our group—someone who could interpret and represent FMT visually from their own perspective.