Decisions, decisions, decisions...

18 days ago Gustav Johansson made my life very difficult by releasing his new film 'Sydney' for the language school EF - Live the Language series. After months of loving Paris I now can't decide if this is my new favourite video. This stunning series of promotional films takes a basic premiss a city, a journey, throws in beautiful young people and some really cracking graphics.

EF - Live The Language - Sydney from Gustav Johansson on Vimeo.

It's a great example of how a series of films can maintain the same theme and feel even when they are exploring very different cities.
 
Gustav has taken the original concept and stuck with it throughout the whole series but allowed it to naturally evolve and develop into some beautiful and evocative films.

He's thought about every aspect of the production equally and while it may be difficult to replicate the inventive soundtrack of Sydney which was composed by Magnus Lidehäll (I especially love how the music changes when they are in the aquarium) it's a lesson to everyone not to just take some stock music and shove it on the soundtrack hoping for the best.
 
The typography are another work of art from Albin Holmqvist. Like the soundtrack they are not just an added extra but a really integral part of the whole concept although I feel they are on screen slightly too quickly to really appreciate them.

For me though Paris ultimately has to win. I just feel Gustav has gone overboard with the high 8 scratchy post production vibe on 'Sydney'. If he'd just kept it perhaps to the beach scenes for me it would have worked perfectly, but feels like it's been applied to pretty much every shot and I think it distracts from the beauty of the film. 'Just because you can doesn't mean you should' still holds true.

So I've made my decision Paris here I come - well until I can I'll just watch the video again and again and again

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.