Video: MPLS

1993: Blood Is Thicker Than Time ◄

Music Videos (Prince)

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► 1994: Standing At The Altar

MPLS

Music Video details First aired: Spring/Summer 1994 Producer(s): Frank Saperstein Productions & Paisley Park Enterprises Director: Frank Saperstein Related home video/DVD: First (Commercially) Released: Awards Date Institution, Country Award This music video has not received any awards in the USA

MPLS is a video by Minneapolis released for broadcast. The single received only a limited release through the 1-800 New Funk telephone service and The New Power Generation Stores in Minneapolis and London. The accompanying music video received only minimal airplay. MPLS is the first video release related to Prince to be treated as a cartoon, with character designs by Philip J. Felix. (The video release for Raspberry Beret included scenes from an animation video that Prince had separately commissioned). The video starts with a character called 'Jade' emerging from the letters MPLS, with another character called 'Funky Jake' sitting on top of the letter L. 'Jade' says 'All right, stop the music, stop the music', a sample from Carmen Electra’s unreleased song Powerline, after which a group of anthropomorphic dogs called 'Homeboyz' emerges from the same letters and starts dancing. The video cuts to a Mount Rushmore-like mounntain that features the faces of a four-piece band. The mountain crumbles as the characters (Sonny T. (also referred to as 'Sergeant Momma'), Jana Anderson (referring to herself as 'Cutie Pie'), a DJ ('Master G') and Prince/ wearing a love symbol shirt) come to life and travel to Minneapolis. The story line is rather confusing, with 'Jade' proving to be a devil woman, 'Funky Jake' a money-driven record executive and the band dancing into the fire of what looks like the apocalypse. The video contains brief footage from The Beautiful Experience TV-special, courtesy of Paisley Park Enterprises, and Lenny Kravitz’s Are You Gonna Go My Way video, courtesy of Virgin Records America. Fish Films provided stock footage of riot police, Bill and Hillary Clinton, a mouth and an ear and dancing people from the 1950s to the early 1990s. The video was created, developed and directed by Frank Saperstein in July and August 1994, with Philip J. Felix responsible for characters design and storyboards. The video is animated by Philippine Animation Studio, Inc. and produced by Frank Saperstein Productions. The audio uses a different mix of the song MPLS with more samples, including an intro taken from Carmen Electra’s unreleased song Powerline. Shooting Information Shooting Sessions Date Location Additional info July/August 1994 Philippine Animation Studio, Inc. The final revised shooting board was completed on August 3, 1994 Cast None Crew Frank Saperstein - producer/developer/creator/director/story board artist Philip J. Felix - designer/story board artist/art director Prince as / Paisley Park Enterprises - executive producer Adam Kuhlman - animation and layout suprvisor Lito De Lara - background supervisor Shawn Esposito - computer animation Jojo Briones - animator Orlan Distor - animator Arno Capili - animator Joey Paraiso - animator Ross Adorable - animator Romar Ecolastico - animator Allan Fernando - animator Gil Ansag - animator Boy Subilo - animator Donnie Ligon - animator Jojo Casao - animator Tito Romero - animator David Beyers Brown - animator Arman Serrano - layout artist Henry Argabal - layout artist Ernie Patricio - layout artist Pamboy Meneses - layout artist David F. Felix - background keys Richard P. Chavez - background keys Sharon E. Ross - character keys Charlotte Barlis - color stylist Vianne Lara - color stylist Frank Hartman - CG animator Bonnie Fishbon - IB supervisor Dick Bernardino - IB supervisor Sonny Lagonera - visual effects consultant Juli Murphy Hashiguchi - timing director Mila J. Isaac - production manager Wayne E. Dearing - production manager Mimbi Eloriaga - production manager Chris Henderson - pre-production manager Mario Cruz - production coordinator Lili Steiner - production coordinator Eric Silverstadt - production coordinator Minerva M. Gajobe - producer’s assistant The Post Group - post production services Ultra Film Services - post production services Avid Technology - post production services Michael Bradley - post production consultant Michael Geisler - post production consultant Versions Broadcasts/streaming (only) Title Length Released Version Additional info MPLS 4:50 the actual song in the video has a 4:18 runtime, the credits are a separate segment of approximately 30 seconds.

Additional Information See Also Quotation & triva MPLS MPLS single Around the 03:20 mark in the video there is the 'hey you’re not supposed to be on this record' segment that is also on the single version of the song. At this point a live video of Prince/ taken from The Beautiful Experience is inserted into the cartoon. This is most likely a nod to his fight with Warner and the inability to be on a non-Warner project under his own name. Midway through the video, when a dog is shown urinating, grafitti written on the kerbside reads 'BAWAL UMIHI', words frequently seen painted in urban areas of the Philippines. It translates as 'Do Not Urinate' in Tagalog, a language commonly spoken by Filipinos and presumably well-known to the animators, the Philippine Animation Studio, Inc.. References

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1993 Blood Is Thicker Than Time

Music Videos (Prince)

Music Videos (Related Artists)

1994 Standing At The Altar

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