Synopsis

Three mysterious figures move through a largely deserted, futuristic Shanghai, traveling by car and on foot through stark streets, concrete structures, and glowing nighttime spaces. Their journey unfolds with the cool, detached rhythm of a modern urban dream, while the city becomes as important as the characters themselves. The video mixes drifting observation with moments of ordinary human activity, creating an enigmatic portrait of isolation, movement, and connection inside a vast megalopolis.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in April 2014 as a visual companion to "Les Automates," the third track on College's 2013 album "Heritage."

• "Les Automates" is an instrumental track, so the video relies on atmosphere, movement, location, and editing rather than a literal lyrical narrative.

• The film was shot in Shanghai, where the combination of dense architecture, empty spaces, traffic, and neon lighting gives the video its futuristic character.

• Contemporary coverage compared the video's cool, nocturnal mood to "Drive," the 2011 film whose soundtrack helped make College internationally known through "A Real Hero."

• Valerie Records produced the video. The production credits also list Clark Wang as producer/fixer, Tutu on second camera, Annie Kim as stylist, and Ansen Wang, Elliott Zelinskas, and Robert Niegel as the featured talents.

• The official presentation describes the project as a collaboration between College and an independent filmmaker based in Shanghai.

• The video is one of several visual works associated with College's retro-futurist aesthetic, a style also reflected in "Heritage," an album influenced by French science-fiction illustration and animation.