Built entirely by a single creator, Chauvinist Bastard exists somewhere between internet archaeology and personal expression. Constructed from fragments of found footage, original material, and an almost obsessive attention to detail, the video reflects a process that is both highly intuitive and deeply controlled.
Rather than working through a traditional production pipeline, the project leans into a solitary workflow — one where concept, sourcing, editing, and execution all happen within the same creative mind. The result is a dense, fast-moving visual collage that pulls from across digital culture.
Below, the creative Ariel My Friend breaks down the process behind the video in their own words.
A One-Person Production
In contrast to most music video productions, this project was created almost entirely by a single individual, with the exception of the many anonymous contributors whose footage appears within the collage.
How many people worked on your selected video? Who played a key role in it?
I’m the only one who worked on this video, much like most of the things I do. Somehow Ariel My Friend is a very personal project to me so it’s important to me to have as little as possible info that’s ‘lost in translation’ between my brain and yours, which results in me doing pretty much everything, usually.
This video does however feature a lot of found footage which I collaged together, so it’s kind of impossible to estimate the actual number of people who have something to do with it.
A Fast but Fragmented Process
Although the creator typically works over longer, less structured timelines, this project was completed under a more defined deadline, resulting in a condensed yet still exploratory workflow.
How long did it take to make it? What was the process (in short)?
Videos usually take me long to make, because my process is usually not consistent and I take a lot of pauses to work on other things, but I had something of a deadline for this one because I really wanted to perform it in an upcoming show, so I managed to finish it in 21 days.
The process involved a number of things, mainly: (1) fishing for compelling videos on YouTube in a stream of consciousness kind of way – Google earth, drone shots, mukbang videos, slime ASMR, people making out on reality TV, skateboarding accidents, ketchup how-it’s-made video etc., (2) gathering countless images of cats – it was important to me that no image will appear more than once, and so I ended up with 765 unique images, and (3) shooting the lyrics, with my phone, one word at a time, made from a mix of cocoa powder and water.
Working Through Constraints
What challenges did you face while working on the video?
Making the cats flash. I have epilepsy, so I had to make sure not to watch more than one second of footage at a time to avoid triggering a seizure. I’m kidding. I do have epilepsy but it’s not photosensitive.
Favourite scene
What part of the video is your favorite?
So hard to choose. I really like the gooey floating lyrics, the cat breaks, the skateboarding accidents that pause pre-impact, the dancing 3D characters…
You know what, I’ll go with the skateboarding accidents. Especially the last one which turns into a breakdance.
Leaving Interpretation Open
Is there any message that the video is sending that you don’t want the viewer to miss?
Nope.
In its structure and execution, Chauvinist Bastard reflects a growing space within music video culture — one where individual creators operate outside traditional production frameworks, using the internet itself as both archive and raw material.
Watch the music video below.
CREDITS
Music & Video Production – Ariel My Friend
