Learn to Fly

So, as always, this song inspired me to want to make ANOTHER animated music video. Yes, I know there's a canon video to this song already, and it's WONDERFUL, but this actually inspired me to want to make my own... and combine it with another favorite franchise of mine, Portal.

The video would center around a character that I had developed, Terry Brandon, a middle manager in the programming department of Aperture Science... and one of the FIRST victims to be thrown into the Enrichment Center Testing Chambers. Basically, the "singer" is Terry, and the whole song is done through his idea of what's happening with Aperture Science, and his CONSTANT annoyance at GLaDOS (which he tried to convince Aperture to stop developing, only to instead become one of the first victims of it).

For the lines "Hook me up a new revolution / 'Cause this one is a lie", the first line is done with Terry staring with severe annoyance at the camera. The second switches the POV around to Terry's, and he's looking into a black screen that shows his reflection... with a few "additions", courtesy of GLaDOS (a party hat, a noise-maker, and a slice of cake on a plate underneath him, and the noise-maker "blows" at the end of the second line).

For the chorus, the "looking to the sky to save me" would typically have Terry glancing at something higher up that might solve his current situation, "looking for a sign of life" would typically have him trying to see through one of several "observation windows" to see if anyone's even ALIVE behind them, and "looking for something to help me burn out bright" is usually him finding the solution to his current predicament. "Looking for a complication" would have him spotting yet ANOTHER issue, "Looking 'cause I'm tired of trying" would have him just being disgusted with the situation in general, and "Make my way back home / When I learn to fly (high)" would be him finding his solution by soaring over the obstacle.

The partial exception would be after the second repetition of the chorus, where it goes "Fly along with me / I can't quite make it alone", which would be at Test Chamber 18, the part with the pool of deadly water along the bottom, the four turrets on stands, and Terry (along with Denise, the receptionist he sees upon entering Aperture for each work day) takes a flying leap of faith past all of the turrets, which open fire on the two of them... but, holding Denise close (while she just closes her eyes, afraid of being shot to death), he takes that chance, and survives, though he comes close to being shot to death SEVERAL times; the bullets tear up what's left of his work clothes, but no rounds actually pierce his or Denise's flesh, and they make it out alive.

By the end of the video, he FINALLY makes it back to his old office, which is now abandoned and locked (and his keycode no longer works)... but there's a small endtable across the hall from his office, and a window that leads into his office. A few moments of using portals to build up momentum and then the endtable smashes through his window, and he's able to access his own office once again.