Uploaded January 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
"Mother, mother, on the wall..."
This is a one-minute micro-essay on Netflix's Russian Doll, created for The Essay Library's collaboration "Becoming Someone Else." Go check out the full compilation:
youtu.be/zM2Fa-NpBE4?si=pqoXvsJZ_2J9MjIS
Some incredible micro-essays in there that push the boundaries of the medium. Honored to have been a part of it.
-- Twitter: twitter.com/YouJustGotArfed
-- Buy Me a Coffee: ko-fi.com/solidarf
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BEHIND-THE-SCENES:
- This video started out at ~1:40 minutes long. The hardest part of this was shaving it down to fit the one-minute mark for the collection -- but it was the most fun part as a challenge! I've wanted to make something on Russian Doll for a while, so this theme felt like the perfect opportunity.
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"Mother, mother, on the wall..."
This is a one-minute micro-essay on Netflix's Russian Doll, created for The Essay Library's collaboration "Becoming Someone Else." Go check out the full compilation:
youtu.be/zM2Fa-NpBE4?si=pqoXvsJZ_2J9MjIS
Some incredible micro-essays in there that push the boundaries of the medium. Honored to have been a part of it.
-- Twitter: twitter.com/YouJustGotArfed
-- Buy Me a Coffee: ko-fi.com/solidarf
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEHIND-THE-SCENES:
- This video started out at ~1:40 minutes long. The hardest part of this was shaving it down to fit the one-minute mark for the collection -- but it was the most fun part as a challenge! I've wanted to make something on Russian Doll for a while, so this theme felt like the perfect opportunity.
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![What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Hi-Fi Rush
In the newest entry of the NPC photography series, were looking at the NPCs of Hi-Fi Rush! Theres a lot going on in the wacky office hellscape of Vandelay Campus so lets see what the game does with... uh, all that.
Cold Open: 0:00 - 0:38
Opening Titles: 0:39 - 1:16
NPCs of Vandelay: 1:19 - 31:57
Outro: 31:57 - 33:03
Follow me or support the channel if youre able!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SolidArf
Buy Me a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/solidarf
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/solidarf.bsky.social
NPCs of Gaming: https://www.instagram.com/npcsofgaming/
Website: https://aarafafzal.com/npcs
Recommended Videos:
Full NPC Photography Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZN3hp91xDmzoYeVBe4dwd2vSGXRsz3fV
Selected References / Works Cited:
Digital Foundry (2023). Hi-Fi Rush - The DF Tech Review. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qppoWhanwk&ab_channel=DigitalFoundry
Matsumura, Kazuya (2023). Hi-Fi RUSH - NPC. ArtStation. https://www.artstation.com/kazuyamatsumura
Stock images from Pixabay.com
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Here is a scrapped moment from the script:
The only joke I felt truly mixed about was in the game’s epilogue. After saving the company and restoring it to its rightful owner, Chai gets a job there — and there’s a little joke about how hes not getting paid.
[Insert quote here from Chai reflecting on his new unpaid job]
…And I get it! It’s fine. But I do think it is weird to use the same style of humor as they use for all the NPCs under Kale’s rule… in a moment we’re supposed to believe the company can be different. Can be better. I’m not saying this couldn’t have been a funny moment. Chai is a pretty goofy, irreverent character. Does he have “ideas” for this job? Was hiring him even a smart decision? Here, the game chooses self-deprecation in a moment it could have chosen triumph or irreverence instead — and probably told a more unique joke.
^ I decided to cut this because its the only moment that necessitated full spoilers, but it was a genuine point of critique for me. It reminded me of Parker Johnsons excellent article We Need to Drop the Savior Narrative On the Tango Gameworks Acquisition https://paletteswap.site/true-colors/we-need-to-drop-the-savior-narrative-on-the-tango-gameworks-acquisition/ .
Disability is also a major theme in the game when it comes to the human characters but I didnt feel qualified to go deep into that. I chose to focus on the robot NPCs and what the game has to say about labor instead.
It was nice to make a simpler, back-to-basics NPC photography episode again with this one! Hi-Fi Rush wasnt super high on the priority list for me initially, but thats part of what made the process feel more low-stakes and enjoyable. That also paired nicely with the tone of the game. What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Hi-Fi Rush](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j0GYwP1KPkc/mqdefault.jpg)



