Two years ago after the lost to the Suns in 7 games, LakeShow09 and myself cut this video. I also posted a review that I recently found on it from a very respectable mixer:
It has been nearly two years since the release of LD2K & LS09's "Bad Day" mix and much has happened in that period of time to the world of internet mixmaking. The general advancement of mixmaking has been driven by fast-paced, frenetic highlight reels loaded with all the dunks a basketball fan could crave for and a fitting, often dramatic, song. The introduction of photoshop to mixes has led to many integration projects and there is a new standard set on the usage of Adobe After Effects. To top it all off TNT's new approach to dramatic video editing has led to a new style of mixmaking as amateurs try and mimic the essence of these film-like videos. This may sound like the dream of a mixmaking fan come true, and for many it is, but one important factor has been overlooked in this evolution of video editing. Substance. The mixes of today have the flash necessary to wow you and the soundtracks to exaggerate the drama in any given situation but they have nothing behind them. Mixes have become empty, meaningless shells of work that miss the essence of basketball. So even if "Bad Day" was made when mixmaking was a more basic form of video editing this video has the replay value that these new videos don't.
"Bad Day" rekindles your frustration as a fan or if you're not a fan, it gives you frustrations that you never knew you had to rekindle. It takes you on the rollcoaster of a ride that was the 06-07 Lakers-Suns Playoffs series and taps into all the key emotions as a player and a fan. The song is not brushed off as just an item to occasionally sync dunks to but as a key part of the combination of video and audio in creating the perfect atmosphere. The song pushes the video along as much as the video carries the song along. LD2K & LS09 also demonstrate their maturity as mixers and do a great job in not turning the mix into a "Look at the effects I can do" type video that we too often see where effects are forced and have no importance in contributing to the theme of the video. This mix is kept simple and clean as it should be to create a realistic feel to it as opposed to a somewhat exaggerated atmosphere that is created by unrealistic color schemes, thunder bolts striking players and whatever other effects are used these days. And I believe that this is one of the biggest secrets to creating a classic that will not fade out of the memory of viewers as quickly as it had been forced in. Having the will to ignore the temptation to follow along with clichés or fast-rising trends. Ignoring the desire for recognition you feel you deserve as a mixer that could be so easily gained by doing what everyone else wants at the time. Ignoring those cheap tricks and setting out to create something special. That is what it takes to make a classic.
