We are truly entering a glorious era of visual effects, one in which you won’t have to wait for epic, budget-blowing fantasy box office train wrecks (ah, Willow) just to see eye candy onscreen. Now you just need to wait for someone to blow a massive budget on a music video.

Want proof? How about this music video from LA’s Chris Dane Owens. Sure, some people in the blogosphere get cranky about the post-a-palooza going on here. I think they’re just jealous of Owens, who works with director effects god Robert Short (E.T., Beetle Juice, and even a black rhino on MacGyver).

I was saddened to learn this wasn’t quite parody – I suppose in LA people actually get serious about this stuff. But what does artist intent matter, anyway? If you imagined somehow combining every 1980s fantasy effects piece into five musical minutes, I think you couldn’t come up with half of this. Even that random crocodile fits in, somehow. And explosions. So many explosions.

Be sure to watch the better-quality Flash version. Direct link:

Shine on Me [Flash]

There’s an interview with Chris Dane Owens on the LA Times’ entertainment blog, though it’s really Robert Short I want to hear from. Intentionally or not, it’s as though the talented Mr. Short has made a massive in joke between him and other 80s effects artists.

An Internet star is born: Chris Dane Owens to singlehandedly slay bad economy via new music video [Pop & Hiss blog]