I was approached by the band FM Rodeo to shoot a music video for them. While their previous music video was stellar by all accounts, they were looking for something more experimental. Since the subject-matter of the song is controversial to say the least, we needed to take extra care to be as respectful as possible without compromising artistic integrity. Eventually we came up with a basic storyline and started building scene ideas until we had the rough idea of what it would look like. Once I found a set and got with my creative partner/videographer (the ever-amazing Kenzie Jacobs) we got to work! Some scenes were modified to fit the location better and we also shot several things off-the-cuff that ended up being used in the video!
Check out the video!
The clients were ecstatic with the resulting end-product! The video was a success, and they informed me that they will be looking to work with me again in the future.
Generating social media content for a video with a dark subject matter presents its own challenges. You can’t be too serious or you could turn people away, but you can’t joke about a topic that is so fresh in the mind of Americans everywhere. Ultimately we decided on a series of slapstick 90’s VHS style videos that show the band members themselves goofing around. This avoided the topic of the subject matter and allowed the band to give a more personal look into themselves as individuals.
For the video we made, we decided on creating a melancholic sense of nostalgia that organically flows with the music into something more serious. We showed this through wide angled shots that gave a sense of isolation, and then ended it with a highly technical effects piece of the singer aggressively playing alongside the lyrics in a high-contrast environment.
