One year ago, we shot Madness with Chris Mahoney (see the video here!) Yesterday being our one-year anniversary for the video, we managed to put together another production with the popular guitarist for another great track-- Immersion.
Shooting for this one took place in an old abandoned church in Poughkeepsie, NY. The catholic church was built in the early 1800's, and to our knowledge, was left empty around 2001. It may have been rustic, but its elaborate interior made for an amazing location! We had no trouble finding interesting angles to shoot, with so much depth, texture, and color.
Through the night, we couldn't help but feel a bit creeped out by the old building. Upon entering, we found a dead crow and dead bat. The dusty, creeky floor boards in the basement were very fragile, so we were sure to be careful. Once the sun set, a full moon lit up the dead, winter landscape, and to our surprise, a bat decided to barge into our set! It flew in circles through the sanctuary as our crew and Chris ducked for cover! We managed to finish up the shoot after it took shelter within the old bell tower.
Now we're faced with shooting the remaining cutaways, and editing the project together. We'll be sure to post details when it's ready for viewing!
After a couple months of planning, shooting and editing, AZR's new music video for Colorways is finally out to public! The video features solo artist, Jordan, in several locations around the city, blended with overlayed special effects. Producer, Director, and Editor, Melyssa Vazquez is a full-time freelance filmmaker. She's got at least 20 music videos in the can, and a handful of other notable productions. Here is her insight on the project in a quick Q&A:
NB: How did you meet AZR?
MV: AZR and I met through a friend of his who I had directed a music video for a few months back. He contacted me asking wether I would be interested in directing a video for him.
NB: What was AZR's initial request? Did he have a concept in mind, and what was he expecting when he contacted you?
MV: He wanted something that was true to the rhythm and that celebrated life and humanity.
NB: What was your process in conceptualizing this video?
MV: Conceptualizing involves listening to the song as much as you can in order to get every idea that pops into your mind out there. Then you start picking which ideas fit better with the song as a concept. Our budget was a little tight so we had to look at what we had to work with. After a few conversations and e-mailing back and forth we came up with a concept that we both loved.
NB: What locations did you choose to shoot in, and how did you find them?
MV: The locations we chose were based on where we could get away with shooting guerilla style and also what would look cool. The performance shots overlooking the skyline we shot in Brooklyn Bridge park which is a really nice, open space. The other location that I loved was near the Irish Memorial in Lower Manhattan, which AZR had discovered during his album cover photo shoot.
NB: What was the best part about the shoot?
MV: The best part about the shoot was getting to work with AZR and collaborate with him on set. Also, shooting around NYC always gets my adrenaline pumping. I walk around everyday but I don't get to capture it everyday. There is something about seeing it through a lens that makes it so much more epic.
NB: ...and the worst?
MV: [Chuckles] the worst was the cold. It was a very cold and windy night. If you have ever been around Lower Manhattan during a windy, cold day you know it's pretty harsh.
NB: How did you go about designing the visual effects for this?
MV: That was a lot of experimenting. From the beginning we wanted to modify the shots with visual effects by overlaying different kinds of moving images. At one point we shot AZR singing with a mouthpiece that had an LED light inside which was constantly flashing.
NB: What was AZR's reaction to the finished product?
MV: He was very impressed with the first edit I sent him. He could not believe how great it came together.
NB: Would you do a video like this again?
MV: I would love to do another video like this. It was really fun making it and I hope AZR and I get to work together again.
Two weeks ago we were just going about our day when Nathan received an e-mail from mobygratis.com about a contest to produce a music video for Moby. He mentioned it to Melyssa and she instantly wanted to do it. Then, came up with a concept which they both felt strongly about and could personally relate to.
We were lucky to find two very talented actors that were as excited and committed to the film as we were. Polaris and Meghan filled the roles perfectly and added a whole new layer to the characters which I couldn't have done myself.
Brains and future got Shelley, our Art Director, very excited and she did a great job and making a weird futuristic environment with a homemade feel that the character in the video would have made himself.
About the Concept: The future is uncertain but we always try to find ways to keep our loved ones around, and sometimes we can be selfish about it.
