Those who know me know that I’ve been doing a lot of blogging for clients these past few months. It’s been fun, but it’s coming to an end. And my poor blog has been ignored as of late. It’s time for an update. Here’s one that I wrote for a postproduction client of mine. The director, Michael Maxxis is one of the most creative people I’ve ever met. He’s going places.
Fragile Bird: City and Colour/Shantal VanSantan Music Video Released Today
After releasing ‘Fragile Bird’ in April, City and Colour, aka singer-songwriter Dallas Green, along with director Michael Maxxis and Rooster Post Production editor Dave De Carlo, have just finished the video for the lead single off Green’s third album, “Little Hell”.
The video takes viewers to a dark brothel, similar to one that was once visited by Maxxis (by then a bar in Memphis). Green’s brief to Maxxis was “sexy & sultry” allowing Maxxis to recreate the brothel/bar, a location Maxxis calls “the coolest building ever.” The video, shot by DP and perennial Maxxis collaborator Adam Marsden, emulates an emotionally tormented woman as she flashes back through her past.
The video stars Shantal VanSantan of “One Tree Hill” fame. A longtime Dallas Green fan, VanSantan became friendly with Green and his wife. When VanSantan was suggested for the role, Maxxis jumped at it. “I wanted to shoot her in a timeless, Hollywood 30′s or 40′s way” said Maxxis, “She added a lot to the video. I didn’t realize how gorgeous she is. She has that X-Factor … that thing that she can turn on in front of the camera. It was a pleasant surprise.”
Editor Dave De Carlo cut the video in a very lean 3 or 4 days, working mostly in the evenings and at night owing to his busy schedule. In addition to cutting the video, De Carlo also did all the visual FX work on over 50 shots. Says Maxxis, “The edit was really intense but Dave lives for editing. I think sleep deprivation took Dave into another state of mind … a really interesting place. It’s almost like the less sleep he got the better the video got. Everyone was thrilled with it when he was done.”
