09
Jul11
Behind the Video: Memory Tapes’ “Green Knight (CREEP Remix)”
by Garage
Between sepia tones of green and blue, Memory Tapes’ (Dayve Hawk) “Green Knight” gets not only a dramatic aural re-imagining, but also a kaleidoscopic review in this video, directed by Ellen Frances. Remixed by New York’s CREEP (Lauren Flax and Lauren Dillard), gone are the original song’s guitar-driven, funk undertones and in their place starkly angled synthesizers cut space between lush, live-string orchestrations. The result is a melancholic, more than seven-minute arc that offers quite the fertile bed for a director’s imagination. Tying the voyeuristic narrative together with imagery of eyes, water and summer, Frances’ faded color palate makes for both a visually stunningly and befittingly creepy storyline. Produced by John Durgee, the dark, yet sentimental imagery flickers as perfectly with every violin bow as it does drum machine-driven beat. I had a chance to speak with Ellen about directing her first music video, working with her long-time friend, Lauren Flax, the ideas, coincidences and the inspiration that went behind the beautiful video.
What is “Green Knight” about?
It’s about a guy who’s in love with a girl, but it’s more of an obsession. He’s remembering their time together and he brings up different elements like water, the sunlight, it’s summer-orientated. We initially wanted to shoot it outside, but it was the beginning of March in New York at the time, so I came up with the idea of projecting summer images onto her in the same way he projected his feelings onto this girl with whom he no longer had any sort of a relationship.
How did you determine location?
The Chelsea Hotel was a big hang out for me in my early years in New York City. I held parties there for artists for years and knew some of the long time residents. Because of this I am really familiar with the rooms. Each one is decorated differently. Each one has its own history. The room we shot in was where Warhol shot "The Closet" with Nico and where Madonna stayed for quite a while. You get so much space there. You also get all of this interesting mis-matched vintage decor to work with. CREEP were only available for 24 hours because of their touring schedule, so we shot them first. Dayve's singing scenes we actually shot in John Durgee's (producer) apartment in Bushwick. John has a nice editing station and we could work all day shooting and editing in one location.
It’s about a guy who’s in love with a girl, but it’s more of an obsession. He’s remembering their time together and he brings up different elements like water, the sunlight, it’s summer-orientated. We initially wanted to shoot it outside, but it was the beginning of March in New York at the time, so I came up with the idea of projecting summer images onto her in the same way he projected his feelings onto this girl with whom he no longer had any sort of a relationship.
How did you determine location?
The Chelsea Hotel was a big hang out for me in my early years in New York City. I held parties there for artists for years and knew some of the long time residents. Because of this I am really familiar with the rooms. Each one is decorated differently. Each one has its own history. The room we shot in was where Warhol shot "The Closet" with Nico and where Madonna stayed for quite a while. You get so much space there. You also get all of this interesting mis-matched vintage decor to work with. CREEP were only available for 24 hours because of their touring schedule, so we shot them first. Dayve's singing scenes we actually shot in John Durgee's (producer) apartment in Bushwick. John has a nice editing station and we could work all day shooting and editing in one location.
What equipment was used in the shoot?
We set up a projector, cameras and lights. There wasn’t much else to it. It was all shot on a Canon 7D. It's an affordable way to get high-quality video, as it also has a lot of features like slow motion and the ability to change lenses. You usually can’t do that kind of stuff with cameras in that price range, so it was pretty cool to get so much using so little.
Who styled the heroine in the video?
We were given clothing by a fashion showroom here in New York, but didn’t end up using much since Mari [Kussman], the girl in the video, actually makes a lot of her own cloths. I've always liked her look and how expressive she is. When I got this project she was my number one choice to cast as "the girl" in the song. I think we could have put her in an old T-shirt and she still would have been magnetic on camera, she just has that quality about her.
We set up a projector, cameras and lights. There wasn’t much else to it. It was all shot on a Canon 7D. It's an affordable way to get high-quality video, as it also has a lot of features like slow motion and the ability to change lenses. You usually can’t do that kind of stuff with cameras in that price range, so it was pretty cool to get so much using so little.
Who styled the heroine in the video?
We were given clothing by a fashion showroom here in New York, but didn’t end up using much since Mari [Kussman], the girl in the video, actually makes a lot of her own cloths. I've always liked her look and how expressive she is. When I got this project she was my number one choice to cast as "the girl" in the song. I think we could have put her in an old T-shirt and she still would have been magnetic on camera, she just has that quality about her.
Let’s discuss some of the stunning visual elements in the video, such as the iris- kaleidoscope-peephole narrative, and Mari dancing in the projections…
Initially, there wasn’t any kind of storyline. It began as a very abstract series of images in my mind. Images of summer, water, crystals, eyes, being moved by a powerful force etc. I started with those images as inspiration and let it grow into a narrative. In the song, he’s obviously watching her from a distance, he is obsessed with her. The peephole became symbolic of being behind a barrier, while still able to engage in this obsessive longing. It also tied him to the room we shot Mari and CREEP in. The "wall" and "peephole" were made from a Fresh Direct box that John and I found on a corner in Bushwick (laughs). It was sort of a last minute addition. I cut a hole in the box, and we flashed a light through it - with that the narrative was born.
Initially, there wasn’t any kind of storyline. It began as a very abstract series of images in my mind. Images of summer, water, crystals, eyes, being moved by a powerful force etc. I started with those images as inspiration and let it grow into a narrative. In the song, he’s obviously watching her from a distance, he is obsessed with her. The peephole became symbolic of being behind a barrier, while still able to engage in this obsessive longing. It also tied him to the room we shot Mari and CREEP in. The "wall" and "peephole" were made from a Fresh Direct box that John and I found on a corner in Bushwick (laughs). It was sort of a last minute addition. I cut a hole in the box, and we flashed a light through it - with that the narrative was born.
As for the kaleidoscope, the initial boards I made for inspiration had many images of kaleidoscopes on them. At the time, I was obsessed with the idea of crystal therapy. I originally wanted to make the crystals turn into a kaleidoscope. It really had nothing to do with the song at the time, but after doing a few cuts of the video with that imagery in there, I realized that the kaleidoscope looks similar to the iris of an eye. It also symbolizes the complexity of everything going on in his mind. Instead of re-shooting Dayve's scenes we just shot John’s eye up close. He has blue eyes like Davye, so it all worked quite well.
What was working with John Durgee like?
I first met him when we both worked together at Fuse, the music television network. Ever since I worked with him on spots there, I always recognized his talent for cutting video to the beat of the music. He plays several instruments, so he really gets music in general. When Lauren Flax first approached me about the video, I knew that he’d be the best choice to cut the video in that respect. I’m more of a director than an editor. Creatively, he was really open which allowed me to try out several of ideas. It worked out very well, even though I think I drove him crazy for a few weeks!
What’s next?
What I think is great is that they will continue to perform the track live with a strings section all around the world. The video is projected behind them during the live show, and I think it adds a lot to the crowd experience. With the live strings, it’s much more dramatic. The video debuted at a party here in New York recently -- in the old Deitch Gallery, and [the artist] Ryan McGinness was there. My first job in New York was in his studio years ago, so it was pretty awesome to see him watching my work. What's next for me personally? I'm working on developing a feature film, I'm working on the renovation of an arena and looking forward to doing more work like this, where my collaborators are not only talented artists, but really good, hardworking people.
I first met him when we both worked together at Fuse, the music television network. Ever since I worked with him on spots there, I always recognized his talent for cutting video to the beat of the music. He plays several instruments, so he really gets music in general. When Lauren Flax first approached me about the video, I knew that he’d be the best choice to cut the video in that respect. I’m more of a director than an editor. Creatively, he was really open which allowed me to try out several of ideas. It worked out very well, even though I think I drove him crazy for a few weeks!
What’s next?
What I think is great is that they will continue to perform the track live with a strings section all around the world. The video is projected behind them during the live show, and I think it adds a lot to the crowd experience. With the live strings, it’s much more dramatic. The video debuted at a party here in New York recently -- in the old Deitch Gallery, and [the artist] Ryan McGinness was there. My first job in New York was in his studio years ago, so it was pretty awesome to see him watching my work. What's next for me personally? I'm working on developing a feature film, I'm working on the renovation of an arena and looking forward to doing more work like this, where my collaborators are not only talented artists, but really good, hardworking people.
Kendah El-Ali is a Midwestern-Middle Eastern writer who lives in New York. She has written for publications such as The Independent, Filter Magazine, BlackBook Magazine and SOMA Magazine.
Comments