Nevermore "I, Voyager" Video Shoot
Average Rating: 5 Skulls
Listen to the track "I, Voyager" (Courtsey of Century Media)
|
Nevermore "I, Voyager" Video Shoot
Average Rating: 5 Skulls |
|||
|
|
|||
|
Listen to the track "I, Voyager" (Courtsey of Century Media) | |||
Death's Review (4/10/04, Los Angeles, CA):
Photos by HelNow that Nevermore and Century Media have kissed and made up, with Nevermore signing a new deal, it’s time to get down to the business of promoting Nevermore’s criminally underrated Enemies of Reality album. First step: video number two, this time directed by Kevin Leonard. Trust me folks, after getting the opportunity to come to the set and check out the short, this is the Nevermore video the world has been waiting for. Goth-tinged, dark and filled with female vampires, mixed with Nevermore thrashing out—what more could you ask for? On top of getting to go behind the scenes on the set of a music video, something I’d personally never done before, we got to hang out, drink some beers, and chat with the band. Truly a wonderful experience.
The day started early, but we waited until late, knowing that there was a lot of set up time, and having been tipped off by the Century Media folks that the “full band” performance would not be taking place until well into the night. We packed some beers into a cooler and hit he 110 Freeway from Downtown L.A. headed North, arriving at about 10 p.m. Really, it was just in time for the real action to start. After a quick hello with the band members, we cracked open a couple of beers and kicked back, watching as each band member, one by one, shot their “close up.” Basically, they each mimed their performance unplugged while “I, Voyager,” played on a tape. As a musician, I was fascinated with the band trying to learn the “video edit” version of the song, and found it particularly neat to watch as the band sat around in a circle and jammed the song “unplugged,” while vocalist Warrel Dane sang “a cappella.” All the while, we were kickin’ it old school style, hanging out outside, in the dark, drinking beer and jamming metal.
Soon a crowd started to gather in this residential neighborhood, as people climbed on the roof of a nearby house to watch the rock stars in action. Who knows if they even knew who they were watching, but it was cool for the band to have a bit of an audience, I think. Of course, one of the neighbors apparently called the cops because the noise was too loud, so I guess having the rest of them at least interested in the shoot was a bonus. By the time we got around to the full band performance somewhere around 11:30, they director was running out of time. Nonetheless, Leonard did an awesome job of keeping things moving along without stressing out or making the band feel uncomfortably rushed, while keeping the crew and the property owner happy by not running over time. The biggest stress of the day seemed to be how silly the band thought their gothic vampire makeup was making them look—that certainly was the source of many jokes throughout the night. Personally, the highlight for me was standing right behind the main camera during the band performance footage, and with Dane staring right at the camera I took it upon myself to add to the vibe as best I could by banging my head and mouthing along with the words. By the time guitarist Jeff Loomis flipped his guitar behind his head, it was official—this was going to be one killer video. New member Steve Smyth was awesome, and bassist Jim Sheppard (who wore his hair in a ponytail despite everyone telling him to wear it down) and drummer Van Williams rocked out hard (he was hitting fake cymbals that did not ring when they were hit – also, there were no kick drum pedals – weird, huh?) and kicked some serious ass.
I really think this is going to be a great video for Nevermore. It will be fun for the fans and presents the band in a really cool way. I can’t wait to see the finished project, and am psyched for the forthcoming U.S. headlining tour.
Hel's Review (4/10/04, Los Angeles, CA):
The first time you get to do something is always special and fun. So, needless to say, I was pretty excited for my first video shoot. The fact that it was a Nevermore video, on of my all time favorite bands, and for the song, “I, Voyager,” one of my favorite songs, well, that just made it all even better. In the middle of a crazy, packed weekend, I was actually having trouble getting motivated despite the fact that I was really psyched. Fortunately, my favorite Century Media publicist was keeping us updated on the various delays throughout the day, aiming to have us arrive for the band performances, which kept being pushed back and back. So it was getting rather late by the time we finally left to make the trek to the location at which the video was being shot.
Arriving at night, the outdoor location was brightly lit and therefore very easy to find. We got the tour, were introduced to the band, and still had time to get situated before the performance part began. The house next door had an impromptu party going on the roof, with quite a crowd gathered to watch – we all wondered if they had any idea who Nevermore was… The crew had been at it all day, but the media and band had been partying throughout so the atmosphere was very festive. A couple of the guys made a point of telling me that they don’t normally wear makeup, and there was some discussion amongst the band members about the resemblance to corpse-paint that was the result. On camera though, the effect was not as dramatic, and they seemed somewhat relived by this. The members of the band joked constantly, and seemed to be having a lot of fun. Between the performances, the members would stand together and chat, sometimes mingling, sometimes gathering together for an impromptu unplugged jam – it was quite a sight seeing them all standing in a circle with their instruments and makeup in a mellow moment.
The performances were shot one by one, first the band members each were shot individually, some with the drummer in the background, and then the entire band was shot together, and lastly, the drummer by himself. Though it was just one song, when done six times, with extensive repositioning of the lights and camera in between each, it took a couple of hours to get it all done. Earlier in the day, they shot several scenes inside the building with Warrel, but these performances at the end of the night were the first time the rest of the band members found themselves in front of the camera. While the segments were being shot, everyone quieted down and watched, but with all the set up between there was still much time to socialize in between. It was fun to watch the performances of the band members individually – in a live setting you always have to divide your attention between them, but here, it was impossible not to focus on just one person – that was the whole point.
The entire night was highly entertaining, and it was really great to see the camaraderie, both between the band members, and what had developed between the people that had been there all day long. Stories were told, jokes were made, alcohol was consumed, fun was had, and a video was made. It was evident by the time the shoot wrapped that the long day had taken its toll but there was a feeling of accomplishment in the air. My first video shoot was all that I hoped and more, and I look forward to seeing the finished product on my television at home in the near future. Until then, I give you all a sampling of what we witnessed. Enjoy!
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.
