Deadpanning (also know as the opposite of camera mugging) is an overlooked form of performance art in music videos. At IMVDb, we enthusiastically recognize and promote the art of deadpan, so we were excited when in late 2012 and early 2013, directing duo Harrys released two videos for "So Many Details" and "Say That" by Toro y Moi, featuring some of the finest deadpanning we've ever seen. We talked to Harrys about nature, Dodge Challengers, and video hyperbole.

Doug: There was a unique promotion along with these two videos where when “So Many Details” reached 250k views, “Say That” was released. Was this a plan that you guys involved with, or were you just commissioned to do the two videos?

Harrys: No, we weren't involved in the "unlocking" promotion. We just set out to make two videos with Chaz and I believe the label/management decided to take that route.

Doug: How soon after deciding to work on 35mm film did you call Evan Prosofsky, or did you reach out to Evan first? Have you worked with him before or was this the first time?

Harrys: We actually shot the "Say That" on 16mm back in May. We storyboarded the concept out and kept coming back to the idea of these long zooms that you might see in films from the 70's. We reached out to Evan and after some discussions, decided that Super 16mm was the best format for this particular concept. The "Say That" video was the first time we worked with Evan, and we continued to collaborate on 3 more projects together. We get along very well. He's Canadian.

Doug: For “So Many Details,” I read a quote from you guys where you say you guys were trying to create an exaggerated lifestyle in the vein of 90’s Hype Williams videos. I’m pretty sure the way Hype pulled off a lot of his exaggerations was by spending lots and lots of money. Was that an option for you guys, or did you go about it in a different way?

Harrys: We knew that we wanted to make a hyperbolic r&b video shot on 35mm from the very start, but also knew we wouldn't have a very large budget. Somehow, by way of favors (and a crew of friends) we were able to pull it off on a relatively tight budget.

Doug: Most music videos are a lot less self aware about their use of exaggeration, is intentional hyperbole something that is difficult to achieve in a music video?

Harrys: I think it was easy to achieve the hyperbole in this video because the video, in it's design, represents a lifestyle that anybody who knows Chaz knows he clearly doesn't have. He is not a big time rapper, and we knew going into the video that it would be this change in context that would create that sense of hyperbole. If we had done the exact same video for Rick Ross, maybe it wouldn't feel so overly exaggerated.

Doug: In order to achieve that hyperbole, you guys had to rent a sweet car and private jet. Do you guys do that stuff all the time or was that a pretty unique experience?

Harrys: The car in the video is actually a Dodge Challenger. We love that car because on one hand it's incredibly mainstream, on the other its design is really sleek and combines a vintage body with futuristic elements, specifically the taillight. Though the video itself has some stylistic elements from the 70's, the car is what keeps it from being retro. The plane was a Baron Beechkraft from 1974, also in white. This level of lavishness was definitely a first for us.

Doug: What was the inspiration of the “Say That” video?

Harrys: We simply liked the idea that the filmmakers of this video were more interested in capturing nature than in shooting a music video. This is how we approached the shots where Chaz is obscured by various elements of the forest.

Doug: A lot of YouTubers seem particularly impressed with Chaz Bundick’s ability to keep a straight face throughout "Say That." Did you find that there were there any shots that were more difficult than others when it comes to maintaining that straight face?

Harrys: Being that we shot on film, we only had so many takes that we could actually shoot. Chaz was great and knew exactly what we were going for from the very first take. The long zooms were pretty funny: Our Art Director Cooper was actually crouching behind boulders or trees next to Chaz, communicating to him when we were rolling.

Doug Klinger is the co-founder/content director of IMVDb and watches more music videos than anyone on earth. You can find him on twitter at @doug_klinger.