After the release of the "Alive" video by Krewella, director Bryan Schlam decided to cut together a remix version of the video, for fun, which included some previously planned visual effects by BEMO. These effects, despite being cut from the original video, ended up working out enough for Krewellas management to officially release the remix version as well. We talked to Bryan about "Alive" and "Alive (Pegboard Nerds Remix)," working with BEMO on the visual effects, and finding happiness in both versions.
Doug: Just in basic terms, what kind of led to there being two versions of the video?
Bryan: Initially, what you see as the remix version was supposed to be the main clip. The artists management was hesitant to release the VFX. Understandably so, since its really something we created specifically for this track, so they didnt really have any frame of reference or anything to directly compare it to. They didnt know how people would receive it. I put together a final cut for them without the effects and on a whim; I fit my original cut into the most popular remix of the song. It worked great, fit the vibe better, and they ultimately decided to release two separate clips.
Doug: How do you feel about the original cut, were you happy with it?
Bryan: Im definitely happy that it came out. Without the VFX, its definitely a different kind of video. It became more of a lifestyle kind of piece. At the end of the day, its still interesting, fits the song, and looks good. I like both versions, though. I think I would say thats 80% of the battle when doing music videos is actually having a release. Once it came out, that hump was over and I was able to focus on trying to get my remix version approved.
Doug: Who did the effect for you on the remix version, was that BEMO?
Bryan: Yeah, we used BEMO, who did all the effects for the last David Guetta video that Hiro did. Collaborating with him was amazing. We literally spent almost half the budget in post to come up with these effects.
Doug: So, if the remix version had not have come out, half of the budget would essentially have just evaporated?
Bryan: Yeah. We were planning for it. I wanted an artist to work with to create something new for the project, so it was almost as if we had two units on the video. We worked with the practical visuals and aesthetic and created a look, and then spent almost a month behind the screen creating a unique style for the animation. I prefer coming up with effects based on motion and kinetic energy. This one was purely motion and physics-based. We were playing with the different kinds of physics. When they hit the ground, was the ground going to sink? What was the density of the ground going to be? Was the ground going to crack, or was it going to shake? There were a lot of different actual physics things that we had to do, so we brought it into Cinema 4D. He put together a bunch of different objects and bunch of different materials. Eventually we settled on a cracking, so it looked a little more dynamic. Initially, I was thinking about having it cave in kind of like if you stepped into a big piece of Styrofoam, and your feet sunk in. The cracking ended up looking a lot more dynamic.
DP Jackson Hunt completely handheld on an Alexa, and Rachel Fox pulling focus with no monitor
Doug: Im sure its better than if the final cut came out and youre watching it and suddenly theres some footage in there that you didnt even shoot and that you didnt cut in. Ive heard of that type of thing happening as well.
Bryan: Absolutely. Even though there are two edits, I feel like I own both of them. In this scenario, I didnt necessarily complete creative control, but I was able to make my own final cut. It was a cut that I was able to put my stamp of approval on.
Doug: As far as they production process, obviously you spend most of your time in New York, and this video was shot in LA over the span of a month. What is that process like when you travel to LA to shoot for a month? Is it like trying to find places to stay and stuff while youre there, or does the budget also cover you staying in L.A.? How does that all break down?
Bryan: On this one, I pretty much broke even. I knew I was going to have to stay there to oversee post because there was a lot of R&D we had to create a language, know exactly what style of visuals we were going to use and how we were going to use it. I knew that it wouldve been way too hard to communicate via the internet or something like that. I needed to be there in person where we could hash it out. So I found a sublet in a performance art gallery, which was actually very funny. They ended up having an art show in my bedroom one of the nights. I stayed there, rented a car, and I was here for the month. It was a nice experience. I used to live in LA, I lived there for about three years. It wasnt culture shock or anything, I knew what I was getting into, and more importantly knew where all the best coffee was. I put the treatment together and all the pre-visuals on my end in New York. We were able to book BEMO before we got the official green light, so we had a few phone/email conversations about our inspirations and the actual way production needed to shoot it in order for him to work with the footage. Once the job officially booked, I just flew right out and stayed there for the month.
Producer Sarah Lawson on the scout, posing so they could see how the wides would look
Doug: Then there were the re-edited re-cuts that had to be done to the video to kind of get it out - was that all done in LA as well, or did you take some of that back with you to Brooklyn?
Bryan: They asked for a few different revisions, so I eventually ran out of time in LA and I had to do one more pass back at home in New York. I honestly prefer editing at my office in Brooklyn, so it worked out pretty well. Every time I travel, theres always a quick deadline and I end up having to cut a lot of the video on my laptop. Its so much nicer to have two huge monitors and speakers when Im editing than to be sitting in someones living room with headphones on, trying to rush something out for the client. I do both though, Im a trooper.
