Noise-A-Tron
This piece for the song “Nine” was my first foray into incorporating the abstract blending style I use for my live performance visuals into a more narrative music video format. Jason and Lea Bledsoe (Noise-A-Tron) desired to have the video filmed in water as a way to visualize the turbulence of life, mostly the contrast between moments of peace and struggle. Water itself is so vital for survival yet, at the same time, can completely overtake and destroy you.
The video is a story of a couple's reunion and powerful bond triggering a bewildering journey through an uncertain world where every moment has its own unique intensity, and the path is not quite clear. Eventually there's an awakening, where they're trapped within a haunting void and then fade from existence altogether. Where did they go and where do we go in the end, really? What is this life?
NINE
Not really having access to a controlled body of water where we could film, we opted for purchasing a rectangular kiddie pool that we set up in a friend’s backyard. Unfortunately, the video shoot had to happen in May in order for it to be ready in time for the album’s release. This meant temperatures would still be pretty chilly at night here in the PNW and we needed to film in the evening for the desired lighting effect. This film shoot was completely DIY. We didn’t have access to, nor funds to purchase, a device that would heat the water in the pool. Our solution was to continuously boil pots of water on our friend’s kitchen stove and periodically pour them into the pool in an attempt to warm it up a little. Despite our efforts, the water temperature remained uncomfortably cold for Jason and Lea during the shoot. But, they were willing to endure these conditions for the sake of artistic expression!
Though water was the primary focus, I also shot some scenes of Jason and Lea separately in a young forest and in Lake Washington, leading up to the point in which they find one another and are united within the body of water. Their moments of peace and struggle continue from there.
During the editing process, I blended clips of Eric Nielsen's visuals that he created for projection during the band's live performances into the music video.
Special thanks to Eric Nielsen, Ashley McEneny, Joseph Uccello, and Brock Bledsoe for their indispensable help during the shoots!
Jason spoke with Echoes and Dust, regarding the release of the album “Inherent Grey” and the video premiere for "Nine”. He shared the following:
“For Lea and myself this record represents a metamorphosis. Which was apparent to us in our music as well as our lives. This record is a product of overcoming issues, both physical and mental. To which you either evolve and overcome, or surrender completely. When you put these concepts into physical form, we felt it was properly characterized by water. In the sense that it is vital to survival, yet can overtake and destroy you. There is a delicate balance that is to be respected…When it comes to ‘Nine’ we feel like this piece of music encapsulates, and embodies all of these concepts from the record. Collaborating with Amy was fantastic! She was the perfect person to take all of these elements and comprise them into the visual representation that is ‘Nine’. The journey of life that you share with one another. The struggles, the peace, and ultimately an end.”
