Spero is a California-based rock and roll band with a nod to heavier blues with rich, gritty tones. Recently they had an opportunity to record with Vance Powell in Nashville after meeting him during SXSW.
The message
Our project director Yufei ‘Skylar’ Zhang, put it best, “The song invites you to speak out loud about what you’re thinking without giving it too much thought. Society has become sick because people have stopped being honest. We need to be brave and get loud. We have to free ourselves from the mask we put on every day.”
Stylistic choice
The entire video would be shot with slow-motion and sudden drops in speed to extreme slow-motion at the climax to emphasize the song’s powerful beats and strong message.
Predominant close-ups with shallow depth of field and great amounts of mist and shadow were our main lighting choices.
Location
A soundstage gave us a lot of control. The entire area had to be pitch black for the audience to lose any visual reference to the size of the place, creating a feeling of vastness and endless possibilities.
Cinematography
The song underlines various aspects of the choices made by our cinematographer, Bogdan Yansen. By working together, cinematography and music were able to set the perfect atmosphere. The framing and camera movements had to reflect and enhance the mood. Steadicam was the main choice for camera work as it would enhance the shots.
Color palette
The color palette had to be a transition from low saturation to colorful splashes of paint.
The visuals were to change as the story progressed towards a better reality. The cold tones had to reflect the mood of the original setting of the world (complete alienation).
The result
After an incredible production, post-production took a little longer than I would’ve liked, but I believe it was worth the while.
Watch the music video below!