Sahtyre – Suicide
It doesn’t seem like its been so long since the 1st draft of the script for Sahtyre’s “Suicide” was sent out. My personal favorite song from Sahtyre’s LSD (The Prelude) mixtape, since first hearing the song and being offered to direct the video I’ve been super anxious to bring this song to life. We had done a good job with the Miss Communication video and the B.A.R.S. series back in early 2012 that I have been anxious to work with Sahtyre again, especially if we were able to to secure a decent budget for the next one. After initially throwing ideas back and forth, the original concept being the creation of Sahtyre himself, we were confident enough in the script to wait for the right time to shoot it. Before shooting Suicide, Sahtyre shot and released three other videos from the mixtape (LSD-The Anthem, Bad Habit, & Broccoli) with assistance from another videographer/director, Adam Stanzak, all three being really incredible, although the LSD video stood out to me as some next level stuff. I was after about 7-8 months later starting to have my doubts about the Suicide video actually becoming a reality….until about late September when I got the call from Sahtyre to finally do it. Steez.
Enter: Suicide….the story of a young girl who gets caught up in the allure of “fame” and “super-stardom” and who subsequently ends up paying the ultimate price for it all in the end. The video follows the young girl (Kiara Black) through her slow transition from dancer to model (Brianna King), and her fall from grace leading to her…suicide. Shot on location in Hollywood, CA, the video for Suicide has a very polished, clean but dark and ominous look and feel to it, which was exactly what we envisioned.. More short film than music video, and with no performance shots or even a small cameo from Sahtyre, the video depended solely on the dark aesthetic and the gripping story to pull the viewer into the world in which we created. Working with Sahtyre, Adam Stanzak, and Michael Paredes made directing a breeze. Our pre-production work definitely made all of the difference in the world, and the fact that all of the actors were all on point made filming this video the smoothest process it’s ever been for me. Shot in just two days, the music video for Suicide is arguably my best work yet as a director and has only got me anxious for the next one. In the meantime…watch and enjoy.
Note: There are many different themes being presented in this video…lets see if you can pick up on them.
[New Video] The Gatlin – Gusto
Back in August we released our first collaborative video for Sacramento emcee The Gatlin, entitled Victorian Muzik, which followed Gatlin through an awakening process from the street life to attaining enlightenment. The video attempted to shed light on the drug game as a government set-up and followed Gatlin through his becoming aware of the trap. We now come to the second installment of the video series with the video for Gusto, which takes us back to the events that take place before Victorian Muzik and acts as the impetus of this self-awakening. In this new video, a prequel if you will, we Gatlin caught in the paradigm of risk vs. reward and the rules of the streets….and almost loosing his life as a result.
The video begins with a drug deal gone bad and then explores the events that led up to Gatlin’s near untimely death. The video paints a realistic portrayal of the pitfalls of the street life alluding to the fact that although the reward may be great, in the end the risks one takes with his/her life is not worth that reward. Gatlin learns this the hard way, although he ultimately survives death and is able to live to tell the story. Gusto in no way tries to glorify the street life, rather tells of the reality of its dangers which often lead to incarceration or certain death. The video co-stars many of Sacramento’s noteworthy emcees who join Gatlin in bring this street tale to life. Watch and enjoy.
[New Video] Amadeuz Christ-The Happening (Official HD Music Video)
After 2 months of shooting and editing, the official music video for The Happening is finally complete! Exactly three months after the Luzion “Doin Me Again” video…sounds like a long time but we’ve been busy. Special thanks to everyone involved in this project. Victor Del Castillo for the C0-Direct…one love! Great job. Anthony Riser on the DP keeping everyone in line, getting the crucial shots, and getting the locations! Special thank you to Priyal Patel for the additional shooting, design, and production (you got my favorite shots!). Shots out to Malcolm Halcrombe and Jimmy Evans again for the excellent acting and screen-work. It was a long time coming, lots of shooting, and crazy editing but we got it done and got the idea out. Crazy team. Look out for the mixtape coming soon…The Prince and the Disscourses. Just a little something for summer…more videos coming soon…stay tuned. I.V League.
Amadeuz Christ 