Excerpts from a magazine interview with Mrinal B - Director of the music video for my upcoming single, 'Champion of Broken Hearts' (set to release in November,) where he talks about the creative vision and the execution of an epic theme and storyboard.
At First Listen:
"From the first time I heard the song, it was very obvious to me that visually, it demanded a certain grandeur and scale that befitted the arrangement of the song and its dramatic flair. When Gayathri and I first started to discuss the vision for the song, her idea, which has now become emblematic of that grand scale free-spiritedness of the song, was dance and exuberant, strong choreography. Although my initial vision for the video was to keep things really stylized and in a zone that didn't involve dance, her referencing of broadway, and old-worldly cinematic expression of song became very fascinating and the trail between her ideas and the way the song is composed, arranged and produced became very clear. So for me, to translate that style and scale of story-telling, visually, became my mission and my role."
Technically Speaking
Primarily the video has Gayathri who is the protagonist playing the character of the 'Champion of Broken Hearts', accompanied by dancers who are also characters in the context, against which the video is set. Although styled and defined to the tee, these characters all serve the purpose of bringing to light the passionate, central theme and character of the song, and her powerful, self-satirizing, comedic struggle with heartbreak. There were a thousand ways to tell this story, be it setting it in the grandest of locations or having a huge cast, which the song can easily pull off, but since we were working within a constrained budget, considering that Gayathri is an independent artist supporting herself, we decided to up the technical ante, so to speak. We're using a combination of sweeping wide-screen shots, a dramatic backdrop, gorgeous formation choreography and lots of action within the frames to convey the message of the story. Although I will be directing this video and concept, there is a whole crew that is making this come to life. The choreographer has created a hybrid genre of dance inspired by the song, combining the worlds of broadway, contemporary & jazz styles with that of combative, warfare-style movements. The styling department are an industrious and creative lot, completely engrossed in detailing these characters and most importantly, have brought Gayathri's character to life through careful and confident styling. The project and its outcome will purely reflect an incredible jamming of minds."
A huge thank you to Mrinal and the whole crew, who are currently working so hard on the project. This video has faced more than a few obstacles, be it a canceling of shoot two days before the date it was scheduled for, Union/Production issues or funny yet tiresome language barriers. This reboot has been a dream so far. Hurrah for Bombay and its infinite sources of respite.
At First Listen:
"From the first time I heard the song, it was very obvious to me that visually, it demanded a certain grandeur and scale that befitted the arrangement of the song and its dramatic flair. When Gayathri and I first started to discuss the vision for the song, her idea, which has now become emblematic of that grand scale free-spiritedness of the song, was dance and exuberant, strong choreography. Although my initial vision for the video was to keep things really stylized and in a zone that didn't involve dance, her referencing of broadway, and old-worldly cinematic expression of song became very fascinating and the trail between her ideas and the way the song is composed, arranged and produced became very clear. So for me, to translate that style and scale of story-telling, visually, became my mission and my role."
Technically Speaking
Primarily the video has Gayathri who is the protagonist playing the character of the 'Champion of Broken Hearts', accompanied by dancers who are also characters in the context, against which the video is set. Although styled and defined to the tee, these characters all serve the purpose of bringing to light the passionate, central theme and character of the song, and her powerful, self-satirizing, comedic struggle with heartbreak. There were a thousand ways to tell this story, be it setting it in the grandest of locations or having a huge cast, which the song can easily pull off, but since we were working within a constrained budget, considering that Gayathri is an independent artist supporting herself, we decided to up the technical ante, so to speak. We're using a combination of sweeping wide-screen shots, a dramatic backdrop, gorgeous formation choreography and lots of action within the frames to convey the message of the story. Although I will be directing this video and concept, there is a whole crew that is making this come to life. The choreographer has created a hybrid genre of dance inspired by the song, combining the worlds of broadway, contemporary & jazz styles with that of combative, warfare-style movements. The styling department are an industrious and creative lot, completely engrossed in detailing these characters and most importantly, have brought Gayathri's character to life through careful and confident styling. The project and its outcome will purely reflect an incredible jamming of minds."
A huge thank you to Mrinal and the whole crew, who are currently working so hard on the project. This video has faced more than a few obstacles, be it a canceling of shoot two days before the date it was scheduled for, Union/Production issues or funny yet tiresome language barriers. This reboot has been a dream so far. Hurrah for Bombay and its infinite sources of respite.
