CHICAGO — Director/editor Kyle Cogan and the team at Simian Design (www.simiandesign.tv), here, recently conceived, produced and posted a new music video for the southern heavy metal band Black Stone Cherry. The In Our Dreams video is the first track off the band’s upcoming album, “Kentucky,” which is set for release on April 1st. The video makes use of a range of material, including archival footage, newly-shot footage, visual effects, slow-motion photography and animation, all to visualize the song’s concept about the Earth being overcome by its oceans.
The video begins with a black & white ‘commercial’ that touts life in Hydros, a submerged world that offers both opportunity and safety. The soundtrack then comes in, with footage of the band performing, intercut with narrative elements that show the tension among the population living in this hybrid community.
Cogan directed and edited the piece, which was shot over several days last December and January. The project marked the first time working with the band, but Simian had worked with their label, Mascot Label Group, on two other videos in the past year.
“We wrote a treatment for In Our Dreams based on our resources,” explains Cogan. “There wasn’t a ton of money, so we were very resourceful. It was written about things we had access to.”
The team had conversations with lead singer Chris Robertson and the band, as well as with their management. And while there was some skepticism as to how they would ultimately pull off the concept, everyone loved the idea, says Cogan, and believed it in.
The video’s narrative elements were shot at Zombie Army Productions (www.zombiearmyproductions.com) in Chicago, a themed event space. They also had access to an indoor pool for some of the underwater shots.
Much of the video was shot hand-held using a Red Epic Dragon, with resolutions ranging from 2K to 5K. A Panasonic GH4 was used for the greenscreen shoot, as well as for underwater scenes. Tom Kinstle served as director of photography. Additional ‘underwater’ sequences were actually shot dry, with a tow rope lifting the talent slightly off the floor to allow for subtle movement. An air blower was used to make hair move, and a light dimmer created a water effect.
“We really couldn’t afford to shoot [it all] underwater, but needed to sell [the idea],” says Cogan. “It worked out.”
Some of the underwater shots of waves and current are from stock footage. Other effects were added using Maxon’s Cinema 4D.
The band was shot last, at a factory in Kentucky. Cogan then proceeded to edit the project using Adobe Premiere running on a MacBook Pro. Footage was stored on G-Technology G-Dock ev drives.
“I am primarily an editor,” he states, adding that he also is skilled in motion graphics and visual effects. He began using Premiere in 2008 while still in school, but then changed to Final Cut Pro. He’s since switched back.
“I love Premiere and Adobe, and how seamless it is between After Effects and Premiere. It’s insane how fast it works. Being able to edit in Red Raw — it just takes it — there’s no conversion.”
Cogas says he worked at ¼ resolution and was able to deliver the final video on January 27th, just three weeks after the production wrapped. Shooting in 4K allowed for cropping and stabilizing footage in some cases. The final edit was delivered in 1080 HD.
Rob Giglio color corrected the video using Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve and a Lumetri color panel. Marty Kane supervised the visual effects sequences. Sound designed was provided by FloodGates Audio.
Behind the Scenes Video