SOPHIE BARROTT
ARTIST | ART DIRECTOR | DESIGNER | DIRECTOR
Hyperdawn | Maybe
‘Maybe’ stood out upon first listen. Its refrain, an unsettling loop, eerie melodies spiraling in endless recurrence. Vitalja's vocals, like fragmented dispatches, echo like a call into the void of the night.
Like the oscillation of the reel to reel tape player- we’re caught in an eternal loop. The video exists in a realm that's part waiting area, part internal psyche - a twisted blend of space and headspace.
At the video's core lies a lone figure ensnared within the clutches of his own psyche, a prisoner of his thoughts, incapable of forging ahead or fleeing the confines of his state of mind. Cal McVann, a figure both elusive and magnetic, breathes existence into our protagonist, channeling a performance referenced to be stoic and unmoving, with a light twist of Charlie Kaufman's idiosyncrasy. His movements drag, as if an extra gravitational pull pins him to the floor, as increasingly bizarre moments of rebellion to the role increase in intensity.
The video orchestrates a delicate dance between understated performances and surreal snapshots. The band appear in isolated ellipses, gradually unveiling themselves, and attempts to contact our character in the space as the song progresses.
Captured using a mixture of Red Komodo, Mini DV & 16mm, the world was meiticulously crafted with DOP, friend and collaborator Sean Cheung. The mixture of techniques mirroring Hyperdawn’s combination of digital and analogue technology.
The set was meant to be a character in itself, an unsettling entity. Mood shifts dramatically, projected scenes through windows that throw in light from the rear. Olivia Walters, our Set Designer, aligned with Johnny Billinge and Jake Parker to breathe life into a world of bizarre, yet starkly captivating minimalism.
The surroundings shift their contours, while he endures, encased in his own persona, stifled by the attire he's donned and the walls around that morph into bizarre spectacles. Our stylist - Caitlin Matthews created a look that mirrored the jarring edges of the space, and the confines of the state of mind - our character assumes a role that goes beyond clothing; even his tightly knotted tie becomes a shackle.
Through the video we aimed to spotlight a discourse surrounding men's mental health, a subject recently spotlighted yet persistently overlooked.
As the final frame approaches, realisation crashes upon our main character. Vitalja reaches out, and he finally sees, finally hears. At this juncture, his rigidity melts into fluidity; he becomes unshackled, floating through the space in disconcerting yet entrancing motions.
The fourth wall shatters in the video's final moments, a fractured reality as the set is struck around him. He stands and lights a cigarette, walks off set and away from a character he's done portraying, a role he'll no longer play.
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Hyperdawn | Maybe
Artist
Hyperdawn
Year:
2023
Director | Production Designer | Editor | Colourist