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Health 'Tears' by David Altobelli and Jeff Desom

David Knight - 6th Nov 2012

Like all good horror, David Altobelli and Jeff Desom's video for Health's Tears - from the band's score for the videogame Max Payne 3 - is as much about what stirs the imagination as what happens on screen. And it's driven by what really is a killer concept: zombie babies.

Like all good horror, David Altobelli and Jeff Desom's video for Health's Tears - from the band's score for the videogame Max Payne 3 - is as much about what stirs the imagination as what happens on screen. And it's driven by what really is a killer concept: zombie babies. Its the first full co-directing partnership by Altobelli and Desom, who separately have made some excellent videos in the past couple of years, but have worked together previously. "David and I met at the LA Film Festival when we both had music videos in the program," explains Jeff. "I went on to do VFX on a couple of his music videos, most notably Phil Selway's By Some Miracle. David was pitching on the song when I stayed at his place this summer. He asked me if I had any ideas and if I would be interested in co-directing. "The first stages of development can vary greatly between individuals. We saw about seventy babies during casting and narrowed it down to nine; all of which seemed to be at different stages towards becoming self-aware. "The unpredictability of our subjects called for a great deal of flexibility on our side. Though we had a very clear idea of the overall arc and tone that we wanted to hit, there was no way of telling how the toddlers would actually behave once they were on set. The combination of slow-motion, low camera angles and miniaturized locations elevated their every move and stance to another level, no direction required. We knew we had captured something raw, something very primal. The babies didn't do anything they wouldn't normally do. They crawled, they drooled, they got messy and occasionally they cried. It looked rather harmless in actuality."

Its the first full co-directing partnership by Altobelli and Desom, who separately have made some excellent videos in the past couple of years, but have worked together previously. "David and I met at the LA Film Festival when we both had music videos in the program," explains Jeff. "I went on to do VFX on a couple of his music videos, most notably Phil Selway's By Some Miracle. David was pitching on the song when I stayed at his place this summer. He asked me if I had any ideas and if I would be interested in co-directing.

Like all good horror, David Altobelli and Jeff Desom's video for Health's Tears - from the band's score for the videogame Max Payne 3 - is as much about what stirs the imagination as what happens on screen. And it's driven by what really is a killer concept: zombie babies. Its the first full co-directing partnership by Altobelli and Desom, who separately have made some excellent videos in the past couple of years, but have worked together previously. "David and I met at the LA Film Festival when we both had music videos in the program," explains Jeff. "I went on to do VFX on a couple of his music videos, most notably Phil Selway's By Some Miracle. David was pitching on the song when I stayed at his place this summer. He asked me if I had any ideas and if I would be interested in co-directing. "The first stages of development can vary greatly between individuals. We saw about seventy babies during casting and narrowed it down to nine; all of which seemed to be at different stages towards becoming self-aware. "The unpredictability of our subjects called for a great deal of flexibility on our side. Though we had a very clear idea of the overall arc and tone that we wanted to hit, there was no way of telling how the toddlers would actually behave once they were on set. The combination of slow-motion, low camera angles and miniaturized locations elevated their every move and stance to another level, no direction required. We knew we had captured something raw, something very primal. The babies didn't do anything they wouldn't normally do. They crawled, they drooled, they got messy and occasionally they cried. It looked rather harmless in actuality."

"The first stages of development can vary greatly between individuals. We saw about seventy babies during casting and narrowed it down to nine; all of which seemed to be at different stages towards becoming self-aware.

Like all good horror, David Altobelli and Jeff Desom's video for Health's Tears - from the band's score for the videogame Max Payne 3 - is as much about what stirs the imagination as what happens on screen. And it's driven by what really is a killer concept: zombie babies. Its the first full co-directing partnership by Altobelli and Desom, who separately have made some excellent videos in the past couple of years, but have worked together previously. "David and I met at the LA Film Festival when we both had music videos in the program," explains Jeff. "I went on to do VFX on a couple of his music videos, most notably Phil Selway's By Some Miracle. David was pitching on the song when I stayed at his place this summer. He asked me if I had any ideas and if I would be interested in co-directing. "The first stages of development can vary greatly between individuals. We saw about seventy babies during casting and narrowed it down to nine; all of which seemed to be at different stages towards becoming self-aware. "The unpredictability of our subjects called for a great deal of flexibility on our side. Though we had a very clear idea of the overall arc and tone that we wanted to hit, there was no way of telling how the toddlers would actually behave once they were on set. The combination of slow-motion, low camera angles and miniaturized locations elevated their every move and stance to another level, no direction required. We knew we had captured something raw, something very primal. The babies didn't do anything they wouldn't normally do. They crawled, they drooled, they got messy and occasionally they cried. It looked rather harmless in actuality."

"The unpredictability of our subjects called for a great deal of flexibility on our side. Though we had a very clear idea of the overall arc and tone that we wanted to hit, there was no way of telling how the toddlers would actually behave once they were on set. The combination of slow-motion, low camera angles and miniaturized locations elevated their every move and stance to another level, no direction required. We knew we had captured something raw, something very primal. The babies didn't do anything they wouldn't normally do. They crawled, they drooled, they got messy and occasionally they cried. It looked rather harmless in actuality."

Like all good horror, David Altobelli and Jeff Desom's video for Health's Tears - from the band's score for the videogame Max Payne 3 - is as much about what stirs the imagination as what happens on screen. And it's driven by what really is a killer concept: zombie babies. Its the first full co-directing partnership by Altobelli and Desom, who separately have made some excellent videos in the past couple of years, but have worked together previously. "David and I met at the LA Film Festival when we both had music videos in the program," explains Jeff. "I went on to do VFX on a couple of his music videos, most notably Phil Selway's By Some Miracle. David was pitching on the song when I stayed at his place this summer. He asked me if I had any ideas and if I would be interested in co-directing. "The first stages of development can vary greatly between individuals. We saw about seventy babies during casting and narrowed it down to nine; all of which seemed to be at different stages towards becoming self-aware. "The unpredictability of our subjects called for a great deal of flexibility on our side. Though we had a very clear idea of the overall arc and tone that we wanted to hit, there was no way of telling how the toddlers would actually behave once they were on set. The combination of slow-motion, low camera angles and miniaturized locations elevated their every move and stance to another level, no direction required. We knew we had captured something raw, something very primal. The babies didn't do anything they wouldn't normally do. They crawled, they drooled, they got messy and occasionally they cried. It looked rather harmless in actuality."

David Knight - 6th Nov 2012

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
David Altobelli, Jeff Desom
Producer
Sarah Park
Production Company
The Director's Bureau
Executive Producer
Sue Yeon Ahn

Camera

Director of Photography
Larkin Seiple

Wardrobe

Stylist
Laura Francis
Make-up
Cici Anderson

Editorial

Editor
Luke Lynch

Agent

Director's Representation
Joceline Gabriel

David Knight - 6th Nov 2012

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