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.
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
Credits
Featured here in the 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