Beauty and narrative meet in Bradley 'GMUNK' Munkowitz's promo for Tycho. Playing off the track's title, perception and our often lack of it play a key role in the promo. Incredible portraits dominate as the narrative develops accompanied by a star-covered band.

Via infrared and full-spectrum photography the story is told through the eyes of an ethereal being. Custom modifying a RED Epic camera, GMUNK and company were able to create this unique aesthetic. It goes a long way to helping show there is more to this world than the eye can see.

BRADLEY G MUNKOWITZ:

"When we first listened to 'See' we immediately began thinking about perspective and what it means to have sight. We wanted to explore the difference between the perceived and the actual that constantly exist within each of us. We wanted to push the defined limits of vision both naturally and through technological enhancements. The resulting film presents the story of a woman living two parallel existences, expressed through rich, low-contrast visuals that complement the dreamy and lucid feel of "See".

"Our female hero awakens and begins her journeys through a series of stunning environments. There are moments when we see through her stylized point of view, where her world is markedly more mystical, filled with shamanic rituals, hypnotic runes and an elusive, enigmatic stranger she summons from nature itself.

"Our heroine’s story folds back on itself – she wakes up three times, each time in the same physical posture but in a radically different location. As she ventures forward again, her path diverges. By the end, the stranger is no longer an untouchable figure she is chasing but a spiritual conduit that embraces her and pulls them both into reality, restoring vision and beginning the story anew once more. 

"One keystone of the video is this intensely stylized mystic worldview of spiritual energy we see through our heroine’s perspective. Presented through full-spectrum as well as infrared photography, our heroine’s experience has an unmistakably unique palette. We were very excited about this world of full spectrum photography and the idea of being able to ‘see’ things that were otherwise invisible. Using special filters we could achieve practical, in-camera effects that drive home her familiar yet otherworldly perception..

"In addition to effects and environment, we distinguish our heroine’s two perspectives through props. During the outset, she carries a sack full of geometric objects which on the outside seem mundane, but erupt with extruding, illuminated designs that come alive once viewed from her point of view. Though her perspective is otherworldly, we also wanted it to feel tangible, as there’s no substitute for practical objects, so we crafted and 3D printed the extruding geometry, laser engraved runic patterns, and installed lights inside objects for in-camera lighting effects.

"The band was treated as the interweave between the two dimensions in the film.. Visually, they’re presented through a the same methods of infrared photography, providing a visual bridge while still giving us a reprieve from the intense environmental palettes. We captured the thousands of scattered, IR-visible dots emitted by an array of Kinects, again only 'seen' through the Infrared camera, and supplemented these patterns with laser projections that bathe the image with fill light and color.. The band footage also acts as a narrative locomotive, spurring the transition points within the story and acting as a puppeteer for the characters during their memorable interactions."