I realize that when I made the decision to shoot a significant portion of the “Make It Feel” music video up in the wetlands of Washington State, I was asking for rain. It was practically a lock. It was gonna be a “guerrilla style” shoot… no big budget, no permits, no small-army-sized crew… just me, my camera, my two actors, a few incredibly generous friends & family members… and the rain.
We jerry-rigged my camera up in a gallon-sized ziplock bag with a few well-placed rubber bands, grabbed our rain coats, & my brother Ryan’s enormous, transparent bubble umbrella, and hopped a ferry over to the Emerald City.
I’m not gonna lie… there was a point when the panicked feeling that we weren’t gonna be able to pull this off really started to sink in; right at the beginning of our first setup with Jason… The rain was really coming down, & the wind was whipping it in every direction imaginable. My poor actors (bless their hearts) were putting on a brave face, even while they were being slowly soaked to the bone, & I was having to pause every 5-10 seconds to wipe the water off the front of my lens.
We were right in the middle of shooting a steadicam “chase,” with Jason racing along the sidewalk, dodging pedestrians (free “extras”), when the panic that I was feeling started to shift into that unexplainable form of creative adrenaline that can only be experienced when you’re creating/shooting/working with a “we’ve-got-one-shot-at-this-so-make-it-count” mentality while you’re steering straight into the eye of the storm. Things started to click.
We raced through the streets, dodging shoppers up in Westlake… caused a ruckus down at Pike Place Market… and hopped on a dozen-or-so different city buses. & on our last day… we took a road trip out to Ocean Shores, and chased the waves for the better part of an afternoon.
Despite the less-than-glamorous circumstances, both Jason & Ricki really brought their A-game, and never complained once, despite the very real possibility of mild hypothermia.
& now that the video is locked, and ready for you to watch it below… as I sit here at my desk, thinking about all of the work that went into it, I can’t help but think that we got lucky with the rain. Sure, it messed with my plans a bit… but that’s the story I was trying to tell. A story about giving yourself permission to break your plans… be a little braver than you may’ve thought you were… and to allow for those perfect, unpredictable moments of uninhibited spontaneity.
A few people who very much deserve some recognition…
Jason Boehme. Thanks so much for all of your hard work on this project, man… & for giving up your “Skyrim” weekend. I know that couldn’t have been easy. ;)
Ricki Moses. You absolutely knocked this one out of the park! Thanks for letting Jason talk you into working on this with us. You did an amazing job!
& to the both of you… Thanks for taking your weekend off to make this video happen… & for introducing me to some amazing new music on our road trip out to the ocean.
Emileigh Kershaw. Without you our bus adventure would have been a disaster. Thank you for keeping us from getting lost & ending up in Canada. Couldn’t have done it without you. & Ryan Boehme. You were the best Assistant Director a guy could ask for. Nice glasses.
Mom & Dad. Thanks for the warm meals, the comfy bed, and the use of your foul weather gear, along with every blanket that you own. It was all very much appreciated!
Joyce Lomax. Thanks for being my loving, insightful, and in-no-way-biased “focus group.” ;)
& finally Aaron Graham, and David Boehme. Thanks for the song!
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nease reblogged this from nathanboehme and added:
friend Nathan… Love it!
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happywilkie reblogged this from nathanboehme and added:
this blog post. Pine Cone Wars are simply...best and could use all
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