making the Arpenter Music video

It’s been two weeks since releasing the Arpenter- Better Parts Music Video and I’ve been very happy with the reception. This whole project was challenging (as most are) but it was also some of the most fun and gratifying work that I have ever put together. I learned a lot through the process of releasing this video and I now have some new knowledge that will feed into future releases.

I spent most of my preparation time focusing on the lyrics, the tone and the overall vibe of “Better Parts”. The song feels upbeat and hopeful, but the lyrics read heavy and somewhat somber. Presley (Arpenter) sent me links to several music videos with elements that he liked, there were specific performances, camera techniques, and group scenes that we pulled from for influence. We went back and forth for a couple of weeks trying to nail down the concept and ultimately landed on the party idea. Over the years I have watched quite a few music videos focused around parties, and I really wanted to make something that felt natural but stood out from the crowd. The concept changed many times but we eventually decided to try and keep it mellow for the opening minute, mixing in handstands, bloody knuckles, arm wrestling and tarot as the night continued on. I put more planning time into this video than any other video before it, but it still was nerve wracking coming up to the actual shoot. I kept thinking that I had forgotten something major or that in the end the concept just wouldn’t vibe. I have historically only filmed videos with a clear narrative, this video was planned to be experimental, and I don’t have as much experience making that type of film. I still went into the day confident and determined to get the best footage possible.

In the morning I reviewed all of my scouting video and made sure that I had a clear plan of attack. We only had one day to get all of our footage and the shoot started at 5pm. Presley texted me early that we couldn’t get the fog machine that we had planned to get, so he was quickly reaching out to several different people trying to find another one. I tried not to worry about it and went through all of my equipment, I made sure that I had absolutely everything and then headed over to the house we planned to film at. When I arrived I found Presley who miraculously was able to scrounge up a pro fog machine and we went to work setting the house up for the shoot with Chantel, Joe and Becca. A few hours before our start time the cancellations started rolling in, we had about twenty people invited and nearly all of them bailed last minute. We quickly reached out to people hoping that we could get enough to make it feel like a real party. I was trying to work out alternative ideas just in case we couldn’t get anyone but fortunately it wasn’t needed. There were a number of people that showed up last minute and ready to pitch in, we quickly made sure everyone was caught up and wearing the right style, and we started shooting around 6:30pm. It was a late start and Presley and I scrambled to get all the shots we needed. Fortunately the party went beautifully, we really just tried to create a genuinely fun party that everyone could naturally enjoy and randomly would pull people when we needed them to do something. Pretty much all of the party shots were unscripted and caught candidly, I think that really helps make the video feel natural and not too forced. The vibe throughout the whole night was extremely positive and Presley melted into his role perfectly. We didn’t finish everything up until a bit after midnight but we left feeling good and like we had accomplished everything planned.

I knew the footage I got was exactly what we wanted while editing, typically the further off I am from my plan the more time I spend in post but this video fell together beautifully with minimal adjustments needed. my first draft is remarkably similar to the final draft even after several versions and several sweeps front to back. Thank you to everyone who helped make it all possible, I really enjoyed working with Presley, he is extremely cool and an excellent artist/performer. Joe and Becca were incredibly kind to lend the us their house and for giving us their time on screen. My sister Chantel did such a great job directing the clothing, my wife Taylor was the perfect person to bounce ideas off of and my friend Carl helped me a lot by reading through the shot list and by contributing some artistic ideas. Thank you to the party goers, Bria Rice-Gomez, Jonathan Nadal, Julia Nett, Maya Elasady, Chantel Bailey, Kevin LaRocca, Ellie Kim, Joe Conner, Kelly Perez, Ashley Villarreal, Taylor Bailey and Matthew Blount. Also Thank you to everyone following Day Museum, I have a very small group of people keeping up with my releases but it really means a lot to me to see your comments and to hear what you all thought. I’ll keep the releases rolling!