Needtobreathe film video series at Bandit
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“This album was birthed from human experience, beliefs, and gathered inspiration along the journey,” said the band on social media. “And with time, the songs will breathe and grow into new expressions and ideas, completely dependent on the ears and hearts they land on.”
In the same way the songs “breathe and grow” the same journey can be seen in the music videos filmed at Bandit’s spacious rehearsal space, featured in the first video release Hang On.
“I was approached by Dustin Reynolds, production manager for Needtobreathe back in May and he asked if we might entertain hosting the band in Venue One, our rehearsal facility for some video shoots, and of course we were thrilled to have them here,” said Bandit Lites vice president, Mike Golden.
“The direction for the video was to start static and grow with the song,” explained lighting designer Jonathan Wuthrich. When the scene begins, the band is rehearsing in Venue One with only ‘work’ lights. As the music swells, the lighting starts to mirror this progress, culminating in strobes matching the intensity of the band. “All this paired with the video feedback tricks made for a visually dynamic experience,” he said.
With a tight filming schedule comprised of five videos over two days, swapping out fixtures for each shoot was not practical, and Bandit Lites supplied Elation Smarty Hybrids and Robe Robin 1200 LED Washes.
“I knew we needed a hybrid fixture as one song needed tight beam looks and another called for a functional wash,” explained Wuthrich. “The lights were hung in a simple grid format and a handful of towers on wheels to provide the most flexibility for each track.”
Wuthrich relied heavily on the Elation Smarty Hybrid, using its flexibility to craft different looks, saying, “I wanted to have a fixture with colour mixing so we can dial in the right color temperature in addition to the hybrid tricks. There are a lot of toys packed into that light to shape the beam.”
“Working with Lighting Designer Jonathan Wuthrich is always a sincere pleasure and this time was no different,” praised Golden. “Jonathan built a system that could handle the rigors of lighting five different videos, and they are coming out beautifully.”
Special precautions were taken to keep the filming safe and socially-distanced including a small, mask-wearing crew.
