BUZZFEED PREMIERES PT 1 OF VIDEO TRILOGY - 'WORDS UNDERLINED'

The trilogy stars Amanda Seyfried and Christopher Abbott.
The remaining two parts will be released in the coming days.
You can read more about the video and the shoot below and on the BuzzFeed site.



Here is a piece that Jesse wrote to describe the process:

"The video, as it came to be, was the product of some transmutation over the months since Houmam and I began to discuss the idea of making a series.

Chris, Amanda and Zack are all old friends whom I love a great deal, so it was natural to include them, but they also happen to be people whose work I admire, so it was humbling and warm to see them so richly contributing to my music within this piece.

Houmam and I knew each other from shooting another video of mine a few years ago, so we developed a strong and functional collaborative dynamic then which only grew on this go around.

Shooting took place over a long weekend based out of a house way out in the 29 Palms desert, on flights we booked literally the night before. (I was about to pull the plug on the whole thing at the very last minute due to a loss of funding but then went ahead on borrowed funds and some favors.) The scope was very ambitious, given our time and means (technically, the motorcycle shots - we did end up getting shut down by the police), so the days were full. There is also just such a strange feeling to the area, which I think was masterfully captured by Zack. That weirdness lived within all of us for those days. It felt as though we were all living in this strange dream together. The video conveys that dream, I think.

The idea of the narrative came from exchanges between Chris, Houmam and I, who all seemed to want to express the same thing even though we never found what the words were to describe it.

The video exudes that feeling. To me it is a stirring piece that beautifully conveys, visually, the spirit of the songs. It is soulful and eerie, and reflective of the pure-hearted intention of everyone who contributed to it. I am very proud of it.

It would be my hope that people watch it as a whole after they have watched it in parts, to have it all wash over them. It is a piece to be interpreted, so I also hope that people will find interpretations for themselves within it that will resonate deeply.

Warmest thanks and gratitude to Amanda, Chris, Houmam, Zack and Ami Spishock for their support, and for so fully connecting with and understanding what I mean."

Full Credits:

Directed by Houmam

Christopher Abbott, Amanda Seyfried & Jesse Marchant

Story by Houmam, Jesse Marchant and Christopher Abbott

Cinematography by Zachary Galler

Assistant Cinematographer Tyler Harrison

Produced by Jesse Marchant, Houmam, Sophie Hogg, Grayson Ross and Joe Labadia

Executive Producer Jesse Marchant

Editing Company - Final Cut

Edited by James Rose

Post-Production Company - Electric Theatre Collective

Nuke Operator - Taran Spear 

Colourist - Houmam

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