1 Comment Written by Drewe Clarke on October 16, 2008 – 10:47 am

Here is a new video clip from electropop outfit Passion Pit for your viewing pleasure. It’s made by the girls and boys at Auckland based design studio The Wilderness. The clip has a fun mood and the hands on, no special effects approach really backs that up.

Great work, enjoy.

Directed by The Wilderness
Co-director Gabe Imlay
Co-director Juliet Rios
Art Director Valerie Gnaedig
Art Director Drake Miller
Editor Lynn Bousquet
Production Assistant Aldo Gonzalez

Excerpt from thewildernessinc.com
The Wilderness concepted and directed a music video for Boston based band, Passion Pit. The video is for the new single “Sleepyhead” from the EP “Chunk of Change” released on French Kiss Records.

The Wilderness began with the concept of creating a light space modulator- a mechanical, kinetic sculpture that demonstrates and harbors movement and light. The production process to achieve this effect was involved, and each element was shot practically.

The first step was to shoot Michael’s face, hands and eyes. Selects were then made of stills from that footage resulting in hundreds of images which were subsequently printed as photographs. These photos were glued onto approximately 70 clear plastic cubes which were shot on a rotating motorized table. The rotation of the stills on the cubes created the illusion of Michael’s mouth moving in sync with the lyrics, hands clapping in time, etc. Additional elements such as the lights and keyboards were shot stop-motion in order to emphasize a strobing effect that would compliment the strobing of the verses/vocals. Atmospheric elements including powder, dust and glitter were separately shot. All of the elements were then edited and composited together.

Boston’s Passion Pit is the brainchild of Michael Angelakos. The Chunk of Change EP was originally put together as a (belated) Valentine’s Day present to Angelakos’ girlfriend. The production of the recording - brief, sporadic, and explosive - worked towards the development of Angelakos’ signature euphoric and blissfully melancholic sound.

The Wilderness is a partnership of directors, designers, animators, illustrators and editors that work together and independently. Founded in late 2004 by Juliet Rios and Gabe Imlay, The Wilderness has grown to include a diverse team of artists working on commercials, broadcast spots, film titles, music videos, and art and video installations.