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11.11.13 08:37

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VIDEO PROFILE: Kyasma - Radioactivity Director - Jean-Paul Frenay

Kyasmas Radioactivity shows a skewed perception of reality and nightmares, set in a not too distant future, in which a horrific biochemical disease claims human lives.

ABOUT THE SONG:

Director Jean-Paul Frenay explains the song Radioactivity as he hears it: The song talks about a boy that is too sensitive and turns into a machine to stop feeling any emotions. The machine is represented by the electronic sounds and by the repetitions of the lead vocal. The bridge is the turning point of the transformation!. "When I first heard the track Radioactivity, I immediately fell in love with the songs vibe. Despite the fact that we had a little budget on this one, I really wanted to push the visual and the storytelling in the right direction to create something unique for them.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

"Kyasmas first album Symphony for Technology was recorded between October 2011 and January 2012. Over 100 people in 4 studios, in the Valais, in Gland (VD), in Prague (CZ) and in the UK in Cornwall were involved in its production. "The band is made up of Djamel Cencio, 23, from Fully, Switzerland: piano, guitar, synths, backing and lead vocal. Melchior Ebener, 22, from Fully, Switzerland: bass. Jonathan De Castro, 22 from Martigny, Switzerland: drums. "In early October Kyasma finally released their album with two special shows presented to the public in two extraordinary places, one at home in the Valais at the Crochetan Theatre and the other in Morges at the Beausobre Theatre. "The year 2013 started very well for Kyasma since the group recieved a double nomination: one in the category for Best Video Clip Switzerland in partnership with 48ES Solothurn and M4music and one in the category for Best National Talent from the Swiss Music Awards. "Kyasma has recently produced a new videoclip Sweet Nostalgia which was released from their Album Symphony for Technology."

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BBC Music Video Festival

11.11.13 08:37

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

"Jean-Paul Frenay is a filmmaker and multidisciplinary visual artist living in Brussels, Belgium. He graduated with honors from the InRaCi Film School (2001). After a specialization in visual effects, he started his career as a flame artist where he developed his skills which gave him the confidence to start directing. "In 2004, he took his first steps directing commercials and quickly became known for his ability to mix many different techniques, including live action, stop motion animation, CGI, miniatures, motion design, and photographic artworks. "His work has been used in many commercials, festivals and publications ranging from Nike, OFFF, Motionographer, Shots and Reprages. "In 2008, he started working as a video artist in performance arts creating visuals and interactive installations for plays, choreographies and experimental work. In parallel, hes developing his photographic skills creating artworks and personal series. As a passionate musician, he is also the leader of the electro rock project I, The Phoenix which already got great reviews for their first stereoscopic album."

ABOUT THE VIDEO: Upon listening to Kyasmas song, there is a clear sense of paranoia, (the lyrics frequently ask Whats going on?). But how did the idea of a biochemical plague come about?
I always proceed the same way on a music video. I listen to the track and get inspired by the music I hear and the construction of the song (chorus, bridge, interesting breaks). I never really focus on the lyrics at first, as I try to create something that adds a different layer instead of just illustrating the bands lyrics. Of course the project reflects some of my favourite interests in mutations, advanced technologies, conspiracy theories and parallel realities. I guess the brain melts all of this together when creating a story! the concept was pretty clear from the start. When the band approved it and showed their enthusiasm for this idea I was sure to be on the right track.

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BBC Music Video Festival

11.11.13 08:37

Theres no doubt that the visuals, and special effects shown in the video are very impressive and take the viewer by surprise. But was it all done by computer or were practical effects used at all?
Yes we used special make up to create 3 different stages of the disease (Arm and Neck). The first shots when our character is realizing the infection. Its all live action. The whole mutation series with the contrast lighting is CGI based. It was important to combine those techniques to achieve the best look for the disease. Normally I had in mind to use a fourth prosthesis for the back but unfortunately we didnt have enough money!.. It took a little less than 2 months [to create the effects].

A music video of this nature, depicting metallic mutations in an increasingly dystopian climate, must have been tricky to film. The director explains how the production was for him and the crew:
Working with a tight budget is always challenging. Its always a matter of finding the right balance between creativity and reality. We had 2 days to shoot the whole piece with a small crew of amazing people who gathered around the project to make it happen. "This is I guess the most rewarding thing when you are on the shoot realizing that everybody is at his best aiming for the same goal. "Shooting was great but challenging, as we didnt have much time and had to shoot a lot. "Personally I must say that the mutation shooting was the most exciting for me. Watching the performance of Denis, our main actor, bending and literally fighting with himself was really impressive. I pushed him always further to freeze and shake his body. He was covered with tracking points and didnt really know what we would add on his skin afterwards. Im still thinking of using this footage on its own for an installation.

So the video production involved lots of different media, varying from make-up to computer animations, and live action filming. We asked Jean-Paul if experimenting with different media was something he was used to, or a new experience:
I do a lot of commercials so Im used to combining different techniques being live action, stop motion, handmade installations, projection mapping, 3D and visual effects. Im always trying to challenge myself without being repetitive in my work. Its especially true in music videos. "On the other hand, it was the first time I worked with SquidLab (the make up crew) and enhanced their work with visual effects. I tend to believe that you always get a stronger result when you mix live action and CGI.

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BBC Music Video Festival

11.11.13 08:37

The ending of the video may leave viewers guessing. It is wonderfully baffling, leaving us in the dark about what happened to the protagonist of the video, but shows us some truly amazing visuals, which will leave you open mouthed, questioning what just happened. We asked the director if he could enlighten the audience:
The end is of course very exciting for me. As I said I try to add layers to a story or music track so I wanted to come up with a twist at the end of the story, which opens up the whole interpretation of what you were seeing. Its a way to create an interaction between the audience and me in a sense. Its nice to receive messages to talk about this ending. And I must say I sometimes receive quite complex interpretations. I might reveal what it meant for me at some point but I find it more interesting for now to keep it open and to talk about it with the viewers.

Darn! Aside from questions regarding the ending, what other feedback was received about the music video?
I guess the best feedback you can get is the bands happiness. I mean its already a huge deal for a director to produce the first music video of

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BBC Music Video Festival

11.11.13 08:37

a band. The first always defines the visual style of a band so its important to get it right. "Its always nice to get feedback on your work being on festivals or online especially the vimeo community. Hopefully this music video will lead to another one.

Information in quotes provided by Jean-Paul Frenay (Director)

00:00

KYASMA // Radioactivity from JP Frenay on Vimeo .

# kyasma

# radioactivity

# musicvideo

# specialeffects

# sfx

# biochemical

# videoprofile

posted 2 weeks ago

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