There are plenty of peeks behind the scenes when it comes to music-making: demos, live recordings, songwriting sessions, recording sessions, soundchecks…you name it. But for many of us, the first time we experience a new song is through a music video. How the heck do those get made? Director Desdemona Dallas describes their process for Mackenzie Shivers’ recent video “Johnny Gown”
There are so many avenues to go in with film and storytelling. What drew you to music videos in
particular?
My photography and film work often focus on social justice issues, and documentary work, and those subjects can feel really heavy-hearted. While I’m incredibly inspired by telling those stories, having an outlet for work that is more playful ignites this other side of my creativity that lives in a more fantastical place. Music videos help me find a sense of play in the film medium that keeps my inner child alive. Music has also always been a huge piece of inspiration for me. I love the worlds musicians create around them. When I first graduated college I worked as a music journalist and then started shooting musicians as a photographer. Working with artists in the film realm was just a natural progression.
Do you feel there are any specific skill sets necessary for creating music videos?
I don’t think there’s any one thing you need to be able to direct music videos. Making art of any kind is all about trusting yourself, the process and your collaborators. The more you trust the more what you make is going to be imbued with your own vision and care.
How do you typically plan out a video with an artist? Do you listen to the music first, hear their
ideas, do some prep on your own?
Most of the time the artist will send me a song and I’ll listen to it and certain moods, ideas and images will come to mind. With those first impressions I’ll put a deck together and send it to the artist. Together we’ll go back and forth to really hone into this sweet spot where their emotion and my vision can live together. Oftentimes that first deck I show to an artist will resonate with them right off the bat. It’s amazing to me how much an idea I have in my head after listening to the song corresponds so clearly with the artist’s own personal interpretation of the music. This often happens even without a conversation beforehand. It says a lot about how much intuition goes into creativity and how these languages are so universal and are all interconnected.
This website has extensively covered the challenges facing LGBTQ+ artists in country music, but
have you found any similar barriers in film?
There are definitely barriers to entry for queer folks in film. Mostly I think that form of gatekeeping comes from this fear that straight audiences won’t be able to see themselves in queer stories. This is something that all marginalized communities experience when trying to have their own stories portrayed. But honestly I think that being a queer artist is kind of a super power. The queer, creative community is so supportive and open, everyone is trying to uplift each other. I feel like I have a built-in support system because we all just truly want to see each other succeed. That sense of community is worth more to me than any sense of struggle that I might feel within this industry.
This video is shot on several locations that are pretty far apart. How much planning went into the video before you filmed? Was there any storyboarding or choreography, or did you just go out there and winnow down from what you recorded?
Mackenzie and I had worked together before on her video for “A Cautionary Tale” which I shot, and was directed Sarah Haile, a wonderful photographer. Because of our previous work together we felt pretty comfortable to just go out and play around and see what we captured. The way I approach music videos often is creating a kind of skeleton of ideas and looks and locations that I want to use, but in the actual shoot there can be some real magic in just discovering what comes to life in the moment if you allow for spontaneity.
For example the field that we shot in for “Johnny Gown” is a field right behind Mackenzie’s house. Mackenzie had thought it could be a good location so we decided to check it out before heading to one of our other locations. I’d never been there before I had no idea what it would look or feel like. In the end the shots we captured there really became the driving force of the video. Having a plan is super helpful, but then being able to dive into the world of the film with curiosity could lead you to shots you wouldn’t expect.
What do you think a music video can communicate that a song alone cannot?
Art offers us these little miniature worlds to step into and be held by. I love falling into the worlds of music
and film and photography. Bringing music to life through moving images is just building another layer of
these worlds that can offer comfort and imagination to our daily lives.