ANNONXL - THE KEY SESSION
I played some sound effects/atmosphere in this live session for AnnonXL last week. WXPN uses a weird video hosting service so its impossible to embed... Check it out below
https://www.vuhaus.com/videos/annonxl-drought-the-key-studio-sessions
https://thekey.xpn.org/2019/08/08/the-key-studio-sessions-annonxl/
SURVIVAL RESEARCH LABS
This is As far as I know the only instance of loud, clanking metal machinery reclaimed and appropriated for entertainment/ artistic expression. Soemthing very cool to me about grotesque and violent robots being built for their own sake. It occupies a sort of manifested steampunk reality where people are forced to comb through abandoned factories (which is what Mark Pauline, the founder, actually did) and piece together futuristic yet gas-powered weapons and vehicles in teh face of depleting resources. A moment in time that never happened where the average person spends Saturday working on robots in their garage instead of cars.
SRL relishes in obscurity despite being active since 1979. Though I'm not sure teh full reach of the project, according to wikipedia some members moved on to work on the TV shows Robot Wars/Battle Bots, which I had suspected were inspired by SRL. I have to guess they've inspired films and maybe even things as big as Transformers? The transformation of municipal vehicle to anthropomorphic object of destruction is at the fore of both.
The collective represents a very singular achievement that I hope one day is recognized on a bigger scale. Also sorry I hate my writing voice but I'm going to start throwing more blog posts up on here as practice trying not to think about it too much.... Thakns for reading definitely check out their YouTube, they have documented a lot of their performances dating back to the beginning,,, interesting stuff
signed
------ 8/7/19 1:10AM -------
NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR JOY AGAIN SONG "COULDN'T"
just dumping a bunch of our brainstorm notes on here because?????? like a "Making Of" but lazy and ignorant- I'll try to post some better auxiliary stuff in the blog for every video i make from now on
This video got pared down a lot-- we had to scrap the entire original concept because of time and budget limitations and basically just entered the final idea with the concept of a garage door opening as an analog to theatre curtains being drawn. WE also wanted to try to have sachi building an iron maiden torture device but again, due to time and budget (and maybe a bit of laziness) we just had to go with a box. The decision for the last shot to just be static on the box was just made at 2AM because we were tired but I stand by it creatively--- I liek how the quick succession of events leading to his entrapment is followed by something absolutely still, and the implication that he is singing those lyrics from inside the box is nice to me, I think the mix at the end of the track also becomes smaller in a way that a change in acoustic space makes sense, aight thats enough......
*****copy pasted from google docs
SHOT LIST
Intro/title sequence before song
-shoot small moments around house
-hose running? Garden gnome??
-wide shot of house from street
-could add the song playing quietly
-garage door closed from outside
First section of song
-Sachi rummaging /throwing stuff looking for tools
-close up of plugging in an extension cord
-pacing back and forth in the garage
- tight shots providing little context with dim lighting
- looking at junk rubbing his head
Second section of song 0:20
garage door opening from outside
Garage door opening from inside
Medium wides of sachi working on box
Shot of nails spilling across the floor
0:38
band begins by walking in one by one
Or all at once
Will on drums first comes in from outside stepping over stuff in background
Band
Once full band is inside Sachi stands up from working to sing “breath” into a mic, repeating a very theatrical gesture
(Sachi doesn’t acknowledge band in the video)
Instrumental break
band keeps playing their parts while garage door closes
Full blown performance footage montage shit
1:22
new lighting, a drastic mood change
Sachi is more frantic in his building now
Rapid shots of hands working on the box cut with shots of playing instruments and hands wiping sweat from foreheads
Low angle up at Sachi as if Camera is the box he’s working on
1:58
Sachi dragging box into yard
Setting trap
The trap framed as a sculpture/ object of devotion
Realizing he left something in it
“Breathe” sequence the trap being triggered wide angle
Hand pulling string
Final section
hyper close up Sachi in the trap lit with flashlight, singing into camera for first time
Outro/postscript
box alone in the yard
OUTLINE
1st part close up Sachi is on his back in the garage, wheels out from under something as if working on a car.
0:20 outside shot garage door opens contextualizing space, “would u still remember her” looks up at camera or just outside in general- some emotional beat there
0:38 band is there now, slowly revealed somehow, perhaps walk from other part of the garage introduced like a cast/ crossfaded in
DRUMS FIRST
KEYS AT BREATHE
CON ON GUITAR
BLAISE BASS
Instrumental bridge part everyone plays their parts with close up inserts and garage door begins to close
1:22 sound ushers in a new scene— lighting has changed/project has changed, more intense now, he’s hammering nails acting a bit more frantic- intersperse cuts of instrumentation with hammer and saws
1:58 it’s now evening and Sachi is alone Perhaps inflicting torture on himself inversion/stretcher board
Final section Sachi in trap and lighting himself with a flashlight, scrawling lyrics on side of box
MATERIALS
PANTS/SHIRTS FOR BAND
PLAIN POLO/WHITE TEE
KHAKI PANTS
- BABY OIL FOR SWEAT
- PLYWOOD FOR TRAP - 1x6” or 1x8”
- BOX O’ NAILS
- EYE-HOOK FOR ROPE
- ROPE OR CHAIN
- MONSTER GLOVE
Imagining an oxygen deprived future in which the 2007 hit song No Air by Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown regains massive popularity as a revolutionary anthem for environmental justice.
Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?
Can't live, can't breathe with no air.