When the video for Dazeases’ “Baby” opens, you’re not sure what to expect. A drab, run down farm house is lit in neon hues and a quiet wind blows before a synth track and beat well up around you.
When the video for Dazeases’ “Baby” opens, you’re not sure what to expect. A drab, run down farm house is lit in neon hues and a quiet wind blows before a synth track and beat well up around you.
Abstract images of people pushed against windows, reflected shadows, and a candle-lit staircase all lead to the beautiful and haunting Dazeases (AKA London Perry)clad in a shimmering queen’s dress. She swaps between the silver and a darker, veiled black ensemble as she croons your through more neon lit rooms and corridors. The video, seen below, stands out for a number of reasons, and not just because of the talented musician who provided the soundtrack and the lead roll.
The cast and crew that helped bring “Baby” to life is comprised of some of Perry’s closest friends who also happened to be film professionals. They also happened to be dominantly female with every creative lead held by a woman.
“I think it’s not something we thought about or tried to do going into the project,” said Reenie Bowers, who directed the video. “We all have this solidarity with women who work in the creative and film industry. When we found the opportunity to express ourselves, we did it, but we weren’t exclusionary in any way. but I do think that formed the framework of where we were coming from and how it came about.”
This female-led team couldn’t hurt the video’s production, as the artist’s themes include the troubles with online dating and hookup culture in general from the female perspective.
Laura Ruschak, who produced the video, said “Baby” aimed to highlight the darker side of modern digital dating.
“If you listen to her lyrics, its kind of this downward spiral into the connections you make with people,” she said, describing the setting as a haunted house Halloween party. “We really wanted to bring that toxicity out… neon colors are kind of indicative of that. We wanted to make you feel like you were at a party but you were also kind of sick.”
The neon lighting was no easy feat, and 95% of the effects in the video were done on set with minimal post-production. “We got a bunch of gels, got a bunch of lights, and kept saying, “I think we can go a bit more crazy here, lets get more wild. and we just kept going,” Ruschak said.
One effect that was obviously part of the post production process was the image loss, bleeding colors and digital decay that dots some of the scenes.
“It’s a nod to the dating apps I’ve been on, like when a text doesn’t send and how that changes the course of your night… How difficult it is to get in touch with your friends when your screen is broken cause you dropped your phone when you’re drunk,” Bowers said, calling the effect “digital slime.” “I do a lot of things on the internet, and it effects the way you interact with people.”
The final product is both modern and classic, with Dazeases switching between bright and dark costuming, a duality Bowers said comes from an experience she and many others she knows go through often.
“[Those] moments in my life where I’ve been sad, single or drunk. It’s really easy to blame the scene on this dissatisfaction, but at the end of the day its about setting expectations on my own damn self. When they fall flat, I feel dissatisfied,” she said. “So the duality of London, her being this regal queen or this witchy sorceress… it’s a conversation everyone has for themselves of where their decisions are leading them and what part these decisions are coming from.”
RVAMag was thrilled to catch up with the production crew for this video and we’re even more excited to premiere it. Keep up with Dazeases on facebook here, and keep an eye out cause she’s got a new EP in the works and we’re all real excited about it.
Both Bowers and Ruschak said they couldn’t have completed it without the help of the RVA film community, and the folks listed below:
Baby Crew
London Perry – Artist
Reenie Bowers – Director
Laura Ruschak – Producer
Kyra Kilfeather – Director of Photography / Camera Operator
Maurice Velas – 1st Asst. Camera
Greg Golter – Gaffer
Alex Jones – Electrician
Zoë Ferebee – Key Grip
Clare Starrs – Grip
Grey Walters – Swing / Dolly Grip
Maggie Crawford – Production Designer
Clara Kelly – Art Asst.
Celina West- Art Asst.
Avery Foo – Editor
Chad Brown – Locations / Production Assistant
