Stockholm-based artist/producer Amanda Cy recently debuted her new single and video Yangtze off her upcoming EP “Waterworks,” set for release May 23rd. The song captures the moment tears start to fall and just won't stop. According to the artist, the song is all about letting go of pent-up feelings.
The video was shot on the night of April 17th, outside a Daisy’s fast-food restaurant in Skärholmen, Stockholm, with the business’s neon signage serving as a colorful, moody backdrop. The project was captured using an Arri Alexa 35 digital cinema camera outfitted with a 35mm prime lens.
According to Amanda, the team had just a week to shoot and deliver the final version.
“I was on vacation right before the release of Yangtze, so the planning and making of the video had to be very fast. Being an independent artist, with very limited funds to make music videos, I’m very fortunate to have a sister that runs a production company. The fact that this video was super last-minute and was made on a very tight budget, that definitely dictated some of the creative choices.”
Water was to play an integral role, hinting at the song’s theme.
“We wanted a one-take - mostly because we wouldn’t have time to edit it - and we wanted something where both my face would show up close, as well as full body. Once we started talking about location, we had to figure out where there would be naturally-cool lightning so that we wouldn’t have to rent lights, as well as a place that we wouldn’t have to pay to use. Being outside was the obvious choice, and once we realized I should be laying down at first, someone suggested the Daisy’s parking lot could be great because of the neon lights reflecting on the pavement.”
Amanda’s goal was to create both a visually-pleasing video that looked high quality while still having a bit of a DIY aesthetic.
“I love playing this song live, so ‘playing’ guitar to make it feel more live was important. Since water wouldn’t be very visible in contrast to wet asphalt, we mixed water with milk and blue dye to make it pop in the final product. I also love the cloudy feel it got. That, along with the choice of making this in Sweden in April - 2 degrees - meant that I was soaked in ice-cold milk water for about two hours! We managed to get three full takes before the restaurant closed and my lips started turning blue!”
Mimmi Muskos at Vårsnö graded the video using Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve software.
“It wasn't really edited, since it's a one-take, but Gustav Öhman Spjuth helped out in Premiere Pro when we chose the take.”
Follow Amanda on YouTube (@itsamandacy) and Instagram (@itsamandacy).