In Stavroz's
Lilac video, a young boy relives the same day, over and over, noticing that the people around him are aging while he remains the same. The video was directed by Toon Persyn, a Belgian director/DP who works across commercials, music videos and documentaries.
Stavroz (www.stavroz.com) is a Belgian electronic live band that consists of Ijsbrand De Wilde, Gert Beazar, Maxim Helincks and Pieter De Meester. Lilac captures the song’s central theme of confronting the past and the feeling of being lost in time through the eyes of a child, watching his own life unfold as the world moves on around him.
“The idea for the video was born during a brainstorm with the band," Persyn recalls. "We were circling around themes of being lost in time and the feeling of regret. Gert was already playing with the image of a kid who felt stuck, while Ijsbrand imagined a cookie-cutter neighborhood. Maxim and I gravitated toward the idea of ‘losing something through time,’ inspired by RY X’s lyrics. From there, the concept of observing life through the eyes of a child took shape — seeing how he perceives himself as time passes, while the world around him evolves without remorse.”
The shoot proved unpredictable, with heavy rain hitting mid-production, and three of the actresses having to leave at the last minute due to a medical emergency. Fortunately, new performers were found within hours and the sun returned the following day, perfectly setting the stage for the neighborhood scenes.
The video was shot digitally using a Sony Burano camera with a Canon K35 zoom. Editing was handled using Adobe Premiere Pro, and Kene Illegems performed the color grade using Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve, creating a final look that resembles vintage film.
"It was an intense but truly collaborative process," says Persyn. "Everyone was able to weave a piece of themselves into the final product, which is exactly how I love to work."