The style of Auckland-based artist Vana combines RnB, trap and industrial metal. Her new music video Pray comes as the Sumerian Records artist wraps up her supporting role on the US tour for Set It Off and Fame On Fire.
Pray explores a fracture of reality through the lens of someone experiencing psychosis and mania. The visuals are a twist of religious iconography, possession and marriage.
"This song stems from the idea of how it'd feel experiencing psychosis," Vana shares. "Sonically, this song is just as chaotic as I'd imagine someone's psyche would be if they were in a manic episode. Almost as if both the angel and the devil on your shoulders were both screaming in your ears at the same time."
Tanner Gordon (www.TannerGordon.com) directed the music video shoot, which stemmed from a conversation with Sumerian Records' Julien O’Neill, who inquired as to the director/producer's interest in working with their newly-signed artist.
"Shortly after that, I was introduced to Vana and her manager Clay Busch at Six18," Gordon recalls. "They came to me with a clear, compelling vision for what they wanted to build next, and my role quickly became about assembling those pieces and executing them at the highest level."
The team found a church in Glendale that matched the vision for the world they were building. Just down the road, they secured a Victorian house that would serve as Vana’s bedroom on the night before her wedding.
"My production designer, Reece Scarpignato, transformed that space beautifully," Gordon notes. "I worked with creature makers Nick Scarpignato and VFX artist Drigend Singh to bring the Mara creature to life. There’s so many times throughout the video, if you pay attention to the shadows, you may find Mara lurking."
The project came together in just a single week, and Gordon credits producer Kate Hill with being instrumental in helping to make it happen. Director of photography Nick Schulte shot with Arri's Mini LF, taking advantage of the camera's color and depth. Choreographer Coco Joelle had worked with both Vana (Serpentine, Beg) and Gordon separately in the past, and Gordon credits her with taking the project to the next level.
"She added a layer of depth and movement to the piece that went far beyond what I could have done alone," he says of Joelle.
Gordon and Joelle collaborated on the edit, with him laying down the initial narrative edit and Joelle elevating it with the choreographed scenes. The duo cut the project using Adobe Premiere.
"I feel incredibly fortunate to help set the bar and establish the cinematic tone for what’s coming next in the Vana universe,” says Gordon. “What we have planned is going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the biggest work on Sumerian’s roster. Incredibly thankful to Julien and my team at Clever Propaganda Media for making this all possible."