In Spite of You was released just a month ago and now you can see the official music video. Check out the interview below from music journalist Austin Shelley for the full scoop on production of the video.
Interview
Austin Shelley: So, congratulations on the new video being done and out there.
Kevin Rosmer: Thank you my good sir. It's a good feeling to have the finished product out there. The whole thing was a real whirlwind to put together too, and I remember thinking to myself as I was driving to the shoot just how cool it is that one day you've got just an idea of something, and a week later you have an actual thing made. Like it becomes something physical, something real.
AS: Is that what your timeline was on doing this thing?
KR: Yeah we gave ourselves about a week. It's actually been in the can for a little while now--a couple months I guess, we filmed it in early March. We'd just finished the final mix of the song and I wanted to get the video done as soon as possible so we'd have them both ready to put out in sequence, and we were coming off a fair bit of momentum with the completion of the song.
AS: Is that pretty normal for a video like this, or was that a big undertaking? KR: It wasn't an unrealistic projection, since it was a fairly simple idea and we knew how we were going to make it. It just required us to work hyper efficiently. I'm not normally good at giving myself deadlines, but we gave it a try and it helped us a lot to keep focused on getting it done on time.
AS: What was hard about making this video?
KR: Nothing, it was pretty easy.
[laughs]
KR: Although I guess there were a couple challenges actually. We were a bit rushed with our studio time. Lighting the shots took longer than expected and we barely got the footage we needed before we had to pack up. We really underestimated how much time we would need. You'll notice there aren't a lot of angles in the video and that's partially due to how rushed we were. We had to basically get what we absolutely needed and get out. In fact we were going to film everything in the studio but we were only able to get the piano and drums, so we ended up filming all the guitar and bass guitar shots in my apartment.
AS: Wow really? How did you manage that?
KR: Well the thing is, all of those shots are actually just each of us in front of a white screen with light shining through it, so it creates that sort of silhouette effect. It's not a complicated setup. We needed the instruments and the open space to film the piano and drums properly so that's why we needed to film it in a studio. The shots of the guitars though could be done just about anywhere, so we just set up a compact white screen in my living room, shone a couple lights through it and that was it. The cool lighting effects, all the color and all that was added later with simple compositing.
AS: Oh no way. So the way things looked in the video, it didn't really look like that on set at all?
KR: Yeah, the raw footage looks very unimpressive.
[laughs]
KR: But that's sort of the craftiness of filmmaking and producing these videos. You make magic by combining a lot of different techniques. It's very interesting to see all the parts come together.
AS: I guess it makes the experience of filming a little less amazing though too, hey? Does that affect the way you feel when you're performing on camera? Like the fact that you don't have all these lights shining on you and everything?
KR: It would be better if it was real, definitely. I have a massive appreciation for practical film effects, and I think the more you can achieve in front of a camera lens the more magical and real it makes the experience. It's like the whole issue around the excessive use of greenscreen in movies. Like how much of an actor's performance gets hindered because they have nothing to interact with. But there are a lot of ways to do things and at the end of the day the most important thing is the final result. You employ the techniques available to you to achieve the desired result, and it's as simple as that. I've been doing that same thing with recording music as well. If I can't record guitar in some massive gothic cathedral to capture a natural reverb, I have to settle for using an artificial effect. Does it get the desired result though, that's really what matters.
AS: So where did the idea for the video come from?
KR: Well obviously this is just a fairly simple performance video. But my philosophy to music videos is that, where as in a movie you create a music score to support the visual, in a music video you create a visual experience that supports the music. The music is the point of focus though. So my intent isn't to make something that's story driven usually or something coherent. I think music videos are a great format to experiment within; music videos and commercials. If I wanted to tell a story I'd make a movie. I prefer to use music videos as an opportunity to experiment a bit and just focus on making something that captures the feel of the song. It can be abstract or whatever or just neat looking visuals. Usually I prefer to incorporate some kind of performance element. My attempt is primarily though to create a mood or some sort of tone, some sort of feeling. With this song it's pretty energetic, but the song isn't exactly upbeat or happy or positive. Musically it sounds pretty uplifting, but a lot of the lyrical content is a bit of a mixed bag, in some ways even more of a downer than an upper. The song is kind of a celebration of rising out from a dark place. So I thought having a lot of bright shining lights could reflect that, while keeping the band mostly in these dark silhouettes. And having a lot of variety of color helps to reflect the spectrum of emotion within the song. There are lyrics about torment and tragedy, loss... spite, obviously... Wow, I just realized what a weird song this is.
[laughs]
AS: How do you mean? What's weird about it?
KR: Well just in how the music is so uplifting but generally the lyrics are so abysmal. All this talk of regret, trying to ease your pain, daylight turning to black. So depressing. But it's funny you know, because the lyrics are overwhelmingly about pain. There is, however--and it's probably largely subtextual--a lot about overcoming that pain or that struggle... whatever the hell I was dealing with at seventeen.
AS: Which was?
KR: I find it kind of hard to put into words. Romantic frustration is probably the closest nutshell I could put it into; wanting somebody that you can't be with, wanting to say something that you can't express, and trying to deal with that emotional pain by putting aside your feelings for a person and moving on in life, but feeling all the while regrettable about doing so because you enjoyed the feeling of being infatuated.
AS: Yeah I imagine a lot of people experience that, especially in the teenage years. So you wrote it when you were seventeen?
KR: Yeah, or maybe sixteen. It must have been in early 2006 because I remember burning it onto a CD and listening to it while on a family vacation during spring break of that year. I remember I played it for my brother while we were on a ferry ride and he said it was "not bad". I was so thrilled!
AS: Really?
KR: Yeah because he didn't think it sucked.
[laughs]
AS: So that was the original version you recorded?
KR: Yes. I've had a version of it since way back then, but that was a pretty shitty version and I always thought it deserved to be recorded in higher quality and with better production. So here we are, our first official release.
AS: Any chance you'll put that original version out for people to hear? Maybe as a B-Side or something?
KR: Maybe after I've passed away and don't have to deal with the embarrassment. I'll write it in my will.
You can download In Spite of You now from any major digital distribution store or directly at https://www.professionalhelpmusic.com/in-spite-of-you-single
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