Swan Song

Just the other day I rediscovered this music video in my iTunes library. Its one of my favorites, not just because I like the song, or the video itself, but because of the story behind it.

Nobody would ever know it, but that video made back in 2009 is the work of 17 year old Dillon Novak. Here is what he posted about it on the dvxuser forums back in 2009:

"What is special about this music video is that I am 17 therefore no band wants a music video from me...so i wrote up my treatment and went up to several bands asking them if they would like to make this music video. Most of them didn't reply but Brightwood replied and said they would defiantly love to do it. So because they didn't have any money to do the video i wanted to do, i funded the project almost entirly out of my own savings and from money i had gotten for doing a video for a non-profit a while ago. Because i knew i could make them a good enough music video that it would be worth it because everyone would walk away from the video with something great. And it was completely worth it because now i have several music videos lined up over this summer."

I think its pretty impressive that at 17 Dillon Novak had the ambition to come up with a concept for a music video, approach a band, fund the rental of equipment and the hiring of actors by himself, and then shoot what is really an excellent music video. Its definitely paid off for him. He's gone on to do a music video for The Killers as well as several other excellent videos.

Heres two more of his videos:




He definitely has a great eye for cinematography.