Sondock via Riff Raff Films directed this mysterious music video for Nick Leng’s new song “Beetlebugs.” The story follows a young beetle who seeks the help of Leng himself, playing a private investigator for creatures, to find her missing partner Blu Bug. As they delve into the investigation, they exhaust all leads, navigating a world of shadows and secrets. The tension builds with each clue, leading them to a shocking revelation.
“Filming this video was like going to summer camp for a week,” shared Sondock. “Nick and I had already made a video that was a great success (for his song ‘Morning / Midnight’) and this project was an opportunity to really go in a totally different direction. While ‘Morning / Midnight’ was an ethereal, highly technical one-shot performance video, ‘Beetlebugs’ was exactly the opposite–it was a super narrative, world-building goofy/psychedelic adventure video. It ended up being a five-day shoot with multiple locations a day and a cast of Zebras, Emus, Hamsters, way too many beetles and even an ex-congresswomen (one of our impromptu extras, incidentally). I owe the world to the entire cast and crew, especially producers Alex and Amy, DP, Gus Bendinelli, and 1st AD/beetle wrangler Josh Montes. Everyone was deeply invested in the project and process, and endured creaky twin beds and long rambling road trip rants as we made our way around Northern and Central California.
“Post on this video, quite literally took a year,” continued Sondock. “Did it need to? Probably not. But damn, I’m so proud of what we made. Gwen Ghelid brought an incredible eye to the edit, taking it from a maybe 3/10 to a full A++, not to mention dealing with all my tiny tweaks for months on end. And HOLY SHIT–Kohana Wilson, our animator, is genuinely such a treasure. They hand-drew what is probably my favorite part of the video: the Freaky-Friday narrative climax (the inspiration for which I owe a lot to fellow Riff Raff director David Wilson).
“During the post process, I even got to spend time turning thousands of black drinking straws into a ‘practical bugs-eye effect for some of our endoscopy camera footage’ (yes you read that sentence correctly). All in all, this was one of those special projects you get to the end of and think: ‘wow, even if nothing comes of this, I’m so glad this project happened the way that it did.’ But lucky us, we also made a really fun video–and I think you will agree.”
Client/Artist Nick Leng Production Riff Raff Films Sondock, director; Amy Teboul, Alex Advocaat, producers; Matthew Clyde, Romy Jo Waller, Precious Mahaga, exec producers; Matthew Fone, company owner. Production Service Company 2x2=5 Gus Bendinelli, DP; Josh Montes, 1st AD/beetle wrangler; Steve Fitzpatrick, 1st AC; Lindsey Hartman, costume designer; Steven Lewer, drone DP; Ava Jones, production designer. Editorial Gwennael Ghelid, editor. Animation Kohana Wilson, animator. Color Ethos Studios Dante Pasquinelli, colorist; Nat Tereshchenko, color producer. Animal Wrangler Joeie & American-Made Miniatures. Sound Design Nikolay Antonov. VFX & Retouch Black Kite Studios Brendan Regan, Jonny Freeman Special Thanks To: The Leng Family, Kode Media, Motion Picture Film Stock, Aube Perrie, David Wilson, Jason Sondock, Robert Cardwell.
Filmmaker Natalie Johns Creates Spec Gun Violence Prevention PSA
Her social media feed is filled with frustration and “prayers” for families torn apart by yet another mass shooting as filmmaker Natalie Johns is engaged in the morning ritual of negotiating school attendance with her 4½-year-old. Between laughing and arguing with their daughter, the Johns think deeply about the prospect of waking up without her--deeply enough to feel an inch of what it might be like to lose her--a feeling profound enough inspire her most personal commitment to date as a filmmaker.
“Gun violence should not be a normalized part of life in America,” she noted. “I felt it was worth putting my whole heart on the line to deliver this message.”
The director invited her long-time collaborator and cinematographer, Bill Kirstein (Mean Girls, Happyend), to capture their family’s experience over several mornings in a spec PSA. She wanted to capture her own joy and truth as a parent with a view to inspiring action from the deepest love she has known.
On the third day of filming, Johns received an email from their daughter’s preschool notifying parents of a lockdown that had occurred due to a gunman outside the school. The children, aged 2-5, were gathered in a small bathroom for an hour, singing songs with their teachers while the man was apprehended by law enforcement. This was the family’s first narrow escape from tragedy.
“The coincidence of filming this PSA and experiencing my family’s first lockdown was both shocking and surreal. I simply could not wrap my head around it,” said director Johns.
Even more terrifying for Johns was discussing the incident with other parents who had already experienced several lockdowns with their older children. This reality is all too common and far too... Read More