Q & A with EYK STUDIO November 2016
It's hard to be a fan of Kaleo and not be a fan of Eyk Studio as well.
Eyk Studio is the production company who have created most of Kaleo's emotionally captivating music videos, and have played a key role in bringing their songs to visual life. Many of those "WOW!" and "OMG!" moments have come after watching one of these music videos -- especially their live recorded sessions (in a volcano, on an iceberg, inside a cold, snowy church). There's no denying the cinematographic power Eyk Studio brings to the lyrics, and those images become deeply associated in our mind for everytime we hear that song again and again.
I am totally humbled, honored, and quite frankly in awe, to be able to bring you this two part Q+A session with Hörður Freyr Brynjarsson and Pétur Már Pétursson of Eyk Studio to answer some questions about the video production side of Kaleo's music, including some in-depth info about their latest release, "Save Yourself".
Eyk Studio is the production company who have created most of Kaleo's emotionally captivating music videos, and have played a key role in bringing their songs to visual life. Many of those "WOW!" and "OMG!" moments have come after watching one of these music videos -- especially their live recorded sessions (in a volcano, on an iceberg, inside a cold, snowy church). There's no denying the cinematographic power Eyk Studio brings to the lyrics, and those images become deeply associated in our mind for everytime we hear that song again and again.
I am totally humbled, honored, and quite frankly in awe, to be able to bring you this two part Q+A session with Hörður Freyr Brynjarsson and Pétur Már Pétursson of Eyk Studio to answer some questions about the video production side of Kaleo's music, including some in-depth info about their latest release, "Save Yourself".
PART 2 of 2
How did the LIVE performances come about? Did you already know how the acoustics were going to be like? Or was it a gamble to play inside the church, or in the volcano?
(Hörður) The live performance concept is something the band brought to the table. The idea is developed in close collaboration with the band but we take care of the production for these ambitious projects we love. There are many variables, but the band with sound engineers made sure it sounded as intended. But we also took into consideration that each song would fit it’s surroundings.
(in an interview with Vegas Seven, JJ said "It’s [also] important to perform live. We’re a live band… We think these live videos really have something to offer people, instead of just listening to the record and making lip-sync music videos. This offers a little bit more.")
How did the LIVE performances come about? Did you already know how the acoustics were going to be like? Or was it a gamble to play inside the church, or in the volcano?
(Hörður) The live performance concept is something the band brought to the table. The idea is developed in close collaboration with the band but we take care of the production for these ambitious projects we love. There are many variables, but the band with sound engineers made sure it sounded as intended. But we also took into consideration that each song would fit it’s surroundings.
(in an interview with Vegas Seven, JJ said "It’s [also] important to perform live. We’re a live band… We think these live videos really have something to offer people, instead of just listening to the record and making lip-sync music videos. This offers a little bit more.")
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I Can't Go On Without You (2015)
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Way Down We Go (2015)
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Save Yourself (2016)
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The most recent video release for "Save Yourself" has been very well received. What was the concept behind that one? Where was it filmed? Who came up with it? Who decides on the final editing of a music video?
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(Pétur) Kaleo reached out to us to do a live video in a Glacier lagoon, if it was possible. The team instantly went into planning. Hörður was operating pre-production remotely in Denmark. Baldvin (DOP) and Einar (Producer) were pre-producing in Iceland. This was in fact a live recording Sound/Video. That was the concept, making a sequel from Fire to Ice, going from a volcano to a glacier.
This was pushing the limits of live recording and the team was keen on getting this done. Video like this takes months in planning and one mistake on set can really influence the outcome of the video. We at Eyk always prepare for the worst case scenarios so we planned to have many hours for recording on set. That really paid off since we got hit heavily by the rain, predicting the weather close to a glacier is impossible. Glaciers have their own weather system, and even the island itself (Iceland) is pretty unpredictable. |
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On this shoot we went with a very similar approach to the Volcano. Hörður: Director, Baldvin: Director of photography, A-cam operator, Me: Gaffer and B-Cam operator. We shot the video in mid summer so the temperature was around 50°F, sarcastically warmer than the inside of the volcano.
It got quite cold in the end, we had been on duty for 21 hours. We only had 40-60 minutes to shoot after the rain had stopped. We all cheered up 'cause the rain clouds and the humidity in the air made the mood exactly like it was in the moldboard. That's where we had no time to lose so it was back on the boat and do this. The script was out of the window we really had to freestyle, keeping in mind that we are not framing the same band member or reframing at the same time. This is when actual, real-life experience for situations like this matters for everything, and attitude extremely important. |
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All photos by Ryan Rooney from Kaleo Facebook album Fjallsárlón, Iceland
Hörður edited the footage but we all have a say when it comes to the [final] outcome, but the person who is directing -- Hörður in this case -- needs to take the responsibility executing the decision, which he did superbly.
I started with the grading of the film but it was hard since I was in Norway at the time to do it remotely. So Baldvin took over since he was in Copenhagen and closer to Hörður than me. Of course, the final say is the band and we will always respect the needs from the artist we are working with, but we try to influence each other as best we can.
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Which is your favorite Kaleo video to have worked on? (Hörður) Without a doubt “Vor í Vaglaskógi” (with lyrics) -- it was really personal. It allowed us to go on one of our favorite trips. We met so many wonderful people who were all willing to help us on the way. The live performance videos are also really fun to make. They are much more intense and require a lot of preparation. (Pétur) Each projects is its own so I can't really tell who's my favorite, each one has different experience to learn from.
If I had to choose than I would probably pick "Save Yourself" mainly cause of the trip we had afterwards. After we finished the video, the crew and the band did a tour around the country. We did everything from grilling, partying, dipped in hot springs, river rafting, and we went on a snowcat ride to a glacier (Langjökull). This project definitely had the most adventure, but it was also part of the plan. |
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Are there any outtakes, clips, or photos that didn't make the final cut that you are allowed to share? (Pétur) We cannot share our planning with the band, but we will keep teasing through social media in the future. The only thing we can say is there will come a Behind the Scenes video from the shoot [for "Save Yourself"]. What other information about Eyk Studio would you like fans or other viewers to know about? (Hörður) We are a small group of best friends that work closely together. I think that brings more personality to our films as we speak the same language. Eyk wants to take on exciting, ambitious and creative projects that can bring both us and our clients forward. |
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You can like Eyk Studio on Facebook or subscribe to their YouTube channel. You can also contact them by email or go to their website at www.eykstudio.com for phone numbers in both Reykjavík / København
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