St. Louis – Debut Music Video Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the music video for Debut by St. Louis directed by Andy James Taylor.

What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?

ST LOUIS – DEBUT (Official Music Video)

Song Title : DEBUT

DEBUT is a metaphor for love at first sight, our vision was to paint a picture of an obsessed fan who is lusting after a performer. The word DEBUT seemed to fit perfectly.

Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.

From the beginning we wanted the lyrics to become visual reality on the screen, storytelling the rooted romance in the fantasy world and the grand ethos of the song. The sacrifice depicted in the music video is a visual representation of the risk one takes when falling for someone too fast. People can relate to all over the World.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

Steven Spielberg is my ultimate inspiration as a filmmaker and director, his storytelling methods throughout the years have played a massive part in my career and in the films I make Today.

The Films that influenced me when directing DEBUT music video were Eyes Wide Shut, by Stanley Kubrick, The Cell with Jennifer Lopez, Game of Thrones and Twin Peaks in terms of the production design, the overall tone of the music video; the underlying dark fantasy world throughout, the style the music video was shot, the actors, the costumes.

The colour red is the overall stimulus throughout the video; the set where we shot DEBUT had a red background, the opening shots has the red walkway, there is blood at the end when the protagonist is stabbed, I really wanted to portray a strong colour palette within the music video the colour red symbolizing passion, love, lust, obsession, danger which are themes in the song.

My motivation was to bridge the 2 worlds together of St, Louis band performing and the other world of showcasing a story and message behind the song.   

What is the goal of the film for you?

I really believe with each film and music video I make I want to be better each time, to push myself and take creative risks. Every film and video I’ve worked on, I’ve learnt a lot from each production.

I really wanted to get across my cinematic vision, share my creative eye and skills with the World. The track goes very well with the visuals on screen, my aim is to get people as many people to watch the video and listen to DEBUT as much as possible but most importantly to enjoy both the song and the story of the music video.  

What has the journey been like getting the film into production?

I was at a networking event with my partner one evening. A few bands were performing live and then near the end of the event St, Louis came on and for me blew the roof off with they’re sound and the song DEBUT resonated with me right there and then.

As a director my head was filling up with ideas. At the time I was hungry to make a new music video, but the artist had to be right for me, I must feel something with the music to get the ball rolling!

One thing you learned from this project?

From the beginning I knew it was going to be a small budget, but my passion is immeasurable. I truly believe life is about making the best out of what you have. I always put my all into every project I make whether it be a small, intimate projects or larger scale productions. My ethos on every set is to have a strong team and communication is key.

The artist has put their trust and belief in me to create them high quality music video, which is an honor It was an absolute pleasure to work with St, Louis and the entire team.

How can folks find you and your film online?

INSTAGRAM @ajtfilmmaker
YOUTUBE Andy James Taylor

MUSIC VIDEO https://youtu.be/UIb6xZHDCSE
DEBUT music video is on youtube

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

I’ve had to sacrifice a lot to build my filmmaking career, at the start I was funding my own short films; working countless jobs but always working throughout on filmmaking which is all I want to do in life. The hours and moments you have spare always be working on your dream, let determination move you forward, always be focused and you will make it happen.  

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