http://www.isaiahseret.com Isaiah Seret Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:08:07 +0000 http://www.isaiahseret.com en http://isaiahseret.com/Cults-You-Know-What-I-Mean http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/Cults-You-Know-What-I-Mean Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:08:07 +0000 Isaiah Seret 2776689 CULTS "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN" COLUMBIA RECORDS RUNNING TIME: 2:57 MUSIC VIDEO, 2012 Embed | Ipad/Iphone For You Know What I Mean I wanted to create a dense narrative about an injured stuntman who takes up training young folks. The trainer's protege is played by Brian of Cults, who falls in love with our Stuntman's daughter (Madeline of Cults), and then, tragedy strikes - a tragedy that may or may not have been an accident. What I love about this story is that it's about a woman loving her man through an unthinkable hardship, and with her warmth, our man keeps his swagger, despite losing his face. This is my second video for Cults and I must say we really have an amazing thing going. I actually first pitched a 'lighter' version of the concept, but the band came back asking me to make it crazier. I loved hearing that! In fact, that led me to the burn victim storyline. http://isaiahseret.com/Turnstyle-Interview http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/Turnstyle-Interview Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:49:47 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1800178 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1800178/turnstyle_logo.jpg" border="0" width="300" height="107" width_o="300" height_o="107" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1800178/turnstyle_logo_o.jpg" align="left" /> "GO OUTSIDE" DIRECTOR ISAIAH SERET ON THE SPECTER OF JONESTOWN By NOAH J NELSON The new video for “Go Outside”, the breakout hit for indie-turned-major label band Cults, is a technical and narrative marvel. Band members Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion are seamlessly inserted into archival footage of Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple and its ill-fated commune in Guyana, known as Jonestown. It’s a striking video, whose power derives in part from the narrative tension between the innocuous imagery — happy church-goers dancing and singing — and the knowledge that Jonestown ended in a massacre. READ THE FULL INTERVIEW http://isaiahseret.com/Jack-Daniels-Tennessee-Honey http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/Jack-Daniels-Tennessee-Honey Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:21:22 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1767448 "THE BEGINNING" JACK DANIEL'S TENNESSEE HONEY AGENCY: ARNOLD BOSTON RUNNING TIME: :30 iPhone/iPad | Embed * Silver Prize at Cíclope International Advertising Festival "THE KEEPER" JACK DANIEL'S TENNESSEE HONEY AGENCY: ARNOLD BOSTON RUNNING TIME: :30 iPhone/iPad | Embed * Silver Prize at Cíclope International Advertising Festival For the launch of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, the Southern distiller's first new-product in 14 years, Arnold Worldwide asked me to direct a series of teasers leading up to its release. The concept was to showcase the special honey and bees that Jack uses to create their superior honey whiskey. To achieve this, I worked with Arnold to build a mythological back story about a brilliant young-Clint Eastwood-esque Beekeeper and the auspicious birth of his 'King Bee'. To bring these spots to life I got to work with the iconic production designer Robb King, who helped me realize a western vision of the Keeper's honey farm, along with Matthew Lloyd who shot the spots, and the Stone Foxes who provided some nice, dirty guitar work for the soundtrack. CREDITS Client: Jack Daniel's Agency: Arnold, Boston Chief Creative Officer: Pete Favat Group Creative Director: Wade Devers Executive Producer: Ali Brown Art Directors: Jeremy Boland, Wade Devers, Allie Hughes Writer: Peter Hughes Agency Producers: Billy Near, Bill Goodell, Ben Ouellette Group Account Director: Paul Nelson Account Director: Nate Stewart Account Manager: Shannon Coletti Cinematographer: Matthew Lloyd Production Designer: Robb Wilson King Editorial: Lost Planet Bee by: Passion Pictures Production Company: PRETTYBIRD http://isaiahseret.com/HECUBA-SUFFERING http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/HECUBA-SUFFERING Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:21:20 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1767543 HECUBA "SUFFERING" MANIMAL RECORDS RUNNING TIME: 2:47 MUSIC VIDEO, 2009 iPhone | Embed We shot both of Hecuba's videos over 3 days with the aid of Sundance-award-winning cinematographer, Arthur Jaffa. We actually only meant to make one video, The Magic, but Jon Beasley (of Hecuba) said he was really inspired to do something based on Keneth Anger's work. In passing I said, as long as we are getting a camera and crew, lets try to do both. And thus, Suffering, a 50's motorcycle dream of romance, violence, heartache, and leather was developed. This became the first single off Hecuba's album Paradise, and tells Love's story as it wanders from person to person, bringing happiness and sadness to those it touches. CREDITS Featuring: Devendra Banhart, Rainbow Arabia, Pit Er Pat and We Are The World Directed by Isaiah Seret & Jon Beasley Produced by Shadie Elnashai Cinematography by Arthur Jafa http://isaiahseret.com/Hecuba-The-Magic http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/Hecuba-The-Magic Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:21:19 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1767628 HECUBA "THE MAGIC" MANIMAL RECORDS RUNNING TIME: 3:37 MUSIC VIDEO, 2009 Embed | Download | iPhone Working with Hecuba really changed my life and I am ever grateful. They are an awesome band and an inspiring creative force. For The Magic we created a fairytale of sorts, with Isabelle (Hecuba vocalist) playing a rich art collector who lives a contrived life with a void companion. To fulfill the illusion of a relationship, she employs Beasley as his handler, but alas, in the end it is Beasley she has longed for all along. Shot in art collector Homiera Goldstein's Manhatten Beach, a series of costumes were constructed,that integrated with her existing collection. CREDITS Directed by Isaiah Seret & Jon Beasley Produced by Shadie Elnashai Visual Effects by Benjamin Kutsko Get "Paradise" in the US: insound.com/​Hecuba/​artistmain/​artist/​INS37133/​ Get "Paradise" in the UK/EU: cargorecords.co.uk/​artist/​4436 http://isaiahseret.com/HEAVY-YOUNG-HEATHENS-JACKIE-COME-LATELY http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/HEAVY-YOUNG-HEATHENS-JACKIE-COME-LATELY Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:21:18 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1772046 HEAVY YOUNG HEATHENS "JACKIE COME LATELY" STEREO 360 SOUND RUNNING TIME: 2:39 MUSIC VIDEO, 2010 Embed | Download This will always be a special video, not in that its my all time favorite - though i do love the energy we reached and the blistering Nina McNeely is an artists muse - but in that it was the first video I shot with my cinematographer Matthew Lloyd. I called Matthew at the recommendation of Joshua Leonard and he was amazing. Like me, he didn't care about budget, or complain about anything. He was die hard in the prep - taking many trips to the various locations, and just showed a passion and care for the filmmaking process that I cherish. In terms of the video, I was originally asked to make this video for MTV's Parkour TV Show using their competitors, however there was an insurance issue so the band asked if I could do something for them on the side. Basically this video is based on the banging snare that sounded like someone was trapped in a box. This became the core of the concept, and from here the story arose instantly. A revenge story, about a woman who gets her new man to kill her old man, by knocking him unconscious, locking him (and his brother) in a metal box, and throwing them into the middle of the ocean. The shoot really lined up for us as I found myself trying to prepare this murder. It wasn't easy, having to line up trucks, a box and figuring out how best to throw a box in the ocean and then, the environmental side of me had to figure out how to retrieve the box after the toss (*I learned lobster boats do this all day). . We shot on an amazing overcast day, filled with dolphins and choppy water. Fortunately I was the only one that puked on the boat (looking into a monitor is very bad for ocean sickness) though i think it took its toll on us all. CREW: Director Isaiah Seret Dir. of Photography Matthew Lloyd Producer Jack Richardson Editor Dugan O'Neal Art Director Greg Lang Hair Candice Birns Stylists Diana & Mindy Operator Nathan Funk Art Asst. Torie Zalben Production Company The Masses CAST: Nina McNeely Jon Beasley Shaun Sohacki Alexa Lipman & Heavy Young Heathens http://isaiahseret.com/Fake-Problems http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/Fake-Problems Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:21:17 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1772117 FAKE PROBLEMS "DREAM TEAM" SIDE ONE DUMMY RUNNING TIME: 2:22 Embed | Download We shot Dream Team in Naples, Florida and it was essentially my first pro music video shoot. Cinematographer Arthur Jafa and I met down there with a RED camera to capture a surrealist back yard kegger. I stayed with the band, who lived in a swampy suburban neighborhood, arriving with a handful of ideas and bags of colored powder I had bought in Nepal that winter. I ate Cuban food all week (the only sustaining vegetarian I could find) and we built bikes and masks. The shoot ended up at a local party house with a mini stage, and after we wrapped I could barely sleep. I was so excited by the night we captured. Director: Isaiah Seret Cinematographer: Arthur Jafa Executive Producer: David Jacobs Editor: Jamison Tabb Label: Side One Dummy http://isaiahseret.com/NY-Times-Spotlights-the-Burma-Campaign http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/NY-Times-Spotlights-the-Burma-Campaign Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:21:16 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1787341 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787341/Ellen_Page_NY_Timese_Composite.jpg" border="0" width="550" height="447" width_o="550" height_o="447" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787341/Ellen_Page_NY_Timese_Composite_o.jpg" align="left" /> This weeks  the US  Campaign for Burma and their viral PSA campaign got abump in traffic thanks to a New York Times article featuring Isaiah's spot with Ellen Page. Here's an excerpt: “Hitler is alive in Burma” reads the words scrawled on a cardboard sign, held aloft by a sweet-faced Ellen Page, the “Juno” star, in a 90-second human-rights public awareness message that began showing on video-sharing Web sites last week. The spot is one of 30 produced for U.S. Campaign for Burma, starring celebrities like Will Ferrell and Jennifer Aniston. The goal of the campaign is to thrust the cause of human rights in Burma — now known as Myanmar — into the orbit of A-list activist causes, along with Tibet and Darfur, and to encourage international pressure on a government that activists say is one of the world’s most oppressive. A story that is going to hold people’s interest also needs a villain. While General Shwe is a natural in the role, said Isaiah Seret, a 30-year-old music video director who was enlisted to write and direct the Ellen Page spot, the general also came with built-in drawbacks — his name lacked impact, his face was forgettable. The general, Mr. Seret said, lacked what is known in marketing vernacular as a “unique selling point” — like Hitler’s mustache. So the director attempted to turn the general’s blandness into a joke. In the spot, Ms. Page scribbles a Hitler mustache on a large photo of the general and declares, “Make no mistake about it, he is a professional dictator.” READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT NYTIMES.COM and watch some of the spots below... http://isaiahseret.com/Them-Rag-Profile http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/Them-Rag-Profile Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:21:15 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1787464 The super incredible LA arts and fashion magazine, Them Rag, have a sweet little profile in their newly released issue No.2. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787464/them_cover1.jpeg" border="0" width="432" height="539" width_o="432" height_o="539" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787464/them_cover1_o.jpeg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787464/Screen-shot-2010-07-20-at-10.50.20-AM_905.png" border="0" width="864" height="541" width_o="864" height_o="541" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787464/Screen-shot-2010-07-20-at-10.50.20-AM_o.png" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787464/Screen-shot-2010-07-20-at-10.50.29-AM_905.png" border="0" width="864" height="540" width_o="864" height_o="540" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787464/Screen-shot-2010-07-20-at-10.50.29-AM_o.png" align="left" /> _______________ Them Rag No.2 "The Work of Isaiah Seret" Written by Bianca Guillen “In terms of visuals, I do like to realize an environment or genre - I want to create a totally believable world.” Perhaps it is his philosophy background or years spent in obscure time-zones? Whatever the amalgamation may be, one truth is apparent: Isaiah Seret possesses a succinct vision of the heralded musical underground. As a filmmaker he has worked with such ascending powerhouses as Devandra Banhart, Hecuba and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros — to name a few. Seret has successfully attempted worlds comprised of Kubrician dreams of a futuristic passed, sniveling Pinkerton undertakers or rambunctious greasers, to name a few. As Seret notes, “When I am making a video I really want to approach it like I am telling a story — the music is like the script and the real key to telling the story is to keep audiences emotionally engaged.” READ THE ENTIRE THEM RAG No.2 HERE http://isaiahseret.com/Kisses-Over-Babylon-Screens-at-the-LA-Film-Festival http://isaiahseret.com/following/isaiahseret.com/Kisses-Over-Babylon-Screens-at-the-LA-Film-Festival Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:21:14 +0000 Isaiah Seret 1787446 Kisses Over Babylon recieved an enthousiastic reception at this year's Los Angeles Film Festival. Selected to screen in the Eclectic Mix alongside videos for Charlotte Gainsbourg, MGMT, Department Of Eagles, Fever Ray, Grizzly Bear and many more, the audience was treated to the Edward Sharpe opus on the big screen via digital projection at The GRAMMY Museum. Below is a pic of the Q&A via Life Magazine: <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787446/102252062.jpg" border="0" width="594" height="376" width_o="594" height_o="376" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/1/32680/1787446/102252062_o.jpg" align="left" /> LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 19:   Filmmakers Isaiah Seret, Helgi Johannsson, Keith Schofield, Ryan McNeill, Adam Littke, Adam Willis and Nash Edgerton speak onstage during Eclectic Mix 1 during the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival at The GRAMMY Museum on June 19, 2010 in Los Angeles, California (Photo by Joe Scarnici/WireImage)