Much like Stephenie Meyer maps out a the difficulties of teenage love —and especially the logistics of a relationship between a mortal and a vampire — in her popular young adult novel series Twilight, this first music video to spring from her mind is also a meditation on a love that cannot easily be requited (or consummated). Meyer collaborates with director Noble Jones on a fable that has Jack's Mannequin frontman Andrew McMahon falling deeper in love with an unobtainable mermaid.
Noble Jones, co-director: "The idea for Jack’s Mannequin 'The Resolution' came from Stephanie Meyer, who mentioned her love of the band in one of her blogs. The band reached out to her and asked if she would be interested in directing the video. She wasn’t really a director but she had a great idea for a video, so she teamed up with me to make it happen.
When I first heard the idea it was bigger than what the budget allowed, so I had to make a few adjustments to make it work. The most difficult thing was making it seem as though the ocean was chasing Andrew, the lead singer of the band and the main character in the video. Also, to make the narrative work right, Andrew had to travel into the desert. Also difficult due to this being a single day shoot that must have some elements shot at the beach. I decided to break the script down into sections and design three or four effects shots that would communicate the spectacle of the ocean chasing Andrew as well as a special effect shot of Andrew driving through the desert. That way we could stay near the beach for the most part.
On set things move quickly and sometime she had to run over to me to discuss a nuance or two, but for the most part we really saw the same video in our heads. I loved the idea from the beginning so it was really an enjoyable process.
I have directed a few videos based on some one else’s idea before, and I’ve been making commercials for years. The key is to bring your unique perspective to the process and find the places where the writer might have missed some fun opportunities, which could help enhance the idea. Sometimes those things can only be captured once you are all on set and in the midst of it."
--> watch "The Resolution" plus a four-part making-of (part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4)
Jack's Mannequin "The Resolution" (Sire/Warner Bros.)
Noble Jones & Stephenie Meyers, directors | Joanna Shaw, producer | The Revolver Film Co., production co | Labuda Management, rep | Noble Jones, DP | Richard Alarcon, editor | Beau Leon, telecine/colorist
