Dallas, Texas native , singer/ songwriter Boy Epic blends worlds of music and film. Early in his career, he chose to keep his name an age hidden from the public and focus on the work. In 2014, it took him only a few months to build a huge following, with millions of views on youtube of his covers of A Great Big World‘s “Say Something” and Christina Perri‘s “Human”. He later released his own original material with the debut project entitlted Skynova , followed by Who Is Parker Banks? and Tell Me Lies. He and frequent collaborator, producer Cut Down Trees, created new music which included tracks that were inspired by movies like 50 Shades of Grey and Suicide Squad. Hollywood Records took notice and in 2016, signed him. We had a chance to talk to him about his current projects including video’s “Trust” and “Wolf.”.
Tell us about the characters in the “Wolf” video and what is the storyline?
The story is a continuation of where “Trust” left off, so the characters are
the same. It picks up in the aftermath of the girl’s decision to end her life
and the lengths the man is willing to go to keep their love alive using a
homemade deprivation tank.
“Wolf” is part two in a series, correct? How is filming this video different
from the first, “Trust”? Any clues as to what part 3 holds?
Yes, “Trust” had a lot of info in it. As a director and writer of these stories, I
will say it’s hard to cram into a 4-minute music video all the details that a
proper story needs. With “Wolf,” I wanted to simplify and focus on one
solitary moment allowing the audience to focus more on what is
happening. Part three will conclude the story by focusing heavily on a
metaphor. You’re going to need imagination to understand it.
You are very involved in the making of your videos from acting to directing;
can you tell us about what roles you play when making a video and what
your process is like?
Being a director, actor, singer, editor and writer of these videos is a lot to
handle but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I must sound like a
control freak, but it’s important to me to keep my creative vision alive so I
never lose myself. When starting an idea for a video/story I always pull
from my dreams, life experiences, and scenes in the movies I watch. I also
enjoy collaborating with my other actors. Melissa Cordero, the girl in this
series, has been a delight to work with. She and I sat down together and
discovered the ins and outs of these characters into what you see.
Does it require an artist’s eye to direct?
I’m not really sure what it requires due to my lack of conversations with
other directors. I keep myself isolated for the most part. What I can say is
that based off my personal experience, directing requires a vision. One of
my favorite quotes is, “If it can be written or thought, it can be filmed.”
How do colors mirror the storyline in the video?
When I’m editing in post-production, color grading is my favorite part. It’s
like trying to find ways to better connect the stories together using certain
color schemes. I’m a sucker for greens and blues as an over all pallet. I
love anything and everything dark, using heavy contrast and playing off
my shadows.
How do you direct and also portray a character in the video
simultaneously?
It’s rather simple since I’m involved in writing the story. I see everything in
my mind before we even start the filming process. When I show up on set,
I know exactly what I need to execute my vision. Having an experienced
and hard working crew helps tremendously in those times I need to take
off my directors hat and get into character.
What are you shooting on – does today’s director shoot on Hi-8, video, film
or digital? What are the benefits to shooting on your chosen format?
Up to this point I’ve only experienced shooting on digital and it works well
with my post-production process. But, I am really looking forward to
working with film in the future.
What are the special effects you use in the video?
I don’t use many special effects simply because it’s just not in the budget
for me yet. But one day I’ll really get to do all the things I’ve been dying to
do. For now, I just play around in post using little editing effects. Not
having what I want at the moment has taught me how to be a better editor.
So I can’t really complain.
What is in the back of your mind while you are directing?
Time management. One of the most difficult hurdles of being on set and
making sure we get everything I need to tell the story is the hours in a day.
It’s crucial to get the perfect shot, but also being mindful of the time we
have to accomplish every scene in a day.
