A stupendous video for US rock outfit Anberlin’s Unstable by Jodeb – that’s Quebecois animation wizard Jonathan Desbiens – that combines breathtaking location filming and incredible FX work to tell an epic fantasy tale story of love and war…
In the video a heroic ‘Adam and Eve’ couple race through a huge desert, that from the start appears to be on the verge of self-destruction, and where huge metallic craft loom on the horizon. Ultimately only one of them can survive…
Jodeb has shown himself to be supremely adept at this kind of thing – his video for Porter Robinson’s Language combines beautiful New Zealand scenery with magical CG creations to generate a highly cinematic fantasy storyline. But he has out-done himself here.
The live action part was filmed in Moab, in the desert of Utah, in extreme heat, and the subsequent FX work, with 3D design, modeling and animation by Paul Laberge as well as Jodeb, is outstanding.
“This film was really a very personal, passion project for me throughout the entire process,” says Jonathan, aka Jodeb. “Anberlin contacted me to make a video from their last record, and they wanted to do something very different from what they’ve done before. I discussed a lot with Nate, the drummer, and we both were very excited about making an abstract narrative piece where love and war would blend together seamlessly.
“I suggested the idea of shooting in the Utah desert, as I felt from the start that the look of it worked well with the Anberlin aesthetic that I’ve grown up with (I’ve been a big fan of the band since high school). The final film is my personal interpretation of what love is and I always wanted the film to feel like a painting in motion; where emotions are inspired from the colors and the vastness of the environments. I’ve always painted in my spare time (and have studied fine arts) and my video work is heavily influenced by it. So that’s the conceptual part…
“Now, the production of this video was crazy. Our producer put together a very small team of extremely dedicated and courageous individuals that were down to drive 10 hours from LA to Moab, Utah (each way!!). We all very quickly became close friends and shot two days in sweltering 40 degree celsius heat. Our crew were warriors, having to deal with not only the heat, but the incredibly dangerous terrain of the Moab.
We were lucky enough that our key grip grew up in Moab so he knew all the perfect spots for us to shoot. We were also lucky enough to find a real-life couple to play “Adam & Eve”, which really helped sell the emotion. They were very cool and even brought their young child along for the trip. My VFX/animation guy, who’s a really good friend, also decided to join us, so that he would have a better feel for the environments that the story was taking place in. It was a very special shoot. Especially from my point of view since I live in Quebec, where we’re used to freezing cold winters.
“Post-production was very experimental. Paul and I tried stuff that we’ve never done before and we had an incredible amount of unexpected challenges to overcome. Thankfully both the band and label were extremely patient and in the end, that is what really allowed us to bring the visuals to an entirely new level. It’s very rare to be given such freedom and flexibility from clients and crew so for that, we are extremely grateful and we hope that it was worth the wait! I’d really like to thank everybody on the team, they were all unbelievable.”
Anberlin
Unstable
Director: Jodeb
Starring: Ashley Haber as Adam, Michelle Lombardo as Eve
Line Producer: Courtney Davies
EP/Post producer: Geoff McLean
UK rep: Alexa Haywood at FreeAgent UK
Director of Photography: David Myrick
1st AC: Cary Gallagher
Steadicam operator: Noah Dille
Wilderness Guide / Key Grip / Electric swing: Colin Stoye
Concept / Editing / Grading / VFX / Compositing: Jodeb
3D design, modeling and animation: Paul Laberge
Key Production Assistant: John Dubets
Commissioner: Kate Miller
Label: Universal/Republic Records
Production Company: Vision Films
Shot on location in Moab, Utah. Shot on Alexa and 5D Mark III.
Watch: here