The Band Explains: Sykoya - 'Closer' (Video)
About The Track:
'Closer' is the first single taken from Sykoya's debut EP 'Strange Night' out now. Featuring slinking electronics, melodic synths and the ever haunting vocals of front woman, Anna Marcella, 'Closer' is unforgettable in its delivery.
Being our debut single and music video release, 'Closer' is a special song for us and we wanted to give it the perfect video to compliment it. We had a tight budget and no film connections, so we submitted an online brief asking for video pitches from film production companies/directors, giving people free reign to interpret the song how they'd like. We received an incredible amount of pitches from all over the world, but when we read RO/SA's we knew we had found the perfect match for the track. Their storyboard and dramatic imagery captured the feel we were going for perfectly and we couldn't wait to start working with them.
'Closer' itself is about someone going through a difficult time in real life and wanting to escape to get 'closer' to a lost love in their dreams, refusing to wake up throughout the song. Though originally we were open to other interpretations, RO/SA understood the song immediately and we are so happy that the video could remain true to the original feel of the song. Their linear storyboard creatively showed the struggle that the girl is having between reality (in blue) and her dream (white - snowy dreamscape). We love that there are deeper meanings throughout the video as well, like when she opens and closes the curtains in the blue scene during the middle 8 or the water scenes, which could be interpreted as an 'in-between' state. We also love discussing different interpretations of the ending when she opens her eyes; Has she submitted to the dream world and now remains, or is she waking up from her dream and moving on? We like this kind of open ended feel that people can walk away from and contemplate.
We are based in London, but Katarzyna Sawicka and Adam Romanowski (RO/SA) are a film production duo based in Poland. Their country has breathtaking landscapes surrounding them, so it was an easy choice to film there. Their pitch included very muted and snowy white scenes, which were perfect for a winter setting in the mountains. We also decided to hire actors to best rely the story and were so luck to have the very talented Aleksandra Olbryt and Waclaw Warchol on board. We unfortunately couldn't make it to Poland for filming, but felt confident that RO/SA would do the story justice.
The music video was shot in winter 2016, but before they filmed there was not a lot of snow in the mountains. Luckily, the day before the shoot, there was a heavy snowfall that covered the forests and mountains in the beautiful white blanket you see in the video. The cast and crew hiked around 6 hours that day to get to location, keeping warm with thermoses full of hot drinks and eating chocolate. It's amazing the lengths that the brilliant cast and crew went through to get the perfect shot, and we are so glad that they did!
We couldn't be happier with how the film turned out and have been honoured with all the positive feedback its been getting, including a nomination for the Berlin Music Video Awards. We really feel ROSA brought our song to life and it's more than just a music video, its a story that can stick with you because of their stunning cinematography, engaging storyline that holds true to the song, and the amazing actors. It's a brilliant feeling to see our song come to life so beautifully on screen."
Feature by Karla Harris