The Band Explains: Sure - 'Talk to Ghosts' (Video)

Vocalist Wesley Greene of Florida-based outfit Sure talks to us about the making of their animated video for synthpop single, Talk to Ghosts'.
'Talk to Ghosts' is a dreamy and catchy single taken from the band's debut EP, 'Ok'.

Sure Explains:

Could you talk us through how you came up with the ideas for the animated video?

Well, I really, really loved looking at old CGI tests from the 70s and 80s. They have a certain look to them I found both pleasing, yet slightly unsettling. I wanted to replicate that look as much as possible, with my own creative flourishes added here and there.

How do the visuals compliment the song?It's kind of a stretch, but the song is vaguely about the invention of the radio, and the sheer wonder of being able to transmit signals over the air for such long distances. The visuals are again referencing older technology and presenting them as new. Sounds a bit pretentious typing it out now, but I really didn't think much about it at the time!

Any behind the scenes stories?I'm terrible at 3D modeling and texturing, so I guess that's a mishap to speak about! But that worked in my favor since I was going for something that looked a bit "off". I almost gave up halfway through and wanted to do a traditional live-action video, but my bandmates kept pushing me to finish it as-is. I need their encouragement a lot, since I end up over-thinking and doubting everything I do!

Talk us through the inspirations/themes/ imagery used? With primitive CGI as the creative basis, I just kept adding imagery that made me and my bandmates laugh. I put lightbulbs into our guitarist Andrew's eyes, which is my favorite thing about the entire video. The weird text throughout is parodying astral projection guides, and the video gets intentionally more horrifying as it goes on, suggesting all is not well in the higher planes of existence. Again, all because it's stuff we find really, really funny.

Is there anything in particular you hope people take away from watching 'Talk To Ghosts'?
 I want people to laugh. The three of us share a sense of humor that hasn't changed in the 11 years we've known each other, and we just like sharing it. If you start seeing our poorly-modeled CGI heads in your dreams, that's just an added bonus!

Interview feature by Karla Harris