The Band Explains: FRANKIIE - 'Dream Reader'
Vancouver indie dream-rock outfit FRANKIIE spoke to us about the ideas behind the fantastic fairytale visuals for 'Dream Reader', the lead single from their upcoming full length album.
FRANKIIE’s 'Dream Reader' is a seductive and effortlessly cool slice of quirky, synth-driven pop. Lush vocals intertwined with an 80’s strut and ethereal mystery provides the perfect backing for your favourite film noir offering. Drifting into your subconscious, it’s a sublime cut of indie chic that demands, and surely deserves, a wider audience.
FRANKIIE Explains:
Where was the video for 'Dream Reader' filmed?
The video was filmed up past Pemberton, BC on Anderson Lake. The director had a family cabin up there that is off the grid, so we took a couple days to hang by the lake and shoot the video. Though there wasn’t much hanging as it was pretty full on. It was November, so we were fighting with the light and cold, but it was absolutely beautiful up there.
How does the video compliment the song?
The video is a loop and also a little absurd like a dream. The whole song is an excerpt of different dreams put together, and the video has that feel to it. Random animals popping out of nowhere, things that don’t totally make sense. The general feeling of abstract confusion and the main character maneuvering her way through it all is similar to what the song is about. Getting through your dreams at night is similar in some ways to navigating your aspirational dreams during the day. I think that’s mainly what the song and the video are loosely about.
Any behind the scenes stories?
Yes, the lead actors Britt Ervin and Chris Boni were recently engaged a few months prior to this shoot. They hadn’t got a ring yet, so the first time we shot the scene where the Zebra mask is revealed in the living room, Chris had put the ring in there instead of the mask. When he revealed it to her in the shoot we caught her whole beautiful reaction on film. It was a tear-jerker and fun moment. They are the coolest pair - we were so stoked to be working with them, and have since become good friends.
Tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
In general the theme is mostly about dreams. All kinds of dreams! And we wanted the video to feel like it could be one of those wild rides you end up in when you’re sleeping. It is also a loop since in the beginning she doesn’t realize she is seeing herself as the zebra. When at the end she finds the banana on the ground and realizes she was the zebra all along, she can go back and take control of the situation. It’s not suppose to make perfect sense, and can be interpreted in many different ways.
What is the message you hope people take from watching the video?
We don’t really have a message we want people to take from this video. It is abstract so that people can interpret it how they want. Between the banana gun, the zebra and the boxing glove gorilla we felt like it was a good time no matter how people see it.
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