A Culmination of Expression in Music and Cinematography!
By Chris Pagano
"The video is like a summary of our lives and what we understand about each other…things we mutually enjoy about music, history and life," said Fox.
JACKSON, Mo.--March 8, 2011
The goal of the soon to be released video, My Brother's Keeper, is to be a feature film.The result is a collaboration of the talent from Jefferson Fox of Jackson and Tim Gill of Savannah, GA, creating an artistic video you'll want to watch numerous times. Fox, an eclectic writer who is well known at area clubs also travels nationally to perform as well. Gill is a cinematographer whose client list includes such names as MTV, Food Network, Trading Spaces, A&E, ABC, NBC, FOX and the US Army. Merging the music with visual images in a story plot about human struggles has a powerful effect. The Dockside Banquet Hall in Cape Girardeau was chosen by Fox to debut the video "My Brother's Keeper" and the CD, Chronicles of Harvey, because the musicians who recorded the song, "My Brother's Keeper," are all from the Cape Girardeau area. Fox also said My Brother's Keeper will be used at the National Association for Broadcasting's April convention in Las Vegas, NV--the largest national film convention.
So what can viewer's expect? Well, the scene is set in in all black church in the late 1930s. The lyrics begin with,
The images you see are mainly black and white with an accent of color--for effect--set in really slow motion. The impact of the images you see does not happen in slow motion however. It is a video you need to watch several times because suggested, multiple meanings are being unveiled simultaneously. Besides the content of the video, worth mentioning is the cutting edge technology used in filming the video. The Phantom V641, a camera of high resolution and definition was used. With rental of the camera came a technician too. Only three of these cameras exist in the entire world. The other two cameras were tested at this year's Superbowl.
What's particularly special about the video is that it represents total contentment, a goal not easily achieved by any artist. Whether it becomes a feature film or a video receiving major attention is not important to Fox. The end result of the work of two artists telling a story effectively and showcasing their talents at the same time is what has caused this feeling of contentment according to Fox. "It was like we had the exact same vision from the beginning," said Fox.
When Fox wrote the song, "My Brother's Keeper," he sent the song to Gill's email. Fox said "He called me within 15 minutes. I was playing at a bar in Kansas City. I stepped outside to take the call. He said, "This is the best thing you've ever done!" My reply was, "Thanks for inspiring me to write it." The two had a conversation a few days earlier and as a result the lyrics and music just came to Fox. The lyrics were especially meaningful to both Fox and Gill because they ident
ified
with the symbolism. They both decided it was important to share the
content with everyone else. Incorporating the mystery of Johnson's life
and death was agreed upon almost immediately. Johnson, a wandering
performer who received little success in his lifetime, is said to have died from drinking poisoned whiskey at a juke joint. It was believed that due to Johnson's flirtation with the juke joint owner's wife, the poisoning was planned by him.
An interesting myth that Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for mastery of the guitar surrounded him.
Ideas for portraying the song in video continued over five weeks and in seven weeks they were done shooting. The production of the video was like the culmination of expression in music and cinematography. "The video is like a summary of our lives and what we understand about each other…things we mutually enjoy about music, history and life," said Fox.
Born in Southeast Missouri, Fox lived the life of a military family, changing residence about every three years. The impact of living this type of life may have been a catalyst for his writing career. When he met new people, Fox learned he had to develop relationships faster in comparison to others because his relationships had a limited shelf life. Fox believes this way of processing information about people helped to heighten his sensitivity and awareness of how their situations impacted their lives, making him a a better writer.
The collaboration between Fox and Gill has deep roots. Little did either of them know that their high school musings would someday lead to working so closely and realizing their potential . Best friends in high school, the glue that cemented them together included a love for Zeppelin, Aerosmith and well…guitars. The two also spent every waking moment together, wrote poetry relentlessly and even produced several large paintings.
Their love for the music and story of Delta Blues songwriter and guitarist, Robert Johnson was shared. But like many friendships formed early on, the two went separate ways to explore individual endeavors. They kept in touch though and filled each other in, enjoying each other's individuality and growth.
Seventeen years went by before the two worked on an artistic project together. It was in 2008 that they collaborated to produce Nobody's Fault, a video from the CD, Animule. Fox said, "I called Tim and said I need you to be here. He showed up ahead of time at Los Angeles International Airport and we shot video four hours later." Having the support of your best friend was something Fox really appreciated, but it was then the two began to realize that showcasing their talents might lead to something. "My Brother's Keeper" is where it lead. The two artists are currently working on their next music video. According to Fox they have lots of things brewing including a silent film idea.
"The video is like a summary of our lives and what we understand about each other…things we mutually enjoy about music, history and life," said Fox.
JACKSON, Mo.--March 8, 2011
The goal of the soon to be released video, My Brother's Keeper, is to be a feature film.The result is a collaboration of the talent from Jefferson Fox of Jackson and Tim Gill of Savannah, GA, creating an artistic video you'll want to watch numerous times. Fox, an eclectic writer who is well known at area clubs also travels nationally to perform as well. Gill is a cinematographer whose client list includes such names as MTV, Food Network, Trading Spaces, A&E, ABC, NBC, FOX and the US Army. Merging the music with visual images in a story plot about human struggles has a powerful effect. The Dockside Banquet Hall in Cape Girardeau was chosen by Fox to debut the video "My Brother's Keeper" and the CD, Chronicles of Harvey, because the musicians who recorded the song, "My Brother's Keeper," are all from the Cape Girardeau area. Fox also said My Brother's Keeper will be used at the National Association for Broadcasting's April convention in Las Vegas, NV--the largest national film convention.
So what can viewer's expect? Well, the scene is set in in all black church in the late 1930s. The lyrics begin with,
"Everybody wants to go to Heaven
Even the folks who swear it don't exist
The hardest part about life is searching for excuses
For desire, in lieu of death's kiss…"
Even the folks who swear it don't exist
The hardest part about life is searching for excuses
For desire, in lieu of death's kiss…"
The images you see are mainly black and white with an accent of color--for effect--set in really slow motion. The impact of the images you see does not happen in slow motion however. It is a video you need to watch several times because suggested, multiple meanings are being unveiled simultaneously. Besides the content of the video, worth mentioning is the cutting edge technology used in filming the video. The Phantom V641, a camera of high resolution and definition was used. With rental of the camera came a technician too. Only three of these cameras exist in the entire world. The other two cameras were tested at this year's Superbowl.
What's particularly special about the video is that it represents total contentment, a goal not easily achieved by any artist. Whether it becomes a feature film or a video receiving major attention is not important to Fox. The end result of the work of two artists telling a story effectively and showcasing their talents at the same time is what has caused this feeling of contentment according to Fox. "It was like we had the exact same vision from the beginning," said Fox.
When Fox wrote the song, "My Brother's Keeper," he sent the song to Gill's email. Fox said "He called me within 15 minutes. I was playing at a bar in Kansas City. I stepped outside to take the call. He said, "This is the best thing you've ever done!" My reply was, "Thanks for inspiring me to write it." The two had a conversation a few days earlier and as a result the lyrics and music just came to Fox. The lyrics were especially meaningful to both Fox and Gill because they ident
ified
with the symbolism. They both decided it was important to share the
content with everyone else. Incorporating the mystery of Johnson's life
and death was agreed upon almost immediately. Johnson, a wandering
performer who received little success in his lifetime, is said to have died from drinking poisoned whiskey at a juke joint. It was believed that due to Johnson's flirtation with the juke joint owner's wife, the poisoning was planned by him. An interesting myth that Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for mastery of the guitar surrounded him.
Johnson is credited by many rock musicians as an important influence.
Eric Clapton, for instance, referred to Johnson as "the most important
blues singer that ever lived."
Ideas for portraying the song in video continued over five weeks and in seven weeks they were done shooting. The production of the video was like the culmination of expression in music and cinematography. "The video is like a summary of our lives and what we understand about each other…things we mutually enjoy about music, history and life," said Fox.
Born in Southeast Missouri, Fox lived the life of a military family, changing residence about every three years. The impact of living this type of life may have been a catalyst for his writing career. When he met new people, Fox learned he had to develop relationships faster in comparison to others because his relationships had a limited shelf life. Fox believes this way of processing information about people helped to heighten his sensitivity and awareness of how their situations impacted their lives, making him a a better writer.
The collaboration between Fox and Gill has deep roots. Little did either of them know that their high school musings would someday lead to working so closely and realizing their potential . Best friends in high school, the glue that cemented them together included a love for Zeppelin, Aerosmith and well…guitars. The two also spent every waking moment together, wrote poetry relentlessly and even produced several large paintings.
Their love for the music and story of Delta Blues songwriter and guitarist, Robert Johnson was shared. But like many friendships formed early on, the two went separate ways to explore individual endeavors. They kept in touch though and filled each other in, enjoying each other's individuality and growth.
Seventeen years went by before the two worked on an artistic project together. It was in 2008 that they collaborated to produce Nobody's Fault, a video from the CD, Animule. Fox said, "I called Tim and said I need you to be here. He showed up ahead of time at Los Angeles International Airport and we shot video four hours later." Having the support of your best friend was something Fox really appreciated, but it was then the two began to realize that showcasing their talents might lead to something. "My Brother's Keeper" is where it lead. The two artists are currently working on their next music video. According to Fox they have lots of things brewing including a silent film idea.
Posted by The Local Management at 3/15/2011 10:46 AM 
Categories: Live Music, The Arts, Entertainment
Tags: Entertainment Live Music Music Jefferson Fox
Categories: Live Music, The Arts, Entertainment
Tags: Entertainment Live Music Music Jefferson Fox
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