LA FOCUS - HANDS UP – Music Video
A lonely actress searches for happiness on stage.
Interview with Director/Producer Cindy Baer
Congratulations! Why did you make your music video?
We made this music video for the song “Hands Up” to promote the feature comedy ODD BRODSKY, which will be released on VOD later this year.
How did you approach the band to become involved in the music video?
When I directed the movie ODD BRODSKY and cast actor Scotty Dickert to play the role of “Spuds” I had no idea he was also a talented singer/songwriter. He surprised me with an original song he wrote, inspired by our movie, that he had recorded with his band Reason’s Be!
Not only did we use the song in ODD BRODSKY, we figured it would be fun to make a music video to go along with it. Thanks to our Awesome friends at Awesometown Studios in Valencia, we were able to bring this idea to life!
How does the music video work in or alongside the feature Odd Brodsky?
It has a very similar theme. ODD BRODSKY is a quirky comedy about a woman who’s trying to make it as an actress in Hollywood. And the song is about a basic longing to be famous. For the music video we brought back our leading lady Tegan Ashton Cohan and put her backstage in a theatre dressing room. She starts off sullen and breaks out of her shell. By the end her joy becomes infectious. The video is comprised of these new clips, actual clips from the movie, and shots of the band -- including some that are placed into settings from the movie.
Could you discuss the technical considerations behind this music video?
One thing I particularly enjoy about making music videos is that you don’t have to worry about recording usable sound on set, since there’s no dialogue. However, I still record a “scratch track”, to make it easier to sync the song later. It’s truly amazing how polished it all becomes as soon as you drop the professional recording into the footage! We had a small crew on set including our friend and fellow fllmmaker Matt Brodie, who went above and beyond in the camera, grip and electric departments.
The other technical consideration was the large amount of green screen shots we were working with. There are 122 shots in this 4-minute piece… and 90 of them are visual effects! The most difficult challenge in post-production was the compositing.
Luckily I had met an expert Visual Effects Supervisor named Marbella Calvillo at an AWD (Alliance of Women Directors) event just a month earlier, and she came on board to help composite much of the footage. She was a vital part of this process.
How has the script for the music video evolved over the course of their development and production?
The script for this project definitely evolved during development, production and post-production, mostly because there was no formal “script” for this music video at all! Originally it was going to be a simple “live concert” compilation of Scotty and the band Reasons Be playing at different venues.
I started by taking a Canon C100 camera to a few of their gigs and recording them live. Then my whole world changed when I met the people at Awesometown and we were able to work out the usage of their green screen studio.
At that point I sat down and came up with a new overall idea. I asked Tegan if she could come over for a few hours so we could add her ODD BRODSKY character into the storyline. I brought some specific costumes from the movie, as well as props, and playthings.
My friend Maggie Terry Viale had co-written a book called “Happiness Awaits You” that she offered up, and we just went for it! I had a few specific ideas in mind for Tegan, but had not figured out how the band would fit in yet. So “on the day”, we shot them against a green screen – as a group and also as separate musicians – and I trusted that I’d discover my story in post! Later, I found scenes from the film and added our guys into them. It was a blast!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Not one person has seen the video except the screeners at Dances With Films. Fingers crossed! It will be interesting to hear feedback after we screen. I think that people who have seen ODD BRODSKY will get an extra kick out of seeing the band composited into scenes from the movie.
What are you looking to achieve by having your music video more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Of course we’re always looking for more exposure for the movie, but it’s also a much-appreciated opportunity to show off the talent of our amazing actors, as well as Scotty’s songwriting skills and the awesome band Reasons Be. Thanks so much for inviting me to do this interview, and for supporting indie filmmakers like us. You ROCK!
Would you like to add anything else?
I’d just like to give a giant shout out and heartfelt thank you to Dance With Films. We’re super- excited to be screening at this wonderful festival again. If you’d like to follow the journey of my feature film ODD BRODSKY please like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oddbrodsky.
What are you developing or working on now?
Currently I’m in the process of writing a new feature screenplay. Stay tuned! And feel free to follow my adventures on twitter @cindybaer or on Facebook at
Interview: June 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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HANDS UP – Music Video
A lonely actress searches for happiness on stage.
Length: Approx. 4 minutes
Director: Cindy Baer
Producer: Cindy Baer
About the director / producer: Cindy Baer’s feature debut PURGATORY HOUSE (which was written by a 14-year-old girl she mentored in the Big Sisters program) won 11 film festival awards and 2 Prism Nominations, appeared on 5 critics’ lists for "Best Film of the Year" and was distributed by Image Entertainment. Cindy is finding similar success with her second feature ODD BRODSKY, which is winding down its festival run as an official selection of 27 film festivals and winner of 20 festival awards.
Key Cast: Scotty Dickert, Tegan Ashton Cohan, Ariel Belkin, Sonny Kennelly, Luis Briones
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Whoever is interested!
Funders: Free Dream Pictures
Release date: June 3, 2016
Where can I watch it this month? It will be premiering on the big screen at the 19th Annual Dances With Films Festival in Hollywood.