A write-up on the making of the "Up in Flames" video

Of course, we'd rather be performing live or meeting with our fans. Next to that though is shooting videos. They really are a blast to do. If you have a good Director who communicates well and has a good vision of what a successful video should be, you'll make a good video. (That is assuming the video editor is proficient).

We loved doing Up in Flames. Nick Testa was very easy to work with. A pleasant man and good humored, he communicated well. Alice, the actress, enjoyed working with him as well. Nothing like having a good team to work with.

Part of the video was shot in Northern California lava beds, which of course fit the theme perfectly. Skitz's character is a dragon, and the scenery was perfect. Couldn't have asked for a better location. It's almost always good to have running water in your videos as running water brings out different emotions in different people, ranging from a calming emotion to fear (depending on the experiences you've had in it).

Nick took some lovely shots of the creek running through the volcanic rock. Be careful though in some of these creeks. We've heard that several kids died right around here. (No, we're not joking). If you go swimming out there, go with at least one friend, preferably someone who swims well.

We didn't have time to go in the water as shooting takes a lot longer than people realize. Plus, we were getting rained on. The rain kept going and stopping. We timed our lunch break perfectly as for when we stopped for lunch, it really came down hard. It did leave the sky overcast, which is a good thing for shooting. It gave the video a kind of eerie feel.

Skitz got to do some dancing too. Who says ballroom dancing won't pay off? You'll never know when you'll need to use that skillset again, so take those ballroom dancing lessons seriously.

And as you know, Skitz and Roman both play lead guitar. This song, Roman played lead.

"It's actually one of my favorite of my guitar solos on the album. I love the build up to it. Randy did some pretty cool fills right before the solo and I also love that bass fill by Jake. I got a chance to really let loose. I had 24 bars to work with, which was plenty, and I also got a chance to hold that last bend and let it blend right into when Skitz came back in for the Chorus." -Roman

Anyways, if you haven't seen it yet, check it out. We had such a blast making it. Next video shoot will be in January and we're proud to say we'll have Nick Testa directing it once again, and Alice will have yet another role, except a much different role. We will be having a slightly larger cast.

Continue reading...

All in all, it was a very fun video to make. And yes, obviously, Up in Flames is a love song.

Part 2 of the Up in Flames article

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