The band called on Casey Pierce to execute the galactic vision outlined in TDWP frontman Mike Hranica's lyric. Here, he explains how he did it.
Carl Wiser (Songfacts): How did you develop the concept for the video?Casey Pierce: I started with the song. I spoke with Mike who had already created a great concept and setting and I listened to the song over and over and let the images come.
[Mike Hranica says he's "not a huge fan of space." So why did he write an EP around the theme? He told us: "It works well for me, because I can become a little more dramatic or fictional and be able to create with less hindrances, which I think is also part of the process. I find it very much enjoyable.]
Songfacts: What does the cube represent?
Casey: The cube for me is a limited universe created to help us move and protect us from harsh realities, but it can also become a prison.
Songfacts: Doing space without a Gravity-size budget seems like a huge challenge. How did you pull this off?
Casey: I stayed close to our character. I built the set myself, I created the graphics mostly on my own. This helped keep costs down. A little visual trickery can go a long way if you let it.
Songfacts: Who is the actress, and why did you choose her?
Casey: Her name is Lauren Reeser and I chose her because she is a real-life badass, a quality that any lonesome explorer would have to possess. It also helps that she is beautiful.Songfacts: What is your background and your approach to art?
Casey: I have been a painter for the past 10 years. I've found that once you develop a deeply rooted creative process in anything you can then translate that to many different modes of working.
I approach art with desire in mind. I think of it like making a sauce: I gather ingredients that I love and a few I'm not sure about, I mix them up and boil them down until there is enough flavor per square inch. Fortunately, in art, many times you can take out ingredients if they don't work.
September 9, 2015
See more of Casey's work at caseypierce.com
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