2023 Prism Prize Eligible Videos: The Spirit Of Halloween
October is here, which means that Halloween will soon be upon us. October is the season of all things dark, bewitching, eerie, and sinister. So, we’ve chosen 5 Prism Prize 2023 eligible music videos that will send chills down your spin or inspire you to cast a spell.
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October is here, which means that Halloween will soon be upon us. October is the season of all things dark, bewitching, eerie, and sinister. So, we’ve chosen 5 Prism Prize 2023 eligible music videos that will send chills down your spin or inspire you to cast a spell.
Devon Cole - W.I.T.C.H.
Devon Cole was born in Calgary but is currently based in Toronto. Cole is an indie-pop singer with half a million followers on TikTok who writes clever lyrics backed by catchy melodies. Released in July, W.I.T.C.H. is all about celebrating women’s strength and is an homage to the rebellious women in history who were judged to be witches, simply because they did not fit in society’s mould. The music video echoes these sentiments through the enchanting costumes, the captivating dance choreography and the various ‘witchy’ scenes - including a fun ouija board sequence. If you want to feel like you’re a part of a witches' coven going against the current, then this is the music video for you.
Credits:
Production Company: IBUKI Studios
Producer: Michael Ren
Writer & Director: Martin Klapperbien
Director of Photography: Julian Lomaga
Choreographer & Editor: Michelle Hanitijo
Art Director: Steve Bennett
Dancers: Moyor Nicole, Elyse Reynolds, Quinn Venable, Cindy Seo, Akinyi Oketch, Ruriko Horiguchi
The Golden Age of Wrestling - Instant Coffin
The Golden Age of Wrestling is a Vancouver-based glambient music project by musician Devours. Instant Coffi’ is a song off of the album Crossface Chicken Wing, which was released in February 2022. The music video for Instant Coffin, directed by Medusa Wyatt, immediately draws you in with the shot of the back tattoo and the eerie melody of the song which gives the video an overall ominous feel throughout. The actions in the video are played out relatively slowly which gives an air of mystery, we don’t know what’s going on or why. At one point in the video, we see him burning a photograph very slowly, it really adds to the overall ambiance of the video. Overall, the eerie beats of the song paired with the uncertainty of what is happening is a fantastic and spine-chilling combination.
Vi - Dead To You
Alt-pop artist Vi’s single Dead To You was released in February 2022 and is the second track on her 2022 album Afterlife. Dead To You is a song all about needing to kill off the memories from a past relationship. Vi and her band perfect this song throughout the video against a colourful background. Throughout the video we see lots of shadows, various non-traditional camera angles, and a few closeups - it adds something extra to the band's performance. The lyrics of Dead To You could very well be the beginning of a horror movie with a final girl-esque perspective. Overall, the music video leans into that ‘villain era’ aesthetic we’ve been seeing online - and it’s the perfect video for anyone who wants to forget their ex….or get rid of them.
Credits:
Directed by Hayley Lennox
Creative Direction by Cugini Hub and Christina Pasion
DOP - Artfilm Canada
Editor and Colourist - Ricardo Cugini Hub
PA - Hollie Mallette
Vocals - Vi
Drums - Atom
Guitar - fvvkes
Music Production - createdbyatom
Location and Studio - Cugini Cyclorama
Artist Management - Hayley Lennox at Eclipse Mgmt
Grae - Room In The Desert
Singer-songwriter Grae grew up in Elora, Ontario and is currently based in Toronto. Her alternative-pop songs are overflowing with catchy hooks and smokey vocals. Room In The Desert comes off her debut album Whiplash which was released this past April. This music video should be listed under the definition for ‘entrancing.’ Grae is effervescent in all forms, with artistic and colourful costumes throughout. Right off the bat, her voice will put a spell on you, and will keep you entranced during the whole video. The video has a lot of dark lighting with frequent circular red spotlights which looks like a full moon. It’s the perfect background for Grae as she gives off enchantress and dark witch energy, completed by her costumes and the eerie ambiance provided by the melody.
Credits
Director Gemma Warren
Producer Duy Nguyen
DOP John Ker
Steadicam Ali Khurshid
Production Designer Caitlin Doherty
HMU Lisa Kolmakova
Wardrobe Carla Candela
Editor Kat Yi
Color Dante Pasquinelli
Production Coordinator Gennelle Cruz
Production Assistant Octavio Caceres
1st AC Tom Wood
2nd AC Ashley Mach
Key Grip Jon Glendon
Best Halyna Sadovy
Gaffer Adrian Antonecchia
Swing Chris Yue
Art Assistant Lando Cortez
Color Producer Sam Cesan
Title Design Lauren Armstrong
Sunglaciers - Out Of My Skull
Hailing from Calgary, this indie rock quartet are all about eclectic sounds that work seamlessly together. Out Of My Skull is the third track on their album Subterranea which was released in 2022 and was produced by 2022 Prism Prize nominee Chad VanGaalen. The music video for Out Of My Skull was directed by Evan Resnik and it is captivating. Full of dark and grey lighting, this video plays with shadows and creates various intriguing effects. With the scenes spotlit by white lighting the mugshot-like frames gives the video an eerie ambiance. In the group shots, we see the band holding skulls as props and there’s this feeling of being in a haunted house - which is aided by the fast-paced yet chilling melody. All in all, this video definitely plays into the Halloween aesthetic.
