Ok so we promised you a beautiful new video, now here it is. Watch it and be pleased.

Damien Jurado, “Caskets” (Uncensored) from Thinklab on Vimeo.

Everything about this video amazed me. It all seems so well thought out and executed. Its hints of grandeur make me think it’s a trailer for some big budget Hollywood turn of the century period piece. But it’s not. It’s the handy work of a production company called Thinklab based in Washington, a song and story by Damien Jurado and a lot of hard work and time. This is what effort and creativity, executed to perfection looks like. It’s all sewn together so well: the sprawling landscapes, muted color tones, actors and wardrobe. All enveloped in a proper aspect ratio and bit rate. What more could you want. This is quality!

I asked Matt Daniels, the director, a few questions about how things go down:

SRO: How did you get started on your path to music videos? I’ve seen a lot of your photography, was it a natural progression from that?

Matt: Yeah, I’ve always been interested in photography: stills, time-lapse, and stop-motion. My friend, Sean Pecknold and I got used DSLR’s (Nikon D70’s) at the same time. Soon after we made a short stop-action film for a 48 hour film competition. This lead to a mini tidal wave of short videos and experiments involving most of our friends and family members. Earlier this year Throw Me The Statue asked if I’d be interested in making a music video for a song on their first album. At the same time our new studio-mate, Mike Ragen, received his long awaited RED camera. It was the perfect opportunity to start learning the new 4k camera.

SRO: So what was this shot on? The whole video looks beautiful despite its morbid mood and theme of death. The landscapes are perfect too, I never knew Washington had it in her. Were these places you had been before?

Matt: Thanks. We shot this on the same RED camera using Zeiss Super Speeds, a Lensbaby, with all natural light. We were going for a “Days of Heaven” look. We lucked out with the clouds and weather. I had driven through a lot of this area on road trips forever ago. I had no idea we’d be able to find such amazing and varied landscapes so close together, and only two and half hours from Seattle. I’ve got to thank our Producer, Jaime Keeling and Phil Anderson for doing most of the scouting. Phil grew up in Quincy, WA and kept us from getting lost on gravel roads in the middle of nowhere. Phil’s dad hooked us up with food, the horses and a place to stay.

SRO: Do you see your production company continuing down the path of music videos, even given their (in general) decline in exposure and budgets? I know you mentioned you already have another one coming down the pipe.

Matt: I’d love to keep doing them. There is no better outlet for experimentation. We shot another one with an extremely different look and feel just two weekends after shooting this. I’m just wrapping it up now. We’ve never had big budgets or exposure, so it’s the same as it ever was. I’ve been a big consumer of video through the web vs. television. If anything it feels like there are more music videos being posted, more talk, more fans and opportunity than ever before. Check out this, this, this, and this… all made by friends in Seattle.