Andy Shauf Shares Stunning CGI Music Video For “Clove Cigarette”
Since its release in January, The Neon Skyline from Toronto-based singer-songwriter Andy Shauf has been receiving top-notch reviews and nods as one of the year’s best albums. His lush folk-pop style is exceptionally easy going, yet densely layered, enriched by homegrown lyrics and his unique vocal style.
From the new collection is the the hazy, picturesque track “Clove Cigarette”, a song written about half-forgotten memories. Helping to build on that theme, the new music video is a stunning CGI collection touring through Shauf’s mind as he revisits Toronto’s Skyline Restaurant, backyards, and late nights.
Directed by Colin Medley and Jared Raab, the clip was made using a variety of cutting edge technologies including LiDAR, a 3D scanning technique using laser light that’s often used for 3D maps and self-driving cars, photogrammetry, and a video game engine. Static shots of Shauf were used and then relit and rendered out using an animated virtual camera. “The song is about half-forgotten moments, so Jared and I wanted to make something dreamlike and imperfect,” explains Medley.
Raab continues, “If you listen closely to the song, the lyrics drift seamlessly in and out of memories, so we wanted to find visuals that could capture the same sparse quality. We noticed that these scans were almost impressionistic, like computer generated pointillism. Along with our technical director Luca, we stumbled on a brilliant artist RubenFro, who was using the Unity game engine to render point clouds. The results are surprisingly natural, like ghostly moments frozen in time. Though we ended up going with a different game engine (Unreal), we knew we had found the right tool to articulate the feeling of the song. In the end, I think the results stunned us“.
Stunning and captivating to say the least – watch the music video below, and you can catch Andy performing on October 18 during a live stream show at 5pm EST.
$5 from every ticket will benefit The Encampment Support Network (ESN), an organization that addresses Toronto’s housing crisis head-on by bringing humanitarian aid to neighbours living in encampments around the city. “There are a lot of people in our city who need our help and support right now, and winter is approaching quickly,” says Shauf. “ESN is doing crucial work helping bring basic essentials to Toronto’s homeless population living in encampments around the city, and I want to support that cause.”
