chase jarvis RAW: making pokemon with the presidents [video]

Ever since I was a kid I’ve envisioned shooting videos the old way…the “practical” way where the moves and gimmicks, the set changes and the moving walls happen in camera, in real time, and real space, as opposed to the numerous luxuries we have nowadays in post production. In short, the opportunity to live out that vision from when I was a kid is precisely why I was jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with my pals in the triple-platinum band The Presidents of The United States of America (Lump, Kitty, Peaches, Dune Buggy) on a music video for…check this out: Pokemon. It was a complete blast. Loved every minute of it.

And, it’s all practical, baby–and phew is that hard. Learned a ton through the process…not just about the cute little Pokemon characters, but about the amazing challenges working almost entirely in camera. And the choreography? Whoa. That’s HARD too, but it’s a wonderful challenge and something I think every filmmaker should play with at some point.

For the record, we shot it all at 4k on the RED, and had a lean crew of about 20 to pull this off. Huge props to the cast and crew–especially Loren and the art department who stepped up big to make this happen.

So enjoy the latest chase jarvis RAW above. We did our best to share all the moving parts, from concept to wrap. Lemme know how we did. And of course, the final video is below.