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Music

Go Behind the Scenes of Emancipator's "Minor Cause" Music Video

We catch a glimpse into the natural beauty and transcendence afforded by modern filmmaking.

Portland-based producer Emancipator (real name:Douglas Appling) stands at the front lines of some of the best in cinematic, hip-hop-influenced soundscaping since Massive Attack released Blue Lines in 1991.

The video for his newest single, "Minor Cause," off his forthcoming Dusk to Dawn album, is filled with the kinds of transcendent natural imagery we imagine Enya dreams about when she sleeps. We got lucky enough to catch a glimpse into the making of "Minor Cause," which features not only one of the most progressive collaborative processes in modern filmmaking, but also an eight-bladed drone camera lovingly called an "octocopter." Under the auspices of director Ben Moon, even the Behind-the-Scenes provides an abstract glimpse into what it's like when life imitates art, art imitates life, and everything in between.

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From director Ben Moon:

"Nearly a year in the making, the music video for Emancipator's track "Minor Cause" was my most challenging motion project to date. Inspired by Emancipator's cinematic soundscapes and his affinity for the natural world, myself and an incredibly talented crew of creatives spent three days filming on the natural rugged beauty of Oregon's coast and forests. Utilizing a remotely controlled octocopter flying a Sony FS700 shooting at 240 frames per second, a RED Epic, and an assortment of lenses and other cutting edge cameras, we created a piece shot entirely in-camera (no VFX) that only a few years ago would have cost an exorbitant amount to make.

From the beginning, we set out to make a a story that skirted the literal by showing a view of our world from a unique and abstract perspective. Each location had a completely different mood and tone and we focused on the theme of expansion and contraction throughout, moving from the macro world and tiny grains of sand to the bird's-eye-view of the vast canopy of the forest… a journey left open to interpretation by the viewer."

Check out the final product below, and grab Emancipator's Dusk To Dawn, from Loci Records, here!

@emersonyeah