2020, Joanna
Creative Direction, Stylingmmmonika is an LA-based band whose mantra is "happy songs for sad people". The art direction for their music video, Joanna, was inspired by the first line of the song: I don’t wanna be dead, Joanna.
To depict death as a complex yet beautiful reality, the concept for the video was an uncanny funeral. Because many of their listeners are artists themselves, the cinematic and conceptual direction allows the band to communicate with their audience.
We led a collaboration with an analog film production team from New York and scouted locations within Southern California. The desolate environment was inspired by the 1956 sci-fi film, Forbidden Planet.
One of the paradoxes of death is that it is simultaneously seen as a rebirth, peace, or a new beginning. The styling plays off the juxtaposition by combining suit attire with delicate pieces such as pearls, lace masks, and silver jewelry to convey death as both crude and beautiful.
Behind the Scenes + Process