Alabama Shakes Choose Student Film for Music Video

Editors note: An audio recording of the interview has been added to the article. Press the play button above the featured image to listen. 

Interview conducted by Asli Shebe and Pablo Portilla del Valle

Back in the Fall 2015, Genero posted a prompt for a narrative music video for Alabama Shakes’ song, “Gimme All Your Love.” 

Third-year film and dramatic writing major and San Antonio, Texas native, Clayton McCracken, stumbled upon the prompt and began brainstorming possible ideas.

The first few bars of Alabama Shakes’ “Gimme All Your Love,” entice you into what can only be a love song. You are serenaded by lead singer Brittany Howards’ velvet vocals and expect nothing short of a steamy, intimate love scene to unfold before your eyes.

But the brainchild of three ambitious SCAD students did not include candles, roses or silk sheets. It was made up of a lovesick gas station attendant, a seductive lottery machine pulling at his heart strings and him begging for all its’ love.

“There’s no way I was going to do anything with a guy and a girl…I wanted to do something that gets really weird with some sort of inanimate object,” said McCracken, the project’s director.

McCracken then pitched his idea to friends and fellow SCAD students. Andy Koeger, fourth-year film major from St. Louis, Missouri and Dan Frantz, a fourth-year VSFX student from Downing Town, Pennsylvania.

With roughly three weeks to put together the ultimate love story, the three got together and started right away.

“The fact that Andy and Dan were able to reel in the crew that we got was just amazing…we actually had a dream team,” said McCracken.

“Everyone was feeling fresh, everyone was eager,” stated Producer, Koeger.

The group was inspired by a Lapalux music video. The same colorist who worked on that music video ended up working on the student’s short film.

“I worked with the guy at the Mill and then he wound up coloring,”  said Director of Photography & Visual Effects Artist, Dan Frantz. “The colorist saw the video and was like do you want me to color it?”

With a crew in place, they began their search for actors.

“Clayton’s casting was awesome,” said Frantz looking over to McCracken.

“I purchased a bunch of one-dollar scratch tickets…. I told the actors to improvise with these props” said McCracken.

“Clayton said to them ‘alright this is the last thing that you own, you spent your last dollar on this scratch off,” Koeger pointed out.

Rich Lane, who ended up playing the gas station attendant, was caught off guard when he actually won a dollar.

“He was killing it up until we just saw his reaction,” said McCracken.

“Pretty much from the moment when I shook hands with Jimmie [Cummings] and my hand was pretty much crushed… I was looking for a really big dude to look super scary and he ended up being a really nice guy,” said McCracken.

Getting together the location however, did not quite go as smoothly as gathering the cast and crew.

“El Cheapo was just the best by a long shot,” said Frantz.

The gas station let them film for free with one condition, the store would stay open and running throughout.

“What else are you supposed to buy? Like beer and videos, that’s it,” added Frantz.

According to Frantz, despite having filmed there for two days, the crew still needed to get the ‘fantastical love scene,’ they had saved for the last night.

“It was like a heist. We got all the lights and all the equipment out of the cases in the van, ready to go. So as soon as we rolled up everyone knew exactly where they were going,” said Frantz.

Despite a difficult night of shooting and plenty of obstacles along the way, the group’s short film was chosen to be featured on Alabama Shakes’ Vevo as one one of the music videos for “Gimme All Your Love.”

“Mad shout-out [to] South East Sound, they’re the best!” said Koeger. The company did the sound production for the team’s film, but the companies’ score did not however make it into the final music video edit.

After the success of their video, Koeger, Frantz and McCracken offered advice to SCAD students pursuing a career in the film industry.

“Just know what your limitations are but at the same time don’t settle with things. If you don’t think it’s perfect keep talking about it,” said Koeger.

“It doesn’t matter about what camera you have, it’s about everything else that goes before the camera. The camera really doesn’t matter,” said Frantz.

“You can have a beautifully wrapped turd if you don’t have a good concept,” McCracken stated.

The team used “the most base-level camera and kit” SCAD provides.

“That just proves what SCAD students can do as long as they stay focused, stay inspired and just work together without egos,” said Koeger.

“And be original,” added McCracken.