iHorror has the great honor of sharing an exclusive first look at to McKenna Michels new music video Born to die.
Directed by Nick Peterson, Born to die is a beautiful short film / video. The macabre vintage piece, inspired by the trials of eighteenth-century witches, blends perfectly with the deep soulful voice of McKenna Michels. Watch yourself below!
Watch his world premiere Born to die by McKenna Michels
“I was right in the middle of working on my new album and I ended up watching ‘Chicago’ one very late night,” Michels explains. “I had just listened to” Cell Block Tango “where he sings” he had it comin “and it’s 4 o’clock in the morning when our minds may not be in their most rational state and I take out these lyrics. I wrote the song in 10 minutes. ” “But from the moment I started recording the song, I knew I wanted to set it on images that told the story of a witch trial – I’m obsessed with that period of time,” she continues. So we decided to build a short film about the fate of a woman who was condemned to die right at the end of the witch trial era … there is a hanging scene that is a nod to “Crucible”, the classic “burning.” witch on the fire and more. But it fails every time – it simply won’t die. “
Michels turned to the director Nick Peterson to develop the concept, to direct and produce the short film. “My job was to take the essence of McKenna’s story about the witch who can’t be killed and then turn it into an epic short film that is both important and fun for the audience,” says Peterson.
“Everything was meticulously planned in an 80-page director’s book,” with detailed plans and locations, along with detailed details about the wardrobe, makeup, and more. The short film was shot in Los Angeles, at Disney Ranch and a historic mansion without the use of visual effects. “Everything you see is real, that’s why it looks so good,” adds Peterson.
“There are also so many details in this story that you could see it many times and see something new every time, such as the iconography of the priests, all the details of the wardrobe and the incredible actors, including KC Clyde. (“Yellowstone”), Mark Hapka (“Days of Our Lives”, “Ghost Whisperer: The Other Side”), Dr. Robert Rey (“Dr. 90210”) and producer Chris “Doc” Wyatt (“Napoleon Dynamite”) . ”
The humor of the hangman Born to die also emphasizes a serious message. “The film is really about domestic abuse,” says Michels, “and it tells the story of women who are not believed. The male character lies and society believes him. But in the end, they may think she’s dead, but she’s alive. My message is that people should never give up because there is life at the end, no matter how many people feel they are against you or don’t believe you. ”
McKenna Michels turned to music as a way to heal from a traumatic childhood at the hands of an abusive mother. Trained in opera, the young singer / songwriter cultivates her songs from poetry and writes about themes of crushing, hope and endurance. Her latest single, “Broken Like This”, was her second hit in the Top 30 AC. Her previous hit in the Top 30 AC, “Tired”, was from last year’s debut EP, “Renaissance”.
Nick Peterson graduated from the experimental animation program at CalArts, producing visual effects for several years, before moving on to full-time directing. Peterson’s films have been screened at festivals such as Sundance and SXSW. His award-winning music videos garnered over 500 million views and he directed a Super Bowl commercial for Chrysler.
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