Flatline is my second collaboration with R&B sensation James Benton


And my first experience with dancer/choreographer Joan Holly Padeo (courtesy of the incomparable Robin Aren, thank you Robin!).

JB and I have been working together since 2012 re-imagining his brand and his music through the medium of moving pictures & synchronized sound. We went at this one with a little less pre-production and decided to allow space for the viewers’ imagination to accompany the story while it unfolds. The motivation was to explore the territory of passive-aggressive communication, which seems to take place between humans more often than we care to admit. Often times our mind is saying one thing whilst the words from our mouths are telling a different story; but always with just enough of the truth woven between the lines. I intended to keep this video clean and simple and actually wanted it to rely more heavily on longer takes, but it IS a music video after all. The electrocardiogram add-on was the go-to visual effect; but just how to implement it was the question. After a bit of trial and effort I came up with a visual effect that I felt was subtle enough yet impactful enough to do the job. JB and Joan meet at a familiar place and share a two-sided dialogue that’s completely unspoken as JB plays the standard role in R&B as the consummate lady-killer. LOL. I for one am looking forward to more songs about LOVE and less about SEX! Stay tuned for more from JB and I as I think we have one more single to get out before JB begins collaborating with other filmmakers and photographers as he continues to cultivate and develop his brand and his career. You can keep up with JB via following his moniker #jbnext1. In the words of a dearly departed soldier: “Love is all we need”.  Watch the video HERE.


Share This Content