Quadron
After four days of filming, eight hours of footage, and countless hours of editing, the video for Quadron’s single Average Fruit off their self-titled debut album was complete. Director Matt Amato and band members Robin Hannibal and Coco all speak of forming an intense connection during filming, where each trusting in the others’ artistic sensibilities led to a truly collaborative effort and a strikingly beautiful video, which appears almost effortless in its natural, simple sophistication.
Robin and Coco had admired previous work of Amato’s, and knew that they wanted him to film the Average Fruit video. Amato’s skilled work with the Harinezumi camera is a large part of what caught Quadron’s attention, and what contributed to the striking imagery and the Euro-centric feel of the video. Amato has been committed to perfecting the nuances of this camera, a point-and-shoot that offers a very sophisticated look, and used the Harinezumi to shoot Harinezumi Movie, a short film starring Mia Doi Todd that premiered this past March at the “Imperfect As They Are” video show at the New Museum in New York, then headed to Tokyo.
Quadron’s pairing with Amato allowed all three to expand creatively. “Matt is very open,” say Hannibal and Coco of Amato, “and we trusted him with anything.” Amato agrees, noting that it must have taken a great deal of trust to allow him to truly experiment with the Harinezumi, getting inches away from the band members’ faces with the camera for several scenes. The video’s combination of unique camera work, Hannibal’s skillful arrangements of beats and instrumentals, and Coco’s subtle yet powerful vocals, creates a very stylish piece, which Coco says they all thought of as “more about place than story.” However, Amato also sees this as a piece that he hopes is “healing in its imagery,” and portrays an ever-evolving philosophy of love.
The album Quadron was released in March, and has been getting more and more attention, so much so that MTV France has recently decided to air the Average Fruit video. This is a testament to Quadron’s power as musicians, and Amato’s skill as a director, as this is the first Harinezumi piece that has gone to broadcast. Quadron says that Average Fruit, especially with a video that corresponds so completely with their artistic vision, is a song that will hopefully introduce many new fans to the work they’re doing. “Everyday we get surprised by new people discovering us,” says Coco modestly – however, it’s clear that this attention is something both Quadron and Amato will have to get used to.