Music Video Director Bangkok: Shooting Maxvenn's 'Harmonica Sundown' on an XR Volume
Music Video Director Bangkok: I was called in the day before the shoot for Maxvenn's Harmonica Sundown and ended up as director and cinematographer. I did not come up with the concept, that was created by Martin Riviera. We shot two music videos back to back on the same stage, this one and Feel Again, inside an XR volume with Studio X in Bangkok.
Watch the music video on our site: Maxvenn — Harmonica Sundown
Called In Last Minute
There is a particular kind of pressure that comes with being brought onto a project the day before it shoots. I did not develop Harmonica Sundown's concept, Martin Riviera did, so my job was to step into someone else's vision as both director and cinematographer and execute it at full speed. We had two music videos to shoot back to back on the same stage, this one and Feel Again, which meant there was no room to ease into it.
Shooting on an XR volume adds its own layer of complexity to that kind of quick turnaround. Everything you see behind the band, the desert, the horizon, the light, is a virtual environment displayed live on an LED wall at Studio X in Bangkok, not a real location. Stepping in last minute meant learning the system and the environment fast enough to shoot two videos in the time most productions would use for one.
Shooting Inside the Volume
I shot on an Alexa with an Easyrig, which is how I like to work when I want a handheld feeling and the freedom to move around the set rather than being locked to a mounted rig. Inside an XR volume that freedom matters even more, since the virtual environment reacts to the camera's position in real time and you want to be able to chase the performance, not just cover it.
Being music video director bangkok on a project like this means constantly balancing the technical demands of virtual production with the same instinct you'd use on a real set: staying close to the band, reading their energy, and not letting the technology get between you and the performance.
A Story From Set
At one point during the shoot I needed to be slightly elevated to get the angle I wanted. The crew set up a row of apple boxes for me to stand on. I was completely focused on the shot, moving as I worked, and at some point I realized the crew had started shifting the apple boxes with me, almost like a game of Tetris, building a pathway wherever I moved so I always had solid ground under me.
Nobody asked them to do that. They just saw what I needed and organized themselves around it, passing boxes down a human chain to keep a path open under my feet the entire time. That is the kind of crew Thailand has. Beyond the work itself, the food on set is incredible, and Thai crews are some of the most fun, kind and creative people I have worked with anywhere in the world, across all my projects.
Extending the Desert in Post
Because time on the actual XR stage was tight, the desert world in Harmonica Sundown needed to feel bigger than what we could build live on the volume. In post, We extended that universe using a mix of new technology and stock shots, so the world around the band felt like it continued well past the edges of what we shot on stage.
Becoming Friends With the Band
A fun fact from this one: I became good friends with the band afterward. Maxvenn is a contraction of Max, Jenmana and Venn, a Thai artist. Two of them are also actors, and Venn appeared in The White Lotus, in the Thailand season, playing one of the bodyguards. Every project is a new adventure, and moments like this are exactly why I love being on set.
FAQ: Music Video Production in Bangkok
What was my role on Maxvenn's Harmonica Sundown?
I was called in the day before the shoot and served as director and cinematographer. The concept itself was created by Martin Riviera, not me. My job was to execute his vision across two music videos shot back to back on the same stage.
Why was the video shot on an XR volume instead of a real location?
Harmonica Sundown was shot inside an XR volume with Studio X in Bangkok so the desert environment behind the band could be built and controlled virtually rather than shot on location, which also let us turn around two music videos back to back in a very tight window.
What camera setup was used?
I shot on an Alexa with an Easyrig, which gives a handheld feeling and the freedom to move around the set while working inside the XR volume.
How was the desert environment extended in post?
Since time on the XR stage itself was limited, the desert universe was extended in post-production using a mix of new technology and stock shots, so the world felt larger than what was captured live on the volume.
Who is in the band Maxvenn?
Maxvenn is a contraction of Max, Jenmana and Venn, a Thai artist. Two members are also actors, and Venn appeared in The White Lotus, in the Thailand season, as one of the bodyguards.
Explore more of my work in commercial and film direction. See more on the portfolio page.
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