Collecting MadVideos -- 'Scars' by National Beekeepers Society

"The camera was mounted on a stand and aimed directly down," says Kris Hansen, who, along with Nick Whetro and Brad Motl, makes up the indie rock trio National Beekeepers Society. When Hansen isn't performing bass, organ or vocals for the band, he is busy behind a camera. "The trick was to keep my head out of the shot," he notes, "and make the timing work and try not to hit the stand."

Hansen is explaining how he shot the band's new video for "Scars," a song from their self-titled debut album released in 2006. "I intended for it to be one-shot, single-edit video," he says, drawing inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 film Rope, which featured long, uninterrupted shots in its examination of a premeditated murder and its immediate aftermath. "That is what I am going for there," says Hansen.

The song came after the video, he explained, which was started more than a year ago. "When we had a good version of 'Scars' done," he says, "it fit perfectly with the video." Utilizing fake blood packets along with cutlery and a sink, it took several takes to get the sequence right. "It's still not perfect, but I like it well enough," says Hansen.

This music video follows below.

"It's kind of a happy coincidence that the song worked out so close to what the video is," Hansen concludes. Also available for viewing is a live recording of National Beekeepers Society performing "Funeral Procession" at the King Club on April 21, 2007.

Following a solo show at The Klinic tonight (Friday, June 8) by Whetro -- performing as Icarus Himself -- National Beekeepers Society will returning to stage together for a concert at the King Club alongside Sleeping in the Aviary, Sunshine for the Blind, and Cribshitter on Friday, June 29.

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