Making the Music Video: Memory Foam

Enjoy the official music video for Dad’s latest single, Memory Foam! Now streaming on all platforms.

“On an average Wednesday, we see Dad lying down in his bed reminiscing about a previous lover. In true Dad fashion, he audaciously lounges while looking directly up at the camera. In most scenarios, Dad wouldn’t ordinarily be concerned about a previous lover. However, much like actual memory foam, this past lover has left an indention on Dad’s memory... ”

— Jonathan Lewis, Director

The Concept

When we first heard Memory Foam, we fell in love with the funky bass and Dad’s soulful crooning. We envisioned Dad in a zen-like environment, sitting with his own thoughts and wrestling with the memories of a lover now gone. Working within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to go for a minimalist and portrait-like approach, using crisp, impactful set design and a small crew.

Inspired by this image on @foreverkwentin’s Instagram profile, we specifically sought out Jonathan Lewis’ eye for portraying the Black male through soft, portrait-like moments. Dominic Jones served as Cinematographer for the piece to bring our vision to life.

Bringing the Vision to Life

Our goal was to create a world that was minimal, yet interesting enough to keep the viewer’s attention for the duration of the song. 90% of the visual would be filmed from an aerial point of view, so it was imperative that our location have high ceilings in order to rig the camera to the ceiling. In order to minimize the amount of people on set at any given time, our Key Grip, Bill, came in early to rig the camera, while I purchased fresh plants for set design.

As another safety measure, Jonathan Lewis directed the music video virtually. Serving as 1st AC, I Facetimed Jonathan to show him set design, and to give him eyes on each take throughout filming. He did an incredible job communicating with the artist and team in order to achieve the desired performance and feel.

What you don’t know, is that the original treatment took Dad out of the world you see in the final video. We had plans to move Dad to a sofa environment for the second verse; but we fell so in love with the clean dynamic of this oasis-like world –the contrast of crisp white sheets against the green plants and Dad’s brown skin; that we thought it’d be a disservice to move at all. We made a bold decision to remain in this world; moving Dad around within it to create negative space that further emphasizes the process of giving liberty to the thoughts running through his mind.

Crew & Credits

It was an honor to work with such a creative, intentional, and hard-working crew to bring this visual to life. Thank you to everyone involved in this Cap Soc production:

Director: Jonathan Lewis

Producer: Alexia Clincy

Cinematographer: Dominic Jones

Editor: Tracy De La Rosa

Colorist: Chadwick Williams

Camera Assistant: Tanisha Moreno