These New Puritans: "Fragment Two" by Daniel Askill

For their latest record Field of Reeds,These New Puritans created an album that merges classical styles with avant-garde pop for a harmonic, orchestral soundscape that even features the sound of a hawk in flight.

The new video for "Fragment Two," produced in part by The Creators Project and styled by Vice fashion editor Annette Lamothe-Ramos, is directed by Daniel Askill who previously made a video for the band's track "We Want War". The video sees the band superimposed as ethereal forms against dramatic and changing backdrops. Backdrops that switch from mudflats with mountain ranges to an ornate church and a cityscape at night, creating an evocative and atmospheric video that captures the raw beauty of the song.

Jack Barnett, the band's vocalist, has stated that "Fragment Two" is about hope -- "how in small things there is value."

Below the director answers a few questions about the vid.

The Creators Project: Was there any particular source of inspiration for the piece (other than the song)?
Daniel Askill: Yes, in addition to the music I had been looking at particular renaissance paintings and panoramas. Paintings from that period that combine rigorous compositions of multiple figures in the foreground with deep background landscapes and architectural details were definitely a starting point for the visual style.

Was coming up with the idea for the vid a collaborative process with the band, or was it your interpretation of the song?
It was definitely a collaborative process with Jack and George. Having directed a video for their previous album, I would meet up with George here and there while Jack was working on the album, listen to snippets and discuss possible directions for the video.

How did you go about placing the band in these landscapes? Can you speak to some of the tech behind the process?
We shot the band and various instrumentation in a blacked out studio. Once we had those key elements I began building a photographic panorama from various images (pictures I shot in Nepal, photos Jack shot near where they live, images our producer Garen shot on his travels, etc). Once I had this basic backdrop as one coherent digital matt painting I cut together the footage we shot of the musicians based on where they would be placed in the panorama. I then worked with MPC who did an amazing job of bringing it all together and breathing life into all the elements.

Check out photos from the video shoot and subscribe now for more on These New Puritans. 

"Fragment Two" is taken from the album Field of Reeds, out now: http://www.thesenewpuritans.com/