REFUSED TV

Terror Eyes TV needs you

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:07:31 -0700

If I wanted to find a rad internship in LA where I could shoot, edit and see amazing shows and work with great bands every day, I would intern at the music and video site called TerrorEyes.TV - Want more Info?

Terroreyes is always looking for motivated people who are passionate about music and music videos. Come hang out and create videos with awesome bands!!!

Requirements:
You must be 18, local (Los Angeles Area / Southern California) with own means of transportation
Relatively flexible schedule (possible weekend availability)
Must be passionate about music (preferably the kind of bands we document and cover on the site)
Must be semi proficient in final cut pro or FULLY proficient in Adobe Premiere. Basic After effects knowledge a plus :)
Music industry experience is also a plus
OR if you are writer or photographer who would like to contribute to the site you are more than welcome to send examples of your work.

Description:
Assisting in day to day shoots, contacting and arranging shoots, rough editing, blogging and site maintenance, or anything you want to suggest that you think could be a cool project.

Please email us your resume, and / or reel. Include in email which area(s) you are interested in (photo, video, blogging, writing, etc…) and a brief description of why you would like to join Terroreyes.
EMAIL: Terroreyes@Sargenthouse.com

REFUSED TV RIP 2002 - 2011

Fri, 20 May 2011 16:43:23 -0700

Bittersweet. Refused TV the music video production company is now closed.

MATT STAWSKI: Hour Detroit Interview

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:19:00 -0800

Matt Stawski Takes Us Behind the Scenes at the Grammys

As a nominee for directing Cee Lo Green in the music video for “F*** You,” Matt Stawski attended the Feb. 13 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The 26-year-old Warren native and Cousino High School graduate offered a behind-the-scenes take on the experience, including what it’s like to lose to Lady Gaga

Saturday was the nominee reception and Sunday was the Grammys themselves. The nominee reception was pretty cool. They gave the lifetime achievement award to The Ramones. Julie Andrews got a lifetime achievement award as well. That was pretty wild, just seeing her up on stage. She was really elegant — Mary Poppins herself.

What time did things get rolling on Sunday?

We got there at 12:30, and we reported straight to the red carpet. It was kind of crazy, but I got to do two interviews. One was with Fuse TV and I did one with CNN.

Your category, Best Short Form Music Video, was awarded during the pre-telecast.

We were actually the first category of the night. It was nice to get it over with. I pretty much knew Lady Gaga was going to win, but I was still nervous. I just hate competition.

It was cool because right when the pre-telecast opened up, Esperanza Spalding — she won for Best New Artist — she performed with another guy. And at that point, we didn’t even know who she was.

Was it disappointing not to win?

It just fuels you for the next one. I know in my heart we did our best. It all comes down to having the right timing. Regardless of who won, I still would’ve made the same video.

How is the pre-telecast different from the telecast ceremony?

It just went by really fast. Kathy Griffin, the comedian, she came out and just started cussing up a storm. It was hilarious. She was one of the announcers, and she just did a little spiel before she started. She was like, ‘Now, the category for best Hawaiian song using two ukuleles’ — just making a joke about how no one cared about the pre-telecast.

How was the actual telecast?

It was cool, because you see what happens during commercial breaks. The producer and the director come out and you hear all the stage notes and the countdown. What you see on TV — it’s split in half — but the way they shoot it makes it look like each setup is a full stage. But they’re actually working on other sets while there’s someone performing. While the telecast is going on, they’re switching from Muse’s stage to Cee Lo’s performance stage.

Did you see Cee Lo before or after that performance?

He was walking out right after he didn’t win for Song or Record of the Year. It was kind of shocking. … I thought he was going to win for one of those for sure. He was actually pretty bummed out.

How much of the process is just politics?

It’s weird. There are the politics and then there’s a jazz singer that no one knows about winning Best New Artist and Arcade Fire winning Best Album. There’s some sort of justification with those artists winning that gives you faith in the Grammys — maybe the academy is an honest organization that votes for what is actually best.

Did you run into anyone else famous?

We were at the after-party and Stevie Wonder walked by. Cyndi Lauper had some family members that were sitting near us and she was standing by us for a while. When J. Lo and Marc Anthony showed up late, they were hustled through the crowd by security and pushed by us. It was pretty cool. We were right in the middle of things.

J. Lo’s hair was frizzed, and she and Marc Anthony kind of argued after they presented. And Cyndi Lauper was perfect. I’m obsessed with her. Her face is so beautiful even when her hair — on purpose — is a hurricane.

What was the after-party like?

It was like a Studio 54 scene. There was really good food and people walking around on stilts and circus acts. It was all funky and The Roots played.

You took your mom with you, right?

My mom and my dad came. Serge [Gay Jr.], who did the art in the video, came as well.

How did your parents enjoy themselves?

My mom got to see Barbra Streisand perform and my dad got to see Bob Dylan. They’re both huge fans, so they were excited for that. Mick Jagger, too. They were just blown away. They’d never seen anything like that before in their lives. Now, everyone back home in Michigan is excited to hear from them.

My aunt up in the U.P. called into the local radio station and got to talk on air because she talked to my mom that night. This small radio station was super stoked to hear that a relative of someone was [at the Grammys].

Overall impressions?

It was a really inspiring night. It was great to see all these artists that I really respect perform. It was great to see some upsets and some underdogs winning. It was cool to see everything behind the scenes, and so many talented people in one room. People can say what they want about the Grammys, but it really was an amazing show.

Next stop: The Oscars?

We’ll see. All the guys that win the Oscars have gray hair, so that’s a long road. I think my next big goal is just to make a film. All my focus is on that right now. Putting everything into finding the right script, meeting some screenwriters, developing my own material, finding the right production companies, and just making my impression on the film world and trying to get something made.

Stawski discusses his burgeoning film career and his experience directing music videos for pop music’s biggest stars in the March issue of Hour Detroit.

BEHN FANNIN: Tera Melos "Manar The Magic"

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:07:53 -0800

Artist: Tera Melos
Track: Manar The Magic
Label: Sargent House
Director/Editor: Behn Fannin

PENTA: Inner Party System "American Trash"

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:00:00 -0800

Artist: Innerpartysystem
Track: American Trash
Label: Red Bull Records
Director /Editor: Penta

MATT STAWSKI: Cee Lo Green - It's Ok

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:33:54 -0800

Label: Elektra
Artist: Cee Lo Green
Track: It’s Ok
Music Video Commissioner: Cathy Pellow
Production Company : Refused TV
Director: Matt Stawski
Producer: Christina D King
Art by: Serge Gay Jr

MATT STAWSKI: Grammy Nomination for Best Video - Cee Lo Green

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:58:00 -0800

Congratulations to Cee Lo Green for the Best Music Video Nomination for F**k You. Along with a TON of other Nominations!

But this one in particular we had something to do with…

Label: Elektra
Music Video Commissioner: Cathy Pellow (Sargent House)
Production Company : Refused TV
Director: Matt Stawski
Producer: Paul Bock
Art by: Serge Gay Jr

Omar Rodriguez Lopez : Agua Dulce De Pulpo

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:22:00 -0800

Artist: Omar Rodriguez Lopez
Track: Aqua Ducle De Pulpo
Album: Un Escorpion Perfumado
Label: Rodriguez Lopez Productions
Directed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez

BEHN FANNIN: Cast Spells "Glamorous Glowing"

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:34:00 -0800

Cast Spells the solo project of David Davison from Maps & Atlases has a new video for the track “Glamorous Glowing” from the EP Bright Works And Baton on Sargent House. Directed by Behn Fannin for Refused TV.

and here is a little behind-the-scenes photostory about how I made it…

This is the box… which Josh Blackburn and I hauled all over the greater Los Angeles area and filmed. Then came the editing… which almost made me blow my b’s out.

BEHN FANNIN: Good Old War "That's Some Dream"

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:27:00 -0700

This fine Good Old War clip was shot while the band were out on the road earlier this year. Thanks go out to Andy Patch who lived in the van with them for a week shooting the voyage, and to Behn Fannin who edited and assembled the goodness for Refused TV. And make sure to head over to ITUNES where this song is the Discover & Download Feature for Free and all this week their glorious Self Titled album is only $5.99. And last but not least the guys are on the road so make sure to see them when they sing through your town. Click HERE for all the tour dates.

And on a personal note. Thanks GOW for all the Sargent House T-shirt love when you’re out on tour! Way to represent!

Omar Rodriguez Lopez : Polaridad

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:21:00 -0700

Artist: Omar Rodriguez Lopez
Track: Polaridad
Album: Tychozerente
Label: Rodriguez Lopez Productions
Directed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez

BEHN FANNIN: Director Spotlight "Your Music Today"

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:18:00 -0700

Director’s Spotlight : Behn Fannin

Behn Fannin isn’t your average dude. He seems to have his hand in every type of visual stimulation I can think of. When he’s not making music videos for the likes of Tera Melos or Panic! at the Disco, he’s actively participating in an on-going comedy group; and then I’m guessing after a couple of shot-gunned Redbulls, he sits down and works on his feature films. Basically, the guy is an absolute animal. We somehow managed to catch up with him and tried to pick his fast-paced brain.

YMT: Yo Behn! You’ve been in the video game for quite some time now, how did you first get involved with directing videos? And where do you find your inspiration?

BEHN: My dad, Rick Fannin, is a musician, so while I was interested in film making, music has always been a big part of my life. I noticed early on that the things I was interested in filming and the way I cut them had very strong ties to the feel and rhythms of music. When I moved to LA I made a few short films, but I wanted to reach a broader audience, so I started reaching out to record labels offering to make them music videos for free. They saw, from my short films, that I could pull stuff off with no budget, and took me up on it. That’s how my Melvins video came to be – I flipped when Ipecac Records sent me that track! After that I was picked up by Refused TV as a director, and since then I’ve done a lot of vids with the Sargent House record label. This is lucky for me because the label’s mastermind, Cathy Pellow, has assembled a roster of truly great bands.

Whether or not I’m competition with the other directors who make them, modern music videos are very inspiring to me, because due to ever decreasing budgets and fewer “suits” guarding the gates, bands and directors are having to use much more ingenuity and creativity to make music vids, which allows for bolder choices and forces the idea back into the core of the project, instead of relying on a big budget. But, I find inspiration in lots of other places too; paintings, science, photography, films, technology, Taco Bell, my neighbor’s garbage, etc…

Behn on set with The Young Veins

YMT: I live for Taco Bell…… What was that candy/pill type thing in the video for Tera Melos? What was the idea behind that?

BEHN: We had originally intended to only use the meats in the “Frozen Zoo” vid, but I felt like we needed something else to break up that imagery. Mainly, I just really liked the idea of mixing meat and candy, because they don’t belong together. One is biological and bleak, while the other is man-made and colorful, but at the same time, I feel like both share the attribute of being something you dont need to eat, but you do anyway to fill an indulgence – and a lot of that candy got indulged-on after wards by many different friends and visitors. It’s like my video was inside them, turned into poop, and is now out there somewhere being refined back into drinking water full of Tera Melos molecules.

Check out the awesome video for Tera Melos’ “Frozen Zoo” here

YMT: Music videos aren’t the only videos you’re involved with, what are your favorite projects to work on these days?

BEHN: I have a blast being involved with the comedy group Rigor Tortoise. We have made over 50 short films together – you can see some here:RTcomedy.com. We currently make one or two shorts a month, so it’s a great way for me to experiment with lots of different styles and ideas and have a lot of laughs in the process.

YMT: What’s next for you? Any Projects in the works right now?

BEHN: I’m currently working on getting a feature film off the ground, while at the same time gearing up to do a sci-fi-based short film, and looking at doing some web-series material, as well as planning on vacuuming my apartment. Three out of four ain’t bad.

YMT: Awesome! Thanks Behn!

Check out all of Behn’s work at his site here

BEHN FANNIN: Young Veins "Take A Vacation"

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:08:59 -0700

Artist: Young Veins
Track: Take A Vacation
Label: One Haven Music
Director & Editor: Behn Fannin
DP: Andy Patch
Prod Co: REFUSED TV

PENTA: The Wonder Years "Melrose Diner"

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:08:37 -0700

Artist: The Wonder Years
Track: Melrose Diner
Label: Hopeless Records
Director: Penta

Making Of The Video: CEE LO Green "Fuck You"

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0700

A look behind the scenes of the making of the Cee Lo Green video for Fuck You. Directed by Matt Stawski, produced by REFUSED TV and commissioned by Cathy Pellow of Sargent House for Atlantic Records / Warner Music Group.

BEHN FANNIN: TERA MELOS "FROZEN ZOO"

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:36:00 -0700

“Frozen Zoo,” the new video from experimental pop band Tera Melos, explores the bizarro intersection of surrealism and drugs.

Premiering Tuesday on Wired.com, the clip is a worthy follow-up to the Northern California trio’s previous video, “The Skin Surf,” which probed the limits of dork horror. Both weirdly addictive tunes can be found on the band’s latest release, Patagonian Rats, out Tuesday from Sargent House.

Like the eerie video for “The Skin Surf,” “Frozen Zoo” (embedded above) was directed by Tera Melos pal Behn Fannin, who seems to have been inspired equally by David Cronenberg and David Lynch.

Maybe it’s the featureless humanoids romping around banal alleys and pastoral hills, while suspicious eyes in the sky keep watch. Or perhaps it’s the superimposed shots of pills, meat and other de-contextualized imagery flashing across the beings’ blank bodies. Either way, “Frozen Zoo” is a creepy but fun reel, as well as another oddly catchy tune from Tera Melos‘ most accessible full-length yet.

See Also: Directed by Behn Fannin

Video: Tera Melos Probes the Limits of Dork Horror

Artist: Tera Melos
Track: “Frozen Zoo”
Album: Patagonian Rats
Label: Sargent House
Prod Co: Refused TV
Dir. Behn Fannin

Matt Stawski: Cee Lo Green "F*ck You"

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:35:00 -0700

I love this video for Cee Lo Green. I was so happy we ended getting to make it over at our production company Refused TV . I’ve been a fan since Goodie Mob and was also the commissioner for most of those Gnarls Barkley videos so it was a real great time to be able to work on this one with him for his solo record. I got to pull double duty both as commissioner for the label and Exec Producer for Refused TV Director Matt Stawski. A big Congrats to Cee- Lo, I love when good people have hits, and Matt you did such a great job.

Artist: Cee Lo Green
Track: FU & Forget You
Label: Elektra Records / Warner Music UK
Commissioner: Cathy Pellow
Director: Matt Stawski
Producer:Paul Bock
DP: Damian Acevedo
Art: Serge Gay Jr
FX: Scrambled Visual
Prod Co: Refused TV

Zach Hill & Sean Stout: Zach Hill "The Sacto Smile"

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:31:05 -0700

Artist: Zach Hill
Track: The Sacto Smile
Label: Sargent House
Directors: Zach Hill & Sean Stout
Prod Co: Terroreyes.TV

WHITEY: The Thermals "I Don't Believe You"

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:30:55 -0700

Artist: The Thermals
Track: I Don’t Believe You
Label: Kill Rock Stars
Directed by: Whitey McConnaughy

BEHN FANNIN: TERA MELOS "THE SKIN SURF"

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:27:00 -0700

Artist: Tera Melos
Track: “The Skin Surf”
Album: Patagonian Rats
Label: Sargent House
Prod Co: Refused TV
Dir. Behn Fannin

Check out the WIRED Review