Sometimes, all it takes to start a creative collaboration is a ticket to a Son Lux concert and a cold email. That’s exactly how Alex Cook’s short film “Undertow” got its start. It was Cook’s admiration for the haunting sound of Oscar-nominated Sun Lux that sparked an idea for this emotionally resonant film.
We chatted with Alex Cook about his creative partnership with Son Lux, the complementary nature of his visual style and Son Lux’s unique sound, and how he translated the song’s ominous mood into visuals.
How did you initially meet Son Lux? Talk to us about the early days of your creative partnership.
Years ago, I went to one of their concerts and fell in love with their music. I reached out to them later to see if they would be interested in collaborating on a project.
That first project, “Dangerous,” was an incredibly scrappy shoot that went well enough that we did another together when their song “Slowly” came out.
What got the ball rolling on this project? Whose idea was it, and how did it get started?
Alex Cook: Son Lux is an incredibly collaborative group with a lot of creative trust. For this project, I reached out to create a short film music video with them.
I wrote and presented the concept before the music was selected. It was a project that I was pretty determined to make happen, and I thought their music would be a great fit.
The band was interested in the idea, and after listening to the album, there were a few songs that jumped out to me and fit best with the concept.
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This was the initial creative starting point:
“As we grow from childhood, moments and memories can linger, festering in hidden places.
“The loss of a loved one, a heartbreak, a missed opportunity, a regretful choice, whatever it is.
“Often the most difficult and important battles are the ones that go unseen beneath the surface. It takes courage to face life’s indifference.
“But if we look around in the darkness, we can see there are lights around us that create shape and bring direction, even in the murky undertow.”
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Talk to us about your style of filmmaking and how you feel complemented Son Lux’s sound.
Alex Cook: The hope was to create imagery that reflected what the character was experiencing internally.
A lot of Son Lux’s music has a unique, emotional, searching, and introspective quality to it.
From the beginning, we wanted to intertwine what, on paper, was a very VFX-heavy concept with our character’s internal journey. I wanted it to be less about the spectacle and more about the character’s experience in the trudge of daily life.
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And aside from a few initial comments and ideas, I had full creative control and trust from the band. The idea was outlined in an initial treatment that the band signed off on.
For budget reasons, we had to pivot our initial direction for location. But other than that, it was a pretty tight line from the initial concept to the finished video. And honestly, the project probably turned out better because of that switch. I’m always fascinated by how often the obstacle becomes the path.
How did you interpret the song’s lyrics when developing the visual narrative?
Alex Cook: This project originated first as a narrative short before the song was selected. I had the incredible opportunity to choose the song from the album, so I was able to match the mood of the visuals with the music.
So instead of responding to a song, it was finding which song and lyrics from the album fit best with the story and visuals. There were a few songs that excited me in combination with the visuals, but the “Undertow” track had a special quality to it.
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What was the most challenging part of translating the song’s mood into visuals?
Alex Cook: Unconventionally, it was more about conforming and molding the initial idea to the structure and specifics of the song.
Son Lux has such an incredible sound that can be haunting and comforting at the same time, and from the beginning, we wanted to toe that line in the video.
Were there any specific visual references or influences that helped shape the film’s aesthetic?
Alex Cook: I don’t think we directly referenced any specific films going into it, although one reference we made was the body-snatcher genre as a whole. I wanted to twist that a bit, rather than the “thing” coming from outside, it comes from within:
A body-snatch of the emotions.
I always put together a visual treatment for projects to set the mood and serve as a communication tool with crew members. I think the most important thing to hone in on is the feeling that you want to create, and then as best as possible try to communicate that visually.
On this project, the biggest aesthetic conversation was the quality of the liquid. Leading up to the shoot, VFX Artist Nick Chamberlain and I did some preliminary renders to set the look. That way, we would have an idea during the shoot of what our specific shots with the material would be and how it could interact with the character.
From the beginning, we wanted the liquid to carry the same sense of danger and possibility that the song has.
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Some are going to say “I don’t get it.” Was that ever something you considered? And how do things like that play into the creative decisions you make?
Alex Cook: I think it’s a balance of giving enough pieces and allowing people to put it together. I always consider how heavy-handed things need to be to make connections.
You hope to give the viewer just enough that they can make those associations for themselves and have involvement in watching.
No matter what, I think people will always interpret things through their own lens and experience. Some people may say that it’s boring or weird, and some might really connect with it and have a cathartic experience. That happens with the year’s best feature films as well as in a small project like this, so I don’t think you can let that guide too many decisions.
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Ultimately, I feel like I’m chasing a mood, feeling, or idea that first sparked something inside and putting it out there for other people to bounce off of.
Although there will always be things about the project that don’t quite reach what you aspire for, you make the piece as good as you can for your own purposes and satisfaction. I always have a sense of letting go at the end of a project when I feel like I’ve taken it as far as I think I can.
What was the process like in getting funding to complete this project?
We worked with the band and Trust to pool together a combined funding effort to expand the available budget of the project.
Post took a few months due to the amount of VFX work we had along with editing and color correction. I put together a rough cut as soon as I could to give Nick as much time as possible.
During this time, Trust helped provide a sort-of gap funding that helped us to finish the project.
License footage from “Undertow”
You can license fully released footage from Son Lux’s “Undertow” from filmmaker Alex Cook — only on Filmsupply.
