NMCO Lights Ziemba’s Tree

‘Twas fall season before Christmas when NMCO set up lights, production was stirring, quiet on set. The cameras were rolling, music filled the air, for a video release with snow in the air.

Sam Palm, NMCO video specialist and the shoot’s director was reviewing the shot list while ornaments were being hung, not on a tree, but on René Kladzyk, also known as indie and experimental artist Ziemba.

A Living Decoration

Dressed head to toe as a living, singing Christmas tree NMCO and Ziemba, for their second music video collaboration, mimicked a style reminiscent of vintage holiday films to bring the stage within a snow globe to life.

“My initial idea for the video was for a different song, ‘Only Lonely Christmas’, which is a more melancholy song about loss and grieving during the holidays. I had thought that the video would be me as a Christmas tree being un-decorated after Christmas. Taking the ornaments off the tree always feels a little sad, and I thought it’d be appropriately melancholy and a little surreal,” said Kladzyk. As things progressed during initial production meetings, Kladzyk opted for the “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” track. To fit the more uplifting tone, NMCO Creative Director and Producer, Tina Ballew, suggested dressing the tree up instead of down to fit the new direction.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” features Ziemba, who was also the co-director, exploring the commitment to continue to find the magic of Christmas and the holidays in the face of loss her recent album, Unsubtle Magic explores. Alongside NMCO, a dash of the kitsch aesthetic, tinsel, bright lights and animation created the twinkling scenes to restore the emotional balance for the album release and spark the nostalgia of Christmas. As featured in the video Ziemba states “I’ll be home for Christmas, wherever home may be,” evoking the effort to continue forward and reclaim cheer despite lingering uncertainty regarding the definitions of family and home.

“I think the video is hilarious and I love it. It has an overall irreverent tone that I often go for in music videos, and I feel really good about a lot of the editing decisions we made,” said Kladzyk.

NMCO Video Specialist, Ralph Diaz, who worked on effects and editing shared, “There was some initial direction about where we wanted to go with the edit, but the further we got into the editing process, and with the collaboration of René (Ziemba), we really leaned into the retro aesthetics that I think Ziemba’s new album and artwork essentially adhere to, which was really fun.”

Restoring the Glee

NMCO videographers Ralph and Sam rigging the lazy Susan for Ziemba’s ‘I’ll Be Home for Chistmas” music video.

Whether it was the string of red and green lights, the falling of the snow or the gloved hands decorating the glowing beacon Ziemba portrayed, NMCO wanted to produce a music video that would be dreamy and whimsical.

“Getting to help direct the production for ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ was such a fun, collaborative opportunity with the talented visionary that is Ziemba,” said Palm. “We pulled inspiration for the visual style from a multitude of influences, mostly decades-past film and music videos, to create the beautifully campy aesthetic. Our whole team had a great time throughout the production and we can’t wait for the next chance to collaborate on another music video with Ziemba,” he said.

With special thanks to Ziemba NMCO is proud to present “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” for your enterainment and enjoyment in time for the holidays. Be sure to give Ziemba’s latest album, Unsubtle Magic a listen and follow NMCO for more music videos.