The “Owata” music video is first-ever video to be filmed with the Red Epic M camera, a landmark progression to the cutting edge of the music video industry. The Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan expressed the band’s excitement to be involved in such a landmark project, saying: “I have waited and waited to make the right video for the right song on Teargarden…, so I’m really excited that we are coming at this aggressively with the newest technology that’s out there. With the concept we have at hand, which is based on brutal Japanese style of women’s wrestling, we’ll need to get super clear close-ups to tell the story properly.”
After a meeting with Billy Corgan to discuss the project, director Robby Starbuck echoed Corgan’s enthusiasm for the project, saying: “To be on the forefront of the advancing technology in digital cinema is very special to me. These hand-crafted Red EPIC-M cameras are unbelievable in what they can do and we’re beyond excited to play with the camera and give the world one of its first chances to see what this camera can do. We look forward to always pushing the envelope in this industry on what we shoot on and the subject matter coming into the lens. We cannot wait for this video to be done so we can let the extraordinary images speak for themselves. It’s an amazing change in film when Peter Jackson, James Cameron and I are in the same sentence when it comes to available technology we’re all using–not bad company to be in and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Greg Ephraim, the Director of Photography for the video, sums up the anticipation for the production, saying: “I’m very excited to be using this revolutionary new technology for the Smashing Pumpkins music video. I may be mistaken, but it will be one of the first music videos shot using this camera, which has been in very high demand seeing as Red Cinema only released a limited number of camera bodies into the market as of yet. When Billy approached us with the concept and mentioned that he liked the small form factor of DSLR cameras to get in close to the action and get vicarious angles other cameras otherwise could not achieve, I knew I did not want to settle with DSLR for the Pumpkins–they deserve better than that. Since we were fortunate enough to get a hold of one of these high-demand cameras, we’ll be able to maintain Billy’s small form factor idea, but with a quality that is literally unmatched in the HD world. I’m very excited to use the technology to capture shots for this video that no other camera would be able to achieve. The resolution, latitude, size, and features are a filmmaker’s dream. The ‘moving image’ concept of film was invented on a bet over a horse, and I’m willing to bet that the technology encased in the Red Epic may very well be the best invention since then in the filmmaking world.”
Notable filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic) and Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) are a select few that are utilizing the Red Epic M, for projects such as Jackson’s The Hobbit or Cameron’s rumored Avatar II. Cameron is said to have ordered a staggering fifty Red Epic M cameras, while Jackson ordered a humble thirty.
Cheerleader Melissa
“I feel very excited to be working with the Smashing Pumpkins, who’s music was such a big part of my life. Plus to be given an opportunity to showcase pure female wrestling with a whole new viewpoint will make this an unforgettable experience!” – Melissa
Shelly Martinez
“I am eager to work with such talented people. The Smashing Pumpkins have lit a fire in my soul over and over- ever since junior high!! This means more to me than another “gig” it’s art meets art which equals pure magic.” – Shelly Martinez
Raven
About THE SMASHING PUMPKINS:
The Smashing Pumpkins have created one of the most acclaimed bodies of work in musical history and sold over 30 million albums. Formed in Chicago in 1988, they released Gish, their influential (and platinum) debut in 1991, which was followed by more platinum and multi-platinum albums including the nine-time platinum Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness and the four-time platinum Siamese Dream as well as the platinum certified 1998 album Adore. The pivotal group’s many hits defined the alternative music era and continue to resonate on modern rock radio, influencing a whole new generation. The Pumpkins returned in 2007 with their gold-certified and acclaimed sixth album Zeitgeist, which entered the charts at Number 2 in the U.S. and in the Top Ten internationally. Since their triumphant return to the stage in 2007, the Pumpkins have headlined some of the biggest events around the globe including the Reading Festival, Rock Am Ring, and the V fest. In 2008, the band was inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk. Their first post-major label release was the song “Superchrist,” issued via the Guitar Center CD Fresh Cuts Vol. 2. They subsequently recorded the song–the modern rock hit–“G.L.O.W.” for the Guitar Hero® World Tour game, marking the first time a band has recorded a new song exclusively for the franchise. In November 2008, the band released their first live DVD, If All Goes Wrong. In December 2009 The Smashing Pumpkins began releasing Teargarden By Kaleidyscope, a 44-song work with songs being released online one at a time for free (4-song physical EPs will be made available as the songs are released, such as the first one: Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol 1: Songs For A Sailor, issued May 25, 2010 thru Martha’s Music/Rocket Science Ventures). This was followed by a second EP–Teargarden By Kaleidyscope Vol. II: “The Solstice Bare”–released November 23, 2010 via Martha’s Music/Rocket Science Ventures. The group’s BILLY CORGAN has said the new music “harkens back to the original psychedelic roots of The Smashing Pumpkins; atmospheric, melodic, heavy, and pretty.”
