Tie Me Down
Tie Me Down is a music video for Dutch rock band DE STAAT featuring Luwten, built around a single image: two people moving through wind, gravity, and shifting ground pulled toward each other by forces neither one controls.
“Alongside the thundering chorus comes the monochromatic styling of the video directed by Ruben Van Leer”
giving in to natural forces
Shot in a stark black-and-white world, the video follows Torre Florim and Tessa Douwstra (Luwten) as they navigate a landscape governed by elemental force. Wind that bends them. Earth that shifts beneath their feet. Gravity that refuses to be ignored. Throughout, they plant flags: his black, hers white marks of territory that are also, unmistakably, marks of freedom. The flags are both a claim and a surrender. So is love.
Torre on the song: "The video plays with the idea of love and attraction being a literal force of nature. Pushing us together. We used the flag because it symbolises freedom, but also marks territory."
The video ends in a yin-yang pose; two bodies finally still, having made it through. Not despite the forces that opposed them. Because of them.
"Tessa and Torre make their way through hazardous winds, risky quakes and compelling gravities to surrender in a yin-yang pose. I loved the song for giving stage to an epic visual journey that fits one of the most imaginative Dutch pop bands of my generation." — Ruben Van Leer
“Tie Me Down uses flags as symbols of both freedom and the marking of territory.”
credits
| Direction | |
| Director | Ruben Van Leer |
| Choreography | Antonin Comestaz |
| 1st Assistant Directors | Eritia de Jonghe & Senne de Beul |
| Performance | |
| Starring | Tessa Douwstra & Torre Florim |
| Camera | |
| Cinematography | Mick Van Rossum, NSC |
| AC | Vincent Geijsel |
| Gaffer | Paul Wilens & Karina van der Berg |
| Grip | Tim de Heer |
| Set Photography | Petra Katanic |
| Stunts | |
| Stunt Department | Stuntteam de Beukelaer |
| Stunt Rigging | Marco Maas, Brian van der Vooren, Paul Koops, JP Dekam, Saskia Neville, Staz Lazdan & Joey van Rijthoven |
| Art & Styling | |
| Art Department | Jelier & Schaaf |
| Art Direction | Ralf van Lanen, Huib Raeven, Mara Baas & Silvana Araoz |
| Styling | April Jumelet |
| Make-up & Hair | Ellen van Exter & Dominique Rikken |
| Post-Production | |
| Edit | Philip Smeulers |
| Post House | Darlings, Robert Okker |
| VFX Supervisor | Lise Prudhomme |
| 3D Animation | Tim Van Helsdingen & Alex Doss |
| Compositing | Lise Prudhomme, Randy Roemeon & Ruben Van Leer |
| Roto & Paint | Noa Graphics Studio |
| Grading | George Balatoni |
| Sound | |
| Sound FX | Audentity, Guido Maat |
| Production | |
| Producers | Sjoerd Dekker, Mathilda Hedberg & Ruben Van Leer |
| Production | Mr.Frank |
| Creation | RVL_studio |
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