Nina Cried Power Video

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This post contains information updated after it was originally published.

 

Nina Cried Power is a protest song. It’s about crediting the spirit and bravery of people whose voices have made impact on our world and put their work and lives often on the line for Civil Rights. The video is a collection of Irish activists all with very amazing legacies and features them listening to the song for the first time.

Hozier dedicated a page on his website for people to learn more about the 20 Irish activists that featured in the Nina Cried Power video, along with his personal messages of thanks to them for the work that they do.

There’s an abridged version on Nialler9’s blog.

The video was released today with a Facebook live stream (embedded just below) which featured Hozier’s pre-recorded introduction, the world premiere of the video, and a pre-recorded chat with him and Mavis Staples.

 

 

Hozier also called upon people watching the stream to donate to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organization that works to protect civil rights in the USA (link on Facebook).

On his website, Hozier said:

This song was intended as a thank you note to the spirit and legacy of protest; to the artists who imbued their work with the vigour of dissent, and a reflection on the importance of that tradition in the context of the rights, and lives, we enjoy today.

Shortly after the video went live, The Irish Times published, New Hozier video for ‘Nina Cried Power’ pays tribute to Irish activists.

Video Production

The video was shot in Studio 2 at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin on August 31, the day before Mavis Staples played Electric Picnic.

The Nina Cried Power video was directed by Jon Hozier-Byrne and Patrick Ryan.

Jon Hozier-Bryne of Stoneface Films directed the film The Omega Male, in addition to music videos for Hozier, We Cut Corners, and Hermitage Green. Jon co-hosted 200 episodes of the very funny Stoneface Films Podcast and happens to be Hozier’s brother.

Patrick Ryan is one half of Lagoon Pictures, with directing credits including the film, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and music videos for Hozier, Wyvern Lingo, and Cry Monster Cry. Patrick also plays a wailing guitar and is one half of Black Fox Leash with his brother, Alex Ryan (who plays bass with Hozier.)

The cinematographer on the shoot was Tommy Fitzgerald who is the other half of Lagoon Pictures and has done sublime work on many projects with both Patrick Ryan and Jon Hozier-Byrne.

The video was edited by Conor Fitzpatrick, who previously worked with Lagoon Pictures on their film, Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Patrick Ryan explains the approach:

This project was essentially a documentary shot cinematically, which provided a fun, if intimidating, balancing act. Every activist got two takes, a mid/wide and a CU, with no do-overs – we were directing lighting, movement and focus during takes, with @lixnawman capturing the whole concept beautifully with his natural intuition, and @drmike_mg reacting with cat-like reflexes on focus. I was hoping that the subtlety of the reactions coupled with the epic scope of the song would create the dynamic punch we were looking for. Conor Fitzpatrick helped myself and Jon hone the emotional arc in the edit room, and lifted a seemingly-simple idea into something complex and affecting. Also, Mavis Staples, Bernadette Devlin and Christina Noble are three absolute titans of human beings.

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A few of my favourite moments from ‘Nina’. This project was essentially a documentary shot cinematically, which provided a fun, if intimidating, balancing act. Every activist got two takes, a mid/wide and a CU, with no do-overs – we were directing lighting, movement and focus during takes, with @lixnawman capturing the whole concept beautifully with his natural intuition, and @drmike_mg reacting with cat-like reflexes on focus. I was hoping that the subtlety of the reactions coupled with the epic scope of the song would create the dynamic punch we were looking for. Conor Fitzpatrick helped myself and Jon hone the emotional arc in the edit room, and lifted a seemingly-simple idea into something complex and affecting. Also, Mavis Staples, Bernadette Devlin and Christina Noble are three absolute titans of human beings. #ninacriedpower

A post shared by Patrick Ryan (@patroklosryan) on

Thanks to all of our contributors with special thanks to @Megn0481 and @literarypengke.

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Featured image: Screenshot from the Hozier video, Nina Cried Power

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