Black Box2013

Black Box is an experimental short film that uses the power of music and dance to explore emotions. In the strictest sense, it is a dance film; however, it serves as a conceptual video art piece as opposed to a straight performance work.

The dancer in the piece clutches a black box representing the human heart as a repository of life’s emotions. It is a metaphor for the turmoil and pain we carry inside. Through a series of movements, the character becomes free from the heavy burden of the black box, and he can leave it behind and thus arrive at a state of inner peace.

The idea for this video originated with the music, the second movement of Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden. I had always loved this melancholy and stirring piece and thought it could serve as the foundation for an artwork if the song was married to powerful visuals.

Once I developed the concept and treatment for Black Box, I turned to choreographer and dancer Brandon Ellis. Ellis interpreted the concept and developed and executed the dance routine.

For the production I collaborated with Michael Barletta and Courtney Rile, founders of the Syracuse, New York-based production company Daylight Blue Media.