The horror director makes the transition from Deftones fan to collaborator with the band’s latest visual staring Cleopatra Coleman.
Last year, famed writer, actor, director Leigh Whannell fired off a tweet praising Deftones 2020 album of the year candidate in ‘Ohms’.
Hello this album is excellent (probably my favourite Deftones ever) and you should listen to it if you like music that is heavy and beautiful simultaneously. this tweet has been brought to you by screenwriters procrastination x https://t.co/6o53CP0Kyi
— Leigh Whannell (@LWhannell) November 24, 2020
The high praise from the director that helmed ‘Insidious: Chapter 3,’ ‘The Invisible Man,’ and the current work in progress of the reboot of the horror classic, ‘Wolfman’ resulted in a phone call from Deftones management to discuss the possibility of Whannell applying his gift of auteur in directing the next Deftones music video.
The resulting collaboration is the latest clip for the track “Ceremony” from the ‘Ohms’ LP. Enlisting actress Cleopatra Coleman (‘The Last Man On Earth‘, ‘In the Shadow Of The Moon‘), the visual offers a compelling narrative with the video’s protagonist navigating secret entrances and a series of doormen, all in her pursuit of finally arriving at her destination. The climax is an emotional one with each member of Deftones presented as a cameo in their own music video – brilliant.
Frontman Chino Moreno shared, “When Leigh tweeted that he was a fan, we immediately thought it would be cool to collaborate with him given the chance. We’re fans of his as well, so it made sense that we should reach out. One moment we’re DM’ing each other on Twitter, and the next we’re on set making ‘Ceremony‘. This has always been the best way for us to collaborate: organically, collaboratively and in this case, expeditiously. We hope everyone enjoys it as much as we had making it.”
Whannell exuded his enthusiasm with the resulting project. “I’ve been a huge Deftones fan for over twenty years and have always admired the devotion they have dedicated to every aspect of their art – from music videos to album covers to their cryptic and intriguing lyrics. To get a chance to be a part of that art was a dream come true.”
Watch the Leigh Whannell-directed music video for “Ceremony” from Deftones below.
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