Mudvayne Shoot Cold Video In The Toronto Heat

"Hurry up and wait," was the statement of the day for band members and studio help on the set of shooting Mudvayne's latest video, "In A World So Cold," which took place in Toronto yesterday (June 24).

Video-making is a process that can last anywhere from 10 to 14 hours, and there can be multiple problems on the set. This can either contribute to the already stressful atmosphere for filming a video or be used to help manifest the vision and ideas set out by the director and the band.

Christopher Mills, director of the video, gleaned some insight into coordinating the shoot and the ideas behind the chilling new single from Mudvayne.

"It's one of those things where you throw a whole bunch of ideas into the pot and it takes awhile for the right ones to come about," says Mills. "But once you've got the right ones, the momentum goes 'whooosh.' And everything just comes together super, super fast, which is totally how this video has come about."

Mills is a part of Toronto-based Revolver Films (who recently celebrated their 20th anniversary) and was nominated for a Juno Award for his video for Matador indie-rock darlings Interpol and their song "PDA."

Although Interpol and Mudvayne are at polar opposite ends of musical spectrum, Mills says working with the band is awesome.

"They've got the inside edge into the songs," says Mills. "So I can go to [Mudvayne singer] Chad and say, 'Is this a sad part? Or is it a lonely part, a quiet part?' And he always had the answers for what he wants."

Mills says he likens the collaboration with the band to a process that musicians take while jamming out ideas for songs.

"It's kind of like being a session player, it's like if you hired a string section or someone to come in to do a solo of some kind. You've got to do a video the same way, I think," says Mills. "You approach it like you're just building an extension of the song, so you've got to say 'this is the requirement the piece of music asks for' and go with that."

"In A World So Cold" is Mudvayne's new single from their 2002 album, The End Of All Things To Come. For a song title that suggests a cold atmosphere, the set of the video proposes something entirely different. The band were seen taking off their black wardrobe and toques between takes as the heat from the humid weather outside and the warmth emanating from the lights became almost unbearable.

Guitarist Guug says that the "hurry up and wait" video-shoot process can become quite a task, but joking around on the set helps keep his mind in a healthy state. Mudvayne have long been associated with wearing make up and stage theatrics. Although it's been awhile since they've donned the gear, bassist R-Ud says that the director still takes into account the imagery associated with the band for the video.

"Chris actually took the ideas and concepts on the album and some of our artwork and kind of embellished those ideas and came up with the treatment that was cohesive," says R-Ud. "We didn't have a divergence from what the band is and what the song is, it came from the inside out."

Rumours on the set had the video being ready for airing on July 4, which would be perfect timing for Metallica's Summer Sanitarium tour, which is set to hit Toronto on July 5 at the Skydome and Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau on July 20.