Flying High, Longlist - Music Video

Marian Hill, Was It Not

Mitchell deQuilettes & Bel Downie

HK Corp

The duo Marian Hill question their pasts as they travel through rooms of their subconscious. We wanted the viewer to feel as if they were wandering with the artists through uncertain, abstract memories. Each room represents how an individual has trouble recollecting what actually occurred and what has been filled into their current memories, which isn't always accurate. It was important for us to not make the narrative on the nose, but instead visually create the feeling one receives when they're confused with many moments of the past at once. Past relationships were the physical driving plot. The vivid colors were a driving motif to subconsciously let the viewer know that this isn't reality.

Mitchell deQuilettes is a mixed-race American director whose work focuses on social commentary music videos and films. ​ Mitchell graduated from Brooks Institute in 2009, and received a Bachelor's degree in Film Production with a specialization in directing and storytelling. He was signed to Partizan as a director from 2012-2015, and is currently independent. ​ Mitchell's music videos have garnered millions of views, and his narrative work has gained festival attention. He's currently working towards making his first feature film. He loves telling his stories through Magical Realism, riding a dream-like line between reality and experessionism. His thematic interests are Toxic Masculinity, Mental Illness, Media Influence, and Cancel Culture.