I got a call from a close friend, producer Sergei Avakyan, regarding a new project he wanted me to direct, about two months ago. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it on time, so I asked for detail and it turned out it was a video inolving a friend I had met with Sergei earlier on, drumming genius Jacob Armen.
I knew Jacob in person, but had never heard him play. So once I received the files, I was excited to work on this new challenge. Soon enough we shot the video, and every obstacle that’s known to man came against us, but a beautiful piece came off of it. Why? Because it has a story. It had a story during his making, it had a story during my making, and now that it’s up for you to watch, it’s creating a new story going forward. That can only tell you one thing about this project: perfection.
Ladies and gentlemen, here’s the piece directed by yours truly, titled Heartbeat. Enjoy the video, and pay attention to his music writing. Here’s Jacob Armen in Heartbeat.
Posted on : 11-11-2011 | By : Apo Avedissian | In : Apo & Alex Trebor
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We took some time off and came back with a music video. From designing the idea itself to taking everything out of the paper and making it become a reality, we created Winners Circle. Alex Trebor’s newest song and latest music video is finally here.
We spent months perfecting this song, from the production team SKYIN HIGH, to Trebor himself writing over and over again, to the art direction by myself. This video was a new obstacle for me to tackle, since I tried horror/comedy earlier, and I sure have tried documentaries since they are a favorite of mine, but this is my first rap video with the story being very symbolic yet subtle. There are a lot of hidden symbols all over the video. Some you might catch quick, while others you might have to watch the video a couple of consecutive times for you to notice. Each symbol connects a dot in my life and everything I’ve been through or cared about.
The song represents our unity as a group. I’ve worked with Alex Trebor since our sophomore year in high school, and ever since we have collaborated on every art project together. We met Sergei Avakyan and Abel Shamiryan (together as SKYIN HIGH) soon enough at the studio and became even closer than a team. We now have a story to tell. I hope you enjoy the video, watch it until you understand it over and over again. Pay attention to detail and let it all teach you a thing or two!
From a studio to another, from a computer to a laptop, we have all downgraded our equipment for the sake of saving a dollar or two. What do we do with the dollar or two? Eat, or feed the needy.
This trend started a long time ago, for the needy knows what the other needy is going through, and if it’s worse, then I can definitely share my food and miss a lunch to feed one who hasn’t eaten for a day (sometimes longer, believe it or not). Does that come from within? I’m not sure. I’d say it comes from my parents, since I’ve seen what they’ve gone through and still took care of others, but that’s a different story to get into. I hate having to tell you this, since the last thing I need on my record is to go out and yell “I donate money,” but it’s not one of those. We’re not millionaires. Not yet! We don’t own places. We don’t drive fancy cars. We make art. We make music. We make photos. We make videos. We make feelings! We do what we enjoy while trying to save a dollar or two from the work we do to feed us for another day and continue our efforts to make a change in people. Unheard voices are now heard, and through my art I’m able to speak. I’m not a talker, and because of my ability to express my thoughts through writing and documenting, I do it. I simply make a thought into a piece of art and throw it at you. You’re welcome to open it and watch it, or simply scroll down your newsfeed or e-mails and read other things, but I do what I do because I love doing what I do. I mean what I do. I do what I mean. I don’t say things. I can’t say things. These are my mediums. The people around me have shown an understanding of this world that I happen to agree with. Do we understand this world? Not really. But we know what we know and we usually agree on that view, and as we make art, we share what we’ve gone through in these pieces.
The rapper and producer and I meet, talk about a theme. The producer goes home, makes a sample, sends it to the rapper. The rapper and the producer discuss it, finalize it, record to it, then once the track is done we start on a video. These three sentences are very simple for you to read, but when you watch and listen to the final product, you’ll go through an out-of-this world-experience. That is what we’re all about. We enjoy teaching. We enjoy making art.
The thumbnail is of one of the symbols of my Armenian culture. If you’re into that, Google it! I’ll definitely be teaching you a lot about that through my work later on.
Here’s a piece done recently by Alex Trebor, engineered by Nick Lalaian, and directed by myself, Apo Avedissian. It does show you what a crew goes through at home and then at work time and play time. It’s as real as it gets because a lot of the shots are real-life footage of unplanned real-time events, and all it’s missing is your views and thoughts.
Please, enjoy, study it, and while at it, smile when it’s done.
Posted on : 02-09-2011 | By : Apo Avedissian | In : Expressiveness
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: Sadness goes around way too fast because people are lazy. Everyone around me is lazy. Everything everyone does is to make things around them easier, finding shortcuts to do things and doing less and losing quality just so everything is done fast!
People are attracted to sad. I’m not sure why, but I do know for a fact that a person stuck between picking two friends will pick the sad person over the optimistic one. I’m not saying that being sad is bad. We’re human and you should feel sad every now and then, but when your entire life is based on sadness and drama, then you need to fix that. You might be the problem, not the ones around you. If the ones around you are too stupid to realize, you be the one to change. You can hold the rope for someone and try to save them, but if they’re wobbling around and tossing their hands and purposely letting go of the rope, you’re NOT to blame! They choose their destination, and you should allow them to without ruining your own life!
Television is Poison
TV shows are all sad and dramatic and movies about depressing stories have got you by your neck and control your brain by now. You sit there and wait for that sad movie to come out and you go and pay money you worked hard for to be sad. You want to cry. These are stories people wrote to sell you and make money off of you. If it wasn’t for that they wouldn’t make books of it then movies then commercials to sell tickets then DVDs then posters. You might argue back and say “but some are real stories”. Let me tell you something, if I have a sad story, and I write it on paper and go have meetings with producers to pitch my idea and discuss how much percentage goes to each, that’s already business at its finest. If it was truly made for “awareness,” it would be made with no cast credits, and the profit all donated to a cause! Do they? No they don’t.
Sadness goes around and people love to go after it. It’s the same principle of the “I hate drama” creatures who tend to be the most dramatic of all, it’s the same thing with all. Sadness is an excuse. It’s an easy path. “I broke my arm so I can’t follow my dream of becoming an artist” guess what? Some have gone through worse and still make art with their feet or mouthes holding a brush to paint! People blaming other things around them for sadness just so they have a reason to blame why they didn’t follow their plans to accomplish their goals.
If you quit or can’t continue, don’t blame things around you. Lying to yourself won’t help you because you’re cheating you and nobody else.
I Changed
I’ve changed. I don’t like this. Social and Apo don’t go together, and in the past two years I’ve been getting way too social. I’m still the quiet kid, but this still is too much. I don’t feel the same anymore. I feel different. I miss being in silence. I miss being in an empty room. I miss thinking and writing more often. Having short sessions almost killed me, and now, with real health risks on my back, I need to bring myself back to who I used to be. I need to be ready to write. I need to be quicker than I am now. I need more faith. I need silence. I only work with silence. Without silence I can only hear myself not being myself. It might be me, but it’s not the me I present myself to when I’m alone in a silent room.
I need to get my best out of myself. I need to use the best out of myself. Purify the good. No pulp, pure concentrate.
I miss being me all alone doing nothing but being me and talking to everyone around me through my work, not words. Too social isn’t my method and I can’t do that anymore. I need to talk. I need to make art to connect and project my thoughts. YES! That’s what it is! I need to make art. I need to bring happiness back.
You might not know much about psychology, but if there’s one thing you do know about what I’ll be talking about here, it’d be the idea of feelings are all in our head. Upper head.
Hi! Welcome back =) I haven’t blogged for a while because of a bunch of projects coming up. It’s the summer time, so I can’t complain. Here’s the thing though, I had nice meetings with an old friend of mine twice this past month, and we got to talk besides doing work. My friend has been introduced to you guys before on Apotize.com, this isn’t his first time here, but if you’re a new reader, this guy is a mind f$%^er. HD Magic is the name. Straight up magic in your face, live. No cameras needed, no people or any help needed. In fact, you might do the helping with your own hands. All that is needed is him and you and he can blow your mind away (not LITERALLY) actually I’m not sure, he might be able to do that too.
Okay so, feelings are good things.. just because bad feelings exist that doesn’t make it a bad thing. Don’t forget how good a good feeling feels like! Are you confused yet? If you are, you shouldn’t continue reading this article =)
What’s the Point of Mind Bend?
Do you go through ups and downs in your life that you’re very happy about then very sad about the next day? Well, Mind Bend will show you something you haven’t thought of before, because, like I’ve always believed, visuals do put ideas in our heads, and they can be very different from what you’re used to thinking about. My work here is to show you more sides of this world that you have never seen before. I don’t care which side you choose, for I’m not a marketer. I push for recognition. As long as you be who you are, WHILE YOU KNOW WHAT OTHER OPTIONS THERE ARE, then you can be anyone you’d like to be and possess anything you’d like to possess by hard work and dedication. Why am I lecturing about hard work and dedication? Because I know by concentration you can do anything.
Concentration Rules this World. So does Focus.
Focus and being clear with your own self will give you powers powerful enough to push for what you desire, and by working hard, even getting it! I can’t keep telling you about how good these things are. I will teach you, but you need to work with me to learn. HD Magic has done this for years, and continues to WOW crowds and teach while doing magic tricks for you. The point here isn’t real magic or illusions, the point here isn’t what was done. The point, however, is what you learn after the performance, for it might teach you a life lesson in ten seconds that you never got to learn somewhere else throughout years. Open your mind, study what you see, and allow yourself to also learn before teaching.
I got a call from a close friend, producer Sergei Avakyan, regarding a new project he wanted me to direct, about two months ago. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it on time, so I asked for detail and it turned out it was a video inolving a friend I had met with Sergei earlier on, drumming genius Jacob Armen.
