DESCRIPTION:
WINNER OF THE 2012 PHOENIX SHORT FILM FESTIVAL STAFF CHOICE AWARD

http://www.konradlenz.com

After the War words and music by Konrad Lenz
Konrad Lenz - vocals, treated guitar, acoustic guitar, melodica, percussion loops
Marcus Dean - guitar synth at end of song
Produced and engineered by Konrad Lenz
Video directed by Konrad Lenz
Camera, editing and clip concept by Konrad Lenz
Still photo of Konrad Lenz and the mannequin circa 1995 by Lisa Alexander

I always wanted to re-mix this song but have lost the separate tracks long ago. Perhaps that is a good thing as it works quite well the way it is, so stark and foreboding. The sweeping guitar line that dominates the song feels like unending and unrelenting waves threatening to drag the listener away. A lot of the people I listen to like Laurie Anderson, Buffy Sainte Marie, Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel, push the boundaries in regards to the sonic textures in a recording and the lyrics. Perhaps that is why I like to experiment with sound as much as possible in the studio. This is one of the songs that I am happier with even though the mix feels unfinished to me. I've never quite achieved this feeling in a recording before or since.

The video was mostly shot in Sydney and partly in Canberra in May 2012. I shot it simply because I wanted to shoot something in the old 3 x 4 academy format (i.e. the old television aspect ratio and the aspect ratio that most films were shot in before widescreen became commonplace) and it seemed like the right song to be shot that way. I found the mannequin by the roadside in Sydney back in 1994. She has a great eerie quality. The idea of the uncanny valley, that the more a simulation approaches realism the more it repels, applies equally to mannequins as well as androids and "life like" computer graphics. To me they look almost alive but dead at the same time.

audio (p) 2006 by Konrad Lenz //
video clip and notes (c) 2012 by Konrad Lenz