Joel Ansett - Plead (Live at Coalesce Audio)

Video by Thread Creative Company
https://www.madebythread.com/

"Plead" is track 7 on Joel's new album "Layers"
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/joe...

Joel's notes:

It’s a rare joy to have a one take performance captured like this. It’s honestly not something I would have had the confidence or resources to put together without Zack Wilson having the vision to make it happen. He brought a fearless desire to capture a one take performance and he put a dream team together to set up all kinds of lights and one serious camera. Dave Wilton graciously wore several hats by inviting us into his space, learning the songs, performing the songs, and then engineering and producing the audio in A+ quality. All that was left for me then was to perform the song 😅❤️ One take performances are nerve-wracking and exhilarating, and I have had all sorts of overly self-conscious thoughts about these videos. But when I was watching all three of them today, I felt a lot of gratitude. From an album called "Lavers" it seems good and right to get share the songs in a vulnerable/no hiding sort of way. Thrilled to get to share this with you. I hope you love it. And if it’s hitting home, feel free to help us share it far and wide 🌻

Zack Wilson Director's Notes:

In over a decade of collaborating with Joel, I have never been able to truly recreate the experience of being in a small room with Joel & an attentive audience. If you’ve been in one of those spaces, you know what I’m talking about. That was my primary goal - to bring that experience to the screen. To, if possible, remove the barrier of time and space and technology in order to connect the viewer to the song, and beyond that, the songwriting.

When talking through the project approach, I really encouraged Joel to do these in one take. That felt important. I wanted the honesty and vulnerability of the performance to match the same attributes in Joel’s songwriting. Joel obliged, and I’m so thankful for that. @aboyandhiskite masterfully created the sound, including that beautiful reverb live in the room. Dave Wilton is a legend.

I worked with DP @josh.heinrich to develop the visual approach, and the theme was the same. Make choices that match the honesty and vulnerability of the performance. We settled on Cooke Speed Panchros for the history, warmth, and character that’s baked into the image. Shooting them on full frame left us with somewhere near 4:3 in the middle of the frame. We embraced that aspect ratio, knowing that it would allow us to keep more of Joel’s face and instrument in frame at any given time.

Josh, @colorado_gaffer, and I worked to create a unique look for each of the 3 performances.

LYRICS

There’s more pain in this room
Than we could imagine
And we’re wearing it different ways
There's some on our sleeves and some buried deep
And we don’t have the right words to pray

Tell us the end of the story
Show us the glory ahead
See how the proud and the mighty have fallen
And the broken are lifting their heads

There’s more shame in this room
Than we could imagine
And it’s grabbing our joy by the throat
With the air I have left
I will plead with my Savior
For the faith I can’t make on my own

Tell us the end of the story
Show us the glory ahead
See how the loud and self-righteous have fallen
And the broken are lifting their heads

There’s more life up ahead
Than we could imagine
Our sorrows will turn into laughter again
We’ll drink wine and break bread
And boast in our weakness
Talk of the ways we were raised from the dead

Tell us the end of the story
Show us the glory ahead
See how the proud and the mighty have fallen
And the sinners are lifting their heads
All the sinners are lifting their heads