The Hamilton Sessions

Authentic, American Live Take Music Videos

The most important aspect of the Hamilton Sessions music video series is that all parts of the production were captured and recorded live. What you see is the truth. And the truth is… Alice Hasen is a badass.

When she asked me to help with this one, I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of it, because I am a Hamilton nerd, and I know how hard Alice prepares for each project. She would be sharp, and the final result would be a captivating musical experience.

My primary job - as I saw it - was to find a stellar location. Setting up two cameras, one wide enough to see her pedal boards, and one close and fluid enough to keep it engaging, was simple. But the location is what really would help it soar. Thankfully, I live in the free art department capital of the world.

The choice of an unrenovated warehouse was really all about having a space that had one foot in the past, and one foot in the present, which sets the proper mood for this music.

We ended up filming above Thrive in Helena, on one of their upper floors. The ground was covered in thick layers of dust and bird poop, so you know it’s the real thing.

Here is the full series. Watch them all. If you only watch one, watch Stay Alive. It is absolutely magical.

My Shot

Dear Theodosia

History Has Its Eyes On You

Yorktown

Stay Alive

Goddess

Fantasy Meets Reality

When Rachel approached me about doing a music video for her new song Goddess, she had four major components she knew that she wanted to incorporate::

1. A Fantasy-like setting featuring an outwardly Goddess-like version of Rachel. A scene that represents our Idolized Self: what we think we need to be in order to be acceptable.

2. A Bathroom-Scene in which Rachel would cut her hair, mourn the shattering of that idolized self, and then find joy in accepting herself for who she is.

3. A sequence inspired by the intro credits of “Orange is the New Black” that focus on close-ups of all different types of women - and in this music video’s case, men. Show diversity, as well as detail. Particular qualities that stand out, that express uniqueness.

4. An empowered, natural self performing in the middle of Beale Street.

We decided to approach the Fantasy Scene by focusing on light and shadow in an all-natural, and naturally manicured, environment. Helena’s Harbor View Trail was the perfect location to find this balance. It boasts 200’ Willow Trees, Golden sunsets, and has a naturally low brush floor due to seasonal flooding.

For the Bathroom Scene, I wanted to film Rachel “through the bathroom mirror,” in order for her to have a vulnerable moment, seeing herself in the mirror - rather than performing for a camera. I did this by setting up the camera on the backside of a two-way mirror, and lit it with a ring diva light.

Additionally, we brought up guests into the bathroom scene once Rachel was finished with her part, and captured our montage sequence in the same space. It was important to me for the guests we were filming to not be performative, but to be interacting with the song and their own souls as they faced their reflection.

And then finally, we approached the empowered/accepted self scene by filming on Helena’s Cherry Street, which thematically fits the idea of beauty-within-brokenness.

To tie it all together, I wanted to include a writing-scene. The whole concept felt very meta to me, and I wanted to bring it into a moment so that the various expressions of Rachel - the Idolized Goddess, the empowered Goddess - were expressed as a form of self-reflection of the true Rachel, who is a girl in her room, with a guitar, writing a song about healing.

By celebrating the writing session, the act of creation, the artistic process itself, I feel like we get to really celebrate who the artist is as a creator, and as a person, rather than who the artist aspires to be, or who they think they need to be. For me, this is very relatable - and a healthy reminder to celebrate the process, the creative act, the journey.

Thank you for writing a beautiful song, Rachel, and for bringing me in to help you execute it.

Our Mission in the Delta

Transform & Enrich

Cherry Street Productions represents the storytelling practice of Nolan Dean, an award-winning, multi-disciplinary filmmaker based in the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta who has centered his portfolio on compelling stories that promote cross-cultural empathy and human welfare.

Located in Helena, Arkansas - on the banks of the Mississippi River - our films grow from the soil which once cultivated the music of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Son House and Sonny Boy Williamson II. Like these forefathers, we aim to tell the truth with the piercing clarity and artistic flourish of true bluesmen.

The Delta, though poor financially, is rich in the things that matter - story, community, authenticity. We believe this region is the Fertile Crescent of American culture, being the birthplace of American music, the American novel, and much of the modern civil rights movement.

Despite this, the Delta has not told its story well, and neither has the rest of the country. Time and again, it is portrayed as depressed, backward and oppressive. While there is truth in this, it’s not the only truth, nor is it the only place that struggles to carve a bright future out of a dark past.

Cherry Street Productions, in all the work we do, hopes to use the power of storytelling to reverse the narrative of rural disinvestment through commercial, documentary, musical and motion picture works.

By helping businesses, artists and individuals tell their stories with beautiful clarity, as well as creating original films that tell stories in the Delta, our goal is to transform Delta communities, while enriching the world with stories from this region.