A pet project I’ve been working on since summer of 2008, the music video for “Young San Francisco” has finally been let loose. A true labor of love, the footage was shot from summer to winter, Westport MA to Berkeley CA, beaches to BART stations. It features the charming talents of Levi Parker (Brin’s nephew) and Mayah Chen (my niece). Read more about the making and watch the video after the cut (or at Vimeo / Youtube).



Between the summer and winter of 2008, Brindalyn Webster and I followed her nephew Levi Parker around Westport MA. Going for a low-budget, home-video feel, most of the footage was captured on a still camera in 20-second bursts. A natural performer, all it took was a toy ukelele to inspire some improvised, self-penned songs. His co-star, my 2-year-old niece, Mayah Chen, was shot at my home near Berkeley, CA. She is drawn to explore the many instruments everytime she visits, so I simply had to be ready to press record. (I hope to put together some video outtakes and post making-of photos soon.) Whereas shooting was effortless, editing these snippets to sync precisely with the song was a monster. But a fun monster.

The most rewarding response to the video has been playing it for Levi and Mayah. Levi has learned all the lyrics by heart, and Mayah now requests nightly screenings before bedtime. I hope you find yourself equally attached.

Update: The SF Weekly posted the video on their blog and had some nice things to say!