Director Nick Roney on taking The Lemon Twigs to his grandparents’ house

Date
21 February 2017

Long Island musical sibling duo The Lemon Twigs has released a new video for I Wanna Prove To You. Directed by Los Angeles-based Nick Roney, the adorably comical video reflects both the band’s aesthetic and his own, creating a brilliant and honest narrative you’ll definitely watch to the end.

“Initially, I wanted several weeks to ten years to shoot the video so we could build real relationships between all the characters, but for some reason the label and my grandparents weren’t interested,” Nick tells It’s Nice That. “Ultimately, the shoot took place over three long, life-changing days.”

This long weekend of altering events is what Nick introduces in the opening of I Wanna Prove To You, “when The Twigs asked me to take on their latest single I knew it had to be an authentic examination of love,” he explains. “So, I took them to my grandparents house in Utah to show them what 50 years of commitment looks like and what follows is no script, no rehearsals, just the truth as it unfolds.”

However the narrative that evolves is one that Nick hadn’t exactly planned for. “When we arrived, the hope was that we were going to build on my preliminary shot list because it was kind of hard to imagine how it would all go down. We were nervous my grandparents might kick us out early on, but after the first day it was clear they were going to have a great time.” As the film develops it’s clear that Nick’s grandparents had “too good of a time actually, and the whole veered way off course. I consider myself good at shooting on-the-fly but this project tested my limits”.

Over the course of the film The Lemon Twigs, Brian and Michael, fully integrate into Nick’s family, they have snowball fights, they are baptised and heartbreakingly replace Nick in the family photo albums. “Ultimately, the video wouldn’t have worked if the Twigs didn’t work on the tone with me. They’re good at adding their stamp to everything they do and so they brought their own ideas to the scenes which was helpful. I just wish their ideals weren’t centered around ousting me from my family.”

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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Nick Roney: I Wanna Prove To You

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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