In entertainment prestige, they’ve got the EGOT. That’s when a performer wins an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. Well, they don’t yet have an awards acronym for the diverse-genre magic that takes place behind the camera, but when it happens, Kyle Dutton will be amongst a rarefied crowd.
“Take It To Trial” by Young Thug, Yak Gotti and Gunna is Kyle’s latest cross-medium creative endeavor, working as executive producer for Atlanta-based Silver Spoon Creative on the cinematic music video. He’s also produced music videos for 21 Savage, Metro Boomin’ and Lil Keed. His eclectic range includes credits as a visual effects production manager (The Last Ship, Midnight, Texas), visual effects coordinator (Boardwalk Empire, Black Sails), and his ongoing role as a visual effects producer for the Crafty Apes team in Baton Rouge, where Kyle previously interviewed with us for the production of Home Team starring Kevin James.
“Take It To Trial” is a vibrant piece of three-minute storytelling featuring artists of the Young Stoner Life label. Lush, glowy shots are contrasted against scenes of stark elegance, a kind of calling card of the Silver Spoon aesthetic.
Kyle Dutton
Here’s what Kyle told We’ll Fix It In Post about producing Young Thug’s “Take It To Trial” video and what the process was like during his latest collaboration.
Where did you guys shoot?
“This was shot all around the Atlanta area. We found an awesome plantation house that a family was restoring outside of the city that we were able to build out a few setups in. We also filmed at the Biltmore Ballroom and Yak Gotti’s mom’s house. Thank you, Momma!”
How long did it take?
“This one took about two months all in to make.”
What was Post like?
“Post is always great and Leff is an amazing director who usually prefers to edit his own work. Once he’s in the editing booth he’s locked in until it is done.”
What’s your favorite shot?
“I have two. The shot of Young Thug walking through the woods is the first as it’s a pretty iconic shot of him that a lot of artists have used for album art, paintings, etc. Secondly, and in no order or rank, the shot of Gunna and the other Shady Baby artists on a circular track in a trap house turned out awesome.”
What was the most difficult part of the shoot?
“Funny enough, at the last minute the actor we cast as the police officer in the video backed out. So I had to suit up and play the officer. Self claim to fame?”
You have an extensive depth of experience as a visual effects producer for television and film. How do you incorporate that knowledge into a music video, or is the process completely different as opposed to a feature-length film?
“We approach music videos as it as a feature film that only runs for the length of the song and take the same form of storytelling that you would deliver on the big screen.VFX Has been super helpful to help facilitate music videos since on the larger budget productions we are essentially advising the entire crew to get the best results delivered from script to screen.”
You’ve produced videos for several artists, and some of the videos you’ve produced have a very defined narrative feel (like “Brand New Draco” by 21 Savage). Some, like Young Thug’s “Take It To Trial”, seem to gravitate towards achieving a lush, sleek visual aesthetic. How do you choose a concept for a video – do you have a kind of storyboard collaboration with the artist, or do they bring you a vision and you help them achieve that vision?
“Leff, the genius behind Silver Spoon, is a brilliant director who starts with a vision that we then bounce back and forth until a solid storyline is put into play. From there we create your usual pitch decks and then run those by the artists. Every artist is different and let’s be blunt – they are artists – so they do like to weigh in on the development and editing process. There have been quite a few shoots where we wrap the video and the artist has an awesome idea a month into it and we end up going to shoot a few more scenes. It’s really a collaborative effort.”
There are several moments where the scene has a very apparent color scheme, whether it’s the bright-washed yellow of the lights as Young Thug walks through the woods or the cool glow of the house interior, which kind of has that Euphoria effect. What type of filters or processes do you use in Post to evoke a specific mood for the video?
“We can’t give away all of our secrets but we keep a tight-knit team and when it comes to the color schemes Leff and our colorist at MPC, Kris Smale, delivers amazing results.”
