Editors note: We at Born & Bred aim to spotlight not just musicians of the state but those who help tell the story and give artists a professional leg up as they present their art to listeners. In our interview below we speak with one such individual who is doing just that. Musicians: don’t hesitate to put out the finances to creat quality content that elevates your story.
Hailing from West Virginia is a visual storyteller with a compelling perspective: Jason Adams. A photographer and videographer, Adams has been quietly building a portfolio that speaks volumes over the years. His latest work finds him collaborating with the formidable metal band Byzantine on their music video for the evocative track, “Floating Chrysanthema” which is currently charting on XM Radio’s “Liquid Metal” and amassing a large viewership with the video.
This isn’t just about capturing images; it’s about translating raw energy and complex textures into a visual experience that resonates. We talked with Adams to explore the creative process behind “Floating Chrysanthema” and the unique vision he brings to his craft.
BB: The visuals in “Floating Chrysanthema” are striking. Could you walk us through your initial concept for the video and what sparked that idea?
I was attached to direct the video before the song was selected. The band sent me two tracks from the release schedule and asked me to pick which one I connected with the most.
Floating Chrysanthema stood out right away
It is really an indictment or a cautionary tale about Artificial Intelligence. As a filmmaker, the rise of AI is evident now in my industry. It is in some ways beautiful and interesting and in some ways, terrifying.
But once I heard the lyric:
Your tears oil our petals
Your sorrow feeds our stems
We made our graven image
With science not with hymns
I was in.
The band was super collaborative and excited to embrace the visual style. The idea was simple. To feel like a collapsing stage being swallowed by tech. A human band launching a last great protest song against the technology that was swallowing it.
The pace was supposed to be frenetic and scattered. Playing with the idea and visual question, is this a band fighting off the artifice or is this the birth pains of the machine finally giving birth to a sapien replacement.
BB: What was your collaborative process like with the band Byzantine in bringing this vision to life? Were there specific aspects of the song that particularly influenced your creative choices?
Byzantine is really kind of a dream band to collaborate with. They have great ideas and everything feels very “yes and” if you are familiar with the rules of improv. They would take my ideas and push them further and add to them, or bring ideas of their own that I had room to expand on and develop. They are also band that embraces technology. They even MIDI-coded all the lights in the video so they were super involved and really helped elevate everything.
BB: Metal music videos can explore a wide range of aesthetics. What were some of the key visual elements you focused on to complement the intensity and atmosphere of “Floating Chrysanthema”?
The dichotomy of, is this the great battle of the humans vs the machine or is this the birth of the machine was very intentional. It seems only fitting that all the animation and non-human elements of the video were created by AI. So we included the enemy in the creative process. We thought the artifice should be represented visually by creating its own imagery.
BB: Can you share any insights into the techniques or approaches you used during filming or post-production to achieve the video’s distinct look and feel?
Technically it was a fairly simple video. Byzantine rocks so hard that they are really easy to shoot. We took the visual idea of a collapsing stage with lights hanging just above the bands head and used a ton of cables and mess to show the cluttered way the technology was invading everything. It was shot all handheld with only 2 lenses in 8K to give us the most options in post. Wide lenses close to the action. The lights being time-coded to the track ensured continuity between each take.
BB: Were there any particular challenges you faced during the production of this music video, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was technical and getting the lighting right. After a failed attempt of working with a lighting designer that was just not getting this to where we wanted. We re-grouped and started fresh and the band took matters into their own hands and midi coded all the lights straight to the production tracks in the DAW. It made playback a breeze on the day and finally, the lighting elements were perfect.
BB: Looking back at the finished product, is there a specific moment or visual in the “Floating Chrysanthema” video that you feel particularly captures the essence of the song or your directorial intent?
My favorite shots are of OJ the lead singer super close on our 13mm lens. OJ has been the frontman and guitarist for nearly all of Byzantines storied history. This Album includes the addition of Tony Rohrbough original guitarist. Making room for Chris “OJ” Ojeda to really spread his wings as a front man in a new way. Those shots of OJ up close owning the moments and the lyrics have this incredible energy and it feels like a whole new chapter for this band. One that I will be forever grateful to have been a small part of.
Byzantine’s full length album Harbinger will be available everywhere on June 13, 2025 from Metal Blade Records.
All photos by Jason Adams
