2013 SD – “Cool Treatment” Video

Director, Christopher Kelley’s, Table Sixteen Productions, licensed “Little Cisco,” from The Reds album, Fugitives From The Laughing House,” for his film short, Double Back. Rick Shaffer liked Kelley’s point of view as a filmmaker, and knew he wanted to work with Kelley again. When it came time for a video of “Cool Treatment,” track 7 on Shaffer’s fourth solo album, Stacked Deck, he sent the track and lyrics to Kelley and asked what his vision would be. Kelley replied, “The ‘Cool Treatment’ sound and lyrics sent my brain to a seedy place and I imagined five heavies, a table full of rusty tools, and a cuffed captive about to get black and blue.” Shaffer offered immediate encouragement, and the contribution of invoking the imagery of A Clockwork Orange with the direction, “Beat ’em to a pulp.” Kelley scouted locations and found a dark series of underground caverns that were part of an old brewery campus, collecting dust for a hundred years. Next, Kelley’s core group of actors were into the story line, including a real-life cop with SWAT training, an assistant states attorney, and a St. Louis TV host, all ready to transform themselves and endure the elements. The caverns were so humid that photos of Rick Shaffer began curling almost immediately. The shoot went incredibly smooth, over just two days.

Kelley captured everything on a Canon 5D mkIII with a 24-70mm lens, Manfrotto tripod, and Digital Juice Orbit Dolly. Kelley edited with Adobe Premiere and added a heavily contrasted film look with Film Convert. The first cut was delivered mere days after the shoot, and got a thumbs up from Shaffer. It was exactly what he’d wanted, delivered perfectly by Kelley and company.