Alternative rock band Pupil has been a regular fixture in ANIMAX's events, starting with the highly successful "Fashion Ability" last year. This has led fans to wonder "What's up?" and "Has Pupil sold their soul to Animax?"
Well, you can wonder no more as tomorrow night June 8 before "Music Station", ANIMAX will unveil the video of its official theme song "Set Me Apart" written and performed by Pupil.
I got to chat with Pupil guitarist Yani Yuzon about the making of "Set Me Apart"…
1. How did this collaboration between Pupil and ANIMAX start?
ANIMAX actually commissioned us to do the song. They were looking for a band that best exemplifies ANIMAX and what it stands for. If you think about it Pupil is off the beaten track. We're not obscure, but we're not pop. The Animax folks liked the sound of our first album "Beautiful Minds." They got us for some events first to build the relationship and to see the crowd's response to our music. We got really awesome response.
2. What inspired you to write "Set Me Apart"?
Since the song was commissioned, the Animax execs did not have to pick from the material that we already have. It's custom made for the channel. Ely Buendia and band manager Diane Ventura, all of us, in the process of making the song, we watched the channel a lot and to discover underlying themes in the shows that they have. It all boils down to "Be different", which is the catch phrase of the network. Obviously we didn't want to come up with a song that's entitled "Be Different". We needed to find something that would sound more like us, describing the lifestyle that the channel portrays. We just emailed back and forth, rough drafts, the demo, the final song, until we came up with the video. Then we did recordings. Everything you see here is by and large the product of email.
3. Who came up with the concept for the video?
Animax and the production studio in Malaysia
asked us for a concept. The whole band had a meeting. Then we suggested that it's typical in a video that a band plays together. Let that be in the end. Instead, we divide the time of the video into vignettes where we're situated in different worlds. "Different Worlds" is another song off our album. We needed to capture this idea. As you will see in the video tonight, Ely was in an elevator that turned into a spaceship that turns into a robot. I'm a post futuristic gunslinger. Dok is like King of the Waterworld. Bogs is the urbanite drummer. Initially, I was going to be the water guy because I surf. But I always wore the hat. So they figured "You're better off as the gunslinger". I like guns and stuff.
We filmed here on green screen. Then All the footage was brought to Malaysia
where all the post production took place. The post-prod was a lengthy process as you can tell.
4. Are you happy with the results?
Yes, I think the video was really well made. Very stylish. But the guys in the band tease me a lot though. They would say "Thanks that you made us extras in your video." I would say, "Why? We're all equal." We always joke about it. You'll understand when you see the video.
5. This has been a monumental job for you, especially since Ely Buendia is still recovering from a heart attack.
Yes, it took half a year until today to make the song and the video for "Set Me Apart". I am grateful that we had a lot of continued network support. The Animax guys stuck through with us through Ely's heart attack. They had faith in the band and how the band can be the voice that represents their viewership. They trusted that in spite of everything else. And I thank them for their trust and their patience.
