New York-based directing duo Ben/Dave, represented by Washington Square Films, causes pandemonium at a little girls’ beauty pageant in the new music video for Elijah Ford & The Bloom’s new track “Try As You Might.” The track is the lead single from Ford’s upcoming LP As You Were, which will be released September 16th via Nine Mile Records. The video features Ford as an unexpected entrant at a youth beauty pageant, taking any means necessary to secure the crown. His sabotaging antics include replacing a contestant’s hairspray with blue spray paint, unscrewing all the roller skate wheels before a girl’s talent act and triggering a nasty allergic reaction with a poisonous dart. Ben/Dave leverage their award-winning comedy background to deliver an effortlessly understated humour to the video.
Notes director Dave Thomas, “When we first heard the track, we quickly fell in deep, awkward love with it. It’s a perfect pop song, and wedges itself into your ears in a truly delightful way. Elijah and Ashley came to us with the idea of doing something around the idea of a ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’-style beauty pageant. Somehow the combination seemed irresistible. Girls. Taffeta. Sequins. Rock and roll. It didn’t make any sense, but we couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Adds Ford, “The girls were constantly running back and forth to hair and makeup to be ready take after take. We had an incredibly talented crew come together to turn Ben/Dave’s concept into reality. It was awesome to witness the production machine that made this project happen.”