With everything going on in the world right now we all could use a collective breather.
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic is still wreaking havoc, cities just a stone’s throw away from us are literally on fire as racial tensions mount, and locally, job losses businesses forced to shut their doors because of the Coronavirus is taking its toll.
Yea, we all need a breather.
Thankfully music is able to take us away from our problems for a while. Good music, on the other hand, not only gives us some peace, but it also inspires, encourages and breathes new life. That’s exactly what Bahamian singer and songwriter Dyson Knight does in his latest music video for his uplifting song “I Can Do It.”
e-LIFE242 caught up with Dyson recently to get the scoop.
As with many of my songs, “I Can Do It” is packed with messages. Lyrically, it’s a mix of a party, inspirational, testimonial, true stories, and gospel. I’m always conscious of what I give to the world through my music because I know that it’s one of the most powerful tools known to man. The bitter old man in me resents me for choosing substance over popularity but… oh well.
What makes this video even more dope is the fact that Dyson teamed up with students from a local film summer camp to produce the bright, feel good visuals.
This song was produced by the 4 Dove Court production camp. The video was produced by FilMAD summer camp 2019. In the summer of 2019, I was contacted by Moya Thompson, leader of the camp and director of the video. She asked me for permission to shoot a music video for one of my songs. She also wanted me to take part in the production. I didn’t know what to expect but my preferred way of giving back is to participate in the creative development of persons younger or less experienced than myself. So, I agreed.
Dyson says on the day of the shoot, he met about 20 children who showed up ready to work; with scripts in hand, cameras ready to roll and a set full of professional equipment.
Professional cinematographer Jackson Petit and drone operator Emile Curry were also on set. We had three locations and shot the entire video in one day, one very hot day. I do recall Aquapure water and snacks being on set. That was a very big plus so shout to the corporations that continue to sponsor us in various ways. The experience was refreshing. The cast was energetic and attentive to their mentors. I learned a good much about videography from Jackson at this shoot as well. So, we captured the video footage at the top of last year’s summer.
Dyson says there were some delays in getting the video edited and released. So get this, he edited it himself and dropped the visuals on his birthday!
I really wanted to surprise the children by getting this to Tempo (who was waiting on it), and I already invested a good much into the prelude of the video’s release, so it was really looking like a loss for me.
He had just shot and edited the video for his song “Slave To Your Body” and says that experience motivated him to take on the task of editing the footage captured for “I Can Do It.”
I figured my edit would definitely be better than no edit. Eventually, I was able to acquire the footage and I went in. Two weeks later, after many YouTube tutorials, I had the video completed. I released “I Can Do It” on my birthday and I’m happy that all of the work everyone put into the production is finally available for the world to enjoy.
Dyson’s collaboration with the kids, the inspirational lyrics, the smiles and warmth of the video…yea, this is what we all need right now.