Live Circus is a creative business founded by Alessio Avezzano. Originally based in Glasgow, Scotland, Alessio now operates out of Shanghai, where he collaborates with artists and musicians from around the world to produce sometimes quirky, sometimes funny, at the very least well made music videos and short films, amongst other things. We shot some questions over to Alessio to find out what got him going.
Radar:
The desire to have this interview with you came about from this terrific/terrifying video that flew up in our faces from Shanghai act Round Eye:
They’ve packed in a lot:
- The calculative practice of parents coordinating meetups (介绍) to pair off their kids (in this case the daughter is promised a ‘tall / rich / handsome’ – 高富帅).
- Unyielding parents keeping a close eye on their daughters
- Reference to Xintiandi, that place where people go to drink expensive Tsingdao
- Acknowledgment of China’s beauty ideals, and the association of tans with the peasantry.
Basically, it’s pretty loaded! What are your thoughts on the concept? Do you think being able to joke about the crap local kids have to deal with is a good way for the band to garner some love?
Alessio:
I think it’s certainly something locals can identity with or relate to, however I think the video as a whole is too ridiculousness for anyone to take seriously.
The band already had the concept thought out when I met them, which was great because that almost never happens. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun and completely different from anything I’ve done before, so I was game. The only thing I wanted to add to the band’s concept was for it to be weirder and partly animated. Pretty much every wacky suggestion was met with a yes, and thats why the video has a guy riding a seahorse and a lifeguard punching a shark.
Radar:
You’ve produced other works with acts including Airwalker (ongoing) and Friend or Foe, who recently played their final gig. Could you give some background on how Live Circus came about and what it is that inspired you to set up shop in Shanghai?
Alessio:
Live Circus is basically me. It’s my solo work. I’ve been using the name since about 2009 when I starting pushing my own content back in my hometown of Glasgow, Scotland.
Initially I had the idea to have more than one artist putting work out under the name and that way content would be frequent and as a community [of] filmmakers [we] could be stronger together. But I found everyone starting out has their own dreams and production names they want to stick with.
The name live circus comes from a Tom Waits song – I’ve made 8 (soon 9) music videos under live circus, as well as a few live shows, short films and so on.
After visiting shanghai I wanted to live here, and I moved soon after. I love this city, I’ve never been as productive as I am now or had so many opportunities to work with talented people. I feel Shanghai can bring the best out of people who put the effort in.
Radar:
Would you say you have an “indie friendly” approach, or occasionally indulge in projects just for fun rather than return? Do you have any examples of such projects ?
Alessio:
Indie friendly definitely, I try to keep myself approachable by being able to work as a one man crew if need be.
I started off as a fan who discovered Donnie Does when I moved here, and now it’s part of my day job. I’m extremely lucky in that I get to make creative projects for a living.
Music videos are challenging and extremely fun to make. With regular production jobs, you don’t always get to push your limits or challenge yourself, which is very important. Music videos are ideal for me in that regard as I always get to try something new. Like the Airwalker video, I kind of bit more off than I could chew and thats why its taking a while, but I’m getting there and hopefully it will be out soon.
Radar:
Seeing as you are quite involved in the independent music scene, do you have any opinions of the way the live music industry in China is going to develop going forward? One indicator of this may be for example, whether you are getting a lot of inquiries from bands, versus going to them directly?
Alessio:
I wouldn’t say I’m quite involved, I love music but I should be going to way more live shows and discovering a lot more bands than I currently am. I don’t get a lot of enquiries actually, I’m usually the one to reach out, having a well made music video isn’t really a necessity for most bands these days.
I saw the Beijing band 16 Minutes play in Shanghai last year and after the show I suggested we did a video. They were very keen, and eventually I found myself doing a job in Beijing so without having time to prepare I arranged to head straight to their apartment at night for a few hours once I had finished work. They gave me a coffee and some street food and we just started shooting and messing around with lights and smoke. That was a really nice experience to just come up with something on the spot.
Radar:
What are the criteria bands need to meet when pitching new projects to you?
Alessio:
If the song is good and the track is decently produced then everything else is secondary.
Radar:
What you got coming up?
Alessio:
My video for Airwalker is up next, the final Friend or Foe live show is just out and can be seen here:
Another promising self-starter down in Shangers. You can follow Alessio on Facebook @LiveCircus
