Behind the Video: April Smith and the Great Picture Show's Terrible Things

My song "Terrible Things" was inspired by the show Dexter. After the album came out, I had this idea for a campy, creepy video for it. I wrote a treatment and then I started looking for a director that I felt could really bring it to life. I had seen Ryan Stober's work and loved it. I reached out to him and asked him if he would be interested in shooting it. He got back to me right away and was in! Then he put together a really solid team of people that he trusted. But we knew we really needed to invest in the production value - the location, make-up, equipment. It had to look just right. So we rented this kooky old mansion in Philmont, NY and we slept there during the shoot. The place was grogeous and had the vibe we wanted. My friends and band mates were the actors and they all did such an incredible job!

My favorite part of the video is the very end when Stevens, my bassist, bites the dust. I was so impressed with his acting. I watched him shoot his scenes and Ryan was directing him and yelling "you're taking a sip of the champagne! It tastes funny...so you're sweating! Your throat is getting tight! You loosen your tie!"...and so on. I had no idea he could act like that and he totally nailed the ending!

I aso love that my dog, Scout, is in the video. She makes a really short appearance but it's perfect for the scene. It was so easy to get her to do it too. She's a Border Collie so she's incredibly smart and really well-behaved!

Now that you know the story behind this video, you can watch it for yourself - right here!

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