Wide Eyed

Vioulet traverses desolate landscapes, dancing, flowing, and searching for light.

  • Matthew Takata Shepherd
    Director
  • Naomi Takata Shepherd
    Director
    Halfway, Views from the Bay
  • Matthew Takata Shepherd
    Writer
  • Matthew Takata Shepherd
    Producer
  • Naomi Takata Shepherd
    Producer
  • Matthew Takata Shepherd
    Key Cast
    "Vioulet"
  • Naomi Takata Shepherd
    Cinematographer
  • Matthew Takata Shepherd
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Music Video, Short
  • Genres:
    Queer, Psychedelic, Experimental, Pop, Japanese American, LGBTQ
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 17 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    250 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    iPhone 6 with Anamorphic Lens
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Matthew Takata Shepherd, Naomi Takata Shepherd

Matthew is a queer half-Japanese artist born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and currently lives in Portland, OR. Matthew lives to make art and loves to work with all mediums but recently has been focused on making music and videos.

Naomi is a mixed Japanese American filmmaker who is passionate about creating work that focuses on intersectional and inclusive narratives. She is a Bay Area native and owns a small business named 6 Degrees of Hapa, writes, designs, and creates art, while substitute teaching as her day job.

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Director Statement

I have always been a DIY artist and love to be as involved as possible in all aspects of the creative process. I wrote the scripts, designed the sets, helped direct, performed in, and edited the two music videos I have made for my music and visual arts project/persona, Vioulet. For the videos, I worked closely with my sister, Naomi Takata Shepherd, who helped in all aspects of the music video process and directed both.

On the music side of things, I compose, record, and edit all of my own music. I work with layers of loops, synthesizer sounds, vocals, and beats to make psychedelic-experimental-pop tracks. Vioulet is an exploration of divinity, love, connection, fear, and humanity through a kaleidoscopic lens and is the celebration and exploration of being.