Two Stef Paulussen videos selected for IKL Music Video Competition

Stef Paulussen is the initiator of Mindreal, a collective of artists cooperating on different projects. Having a background in advertising and web design, Paulussen has started to focus on music videos and short films. 'Over 't water was the first music video we made', says Paulussen. 'We were asked by local band The Fixkes, who got in touch with us through MySpace.' For this single, The Fixkes had joined hands with Belgian star Axelle Red - who sang in her own Flemish dialect for this special occasion. The single was composed and produced in a very short period of time which was a real ‘tour de force’. So Stef and his crew had to slave away from early morning to late at night to get the job done: 'I received the second half of the lyrics only two weeks before deadline. We worked 16 hours a day, and there was absolutely no time for previews.' Because the other members of Mindreal were busy doing other projects at the time, Stef only had the cartoons from Marc Jacops to start out from. 'When the deadline came closer I still had a lot of ideas left to work out and to include in the clip. I begged for another week's time to finish it, even though we didn't make any money with it. Unfortunately getting extra time was not an option. Axelle Red's manager had a glimpse for the very first time when we delivered the final product. But he was very enthusiastic about it. For us, it was a very rewarding experience all over. Not only because it was for charity, but also because of the nice response. People told us it contributed a great deal in understanding the lyrics and the message of the song, since Axelle Red sang in pretty heavy dialect. But seriously, this video was our chance to create opportunities and among the praise and stimulating response we had some calls of big 3D companies to come and work on their projects. In the meantime we were already involved in making another music video for The Fixkes, Lievelingsdier (Favourite pet).'Lievelingsdier 'Sam Valkenborgh, lead vocalist of The Fixkes liked the video for Over 't Water so much that he wanted us to work on a next music video, but this time he wanted to be more involved. So for the second video we did things 'properly', with previews and all that. Dennis Van Den bergh made the drawings this time. Sam was really getting into this kind of work so maybe we will be working together more, he has great ideas for television projects'. Currently Stef Paulussen is working on a music video for another Belgian artist. 'I like to make music videos because you can tell a story in a couple of minutes, it is an interesting time frame. And they are very visible, you reach an audience and you put yourself in the picture. Getting noticed helps to come out with your own projects. Currently, we are preparing a file to apply for funding for El Pequeño, a short animation in full 3D, about a cute little character with a serious edge. We have been brooding on it for quite a while, but we gave priority to rebuilding our own studio in Zoersel.'Over 't water Other projects of Mindreal have a somewhat different taste than the music videos, being closely linked to science fiction, cybertech and video games. 'I was drawn into animation through science fiction, but in the end I have a very broad taste. The only criteria I have to like something or not, is whether it is pure, well done and made with heart and soul'. With two music videos in competition, Stef has a double chance of winning at the International Short Film Festival in Leuven. 'I do not expect to win at all. Really: being nominated twice is a fantastic trophy in itself. Getting this kind of attention makes us winners even before the competition starts.' Watch the videos here http://www.kortfilmfestival.be/2008/video/videoclipcompetitie.html Links http://www.mindreal.be (new website online 01/01/2009) http://vonk-online.be http://binary-01.com