“american Oxygen” Directors Call Video an Exploration of America’s History

Via Revolt: When you think of the All-American prototype you might not necessarily think music megastar Rihanna, but after hearing her latest song “American Oxygen,” it will leave you in a quasi-time capsule of living the American dream.

An ode to patriotism, resulting in a sonically-tuned update to what could easily suffice as our national anthem, Rihanna’s visual is an equivalent to the tests our nation has faced over the past centuries. Linear to her eighth studio album’s backdrop of displaying a social and political consciousness through filters of an American

rodeo theme, the singer incites a juxtaposition of patriotic imagery with archival footage of the United States’ most compelling and historical chain of events. From Martin Luther King’s funeral possession, Ferguson’s untimely marches, the 1968 Summer Olympics and Beatlemania, the noteworthy visuals fill the screen with standalone monumental moments.

Directorial team, Darren Craig, Jonathan Craven, and Jeff Nicholas spoke exclusively to REVOLT on conceptualizing the aesthetic aspect and allowing the essence of “American Oxygen” to unfold.

The video has an underlying message of political and social justice, was this a collaborative concept or simply an ode to the lyrics of the song?
Definitely collaborative. Rihanna really wanted to make people think with this one, and really wanted to make sure it wasn’t too focused on just the positive or just the negative. In the edit, it was all about finding the right balance of historical footage, positive and negative, that would work to juxtapose the two sides of American history. There’s glory in the struggle, there are

ups and downs, and all of that is what makes America what it is. We wanted to find the right balance that pulled the viewer into different emotions and feelings about what they were watching.
We worked with Rihanna to show America from varying perspectives: along with including classic apple pie Americans, we also wanted to show those desperately trying to get here, the disenfranchised, the persecuted, those struggling against all odds to attain change, those who fought to make america what it is and the kids who hold America’s future in their hands.

Can you tell us about where the video was shot and the overall premise?
We shot most of the performance elements with Rih on a live runway, which apparently isn’t something that’s normally possible. Usually it’s out on a side road or taxiway, so it was pretty special to be able to build a massive American flag directly in the middle of a runway and shoot there. (Obviously they closed the runway to air traffic for our shoot so no one was in danger) We also shot over at the Pasadena City Hall, which is actually where they shot all the city hall exteriors for “Parks & Recreation.” So that was fun.

Really this video is an exploration of the rich fabric that makes up America’s history. There’s greatness and joy, but also pain and struggle. And all of that combined makes America what it is.

Rihanna’s visuals seem to be following an All-American theme, did she make mention of staying consistent with this idealism?
I mean, the song is called “American Oxygen.” The styling and themes for Rih’s performance was all about providing a fitting backdrop that would bridge together all of these amazing historical clips.