The Steveston-born music-video director had his first taste of the online buzz when he collaborated with Miley Cyrus, producing interactive dance videos that blazed through the social feeds back in 2008.
“A couple of my friends were working with her and they had this idea to do this online dance battle with the cast and crew of Step Up 2,” Walliser says over the phone from Los Angeles. “Miley and the Step Up movies were becoming really popular, and she didn’t even ask me — she just said, ‘You’re doing it, right?’ And I said, ‘Of course I’m doing it.’
“It was a pro bono thing rehearsed in one day and then we shot it and put it up online. We didn’t think anything of it; we just made the best video we could. It just took off instantly and got a million views in 24 hours. It was one of the first instances where a really big star was doing something online, merging celebrity with connecting with fans.”
Read more about the story behind M&M Cru vs. ACDC dance battle in an older article from 2008 here!
Walliser’s latest coup was hooking up with pop sensation Katy Perry to produce six video interludes to be used on her California Dreams tour, which stops in Vancouver at Rogers Arena on July 19.
“Katy saw the Pink tour and she loved the symbolism and how creative it was, so she hired the same tour director and then he brought me on to do the video content,” Walliser says. “It was her moment to do something big and huge, her proving-ground moment.”
A quick glance at some key shots from the video series reveals a package closely related thematically to Alice In Wonderland and Willy Wonka, taking Perry’s signature candy-coated pop look and giving it a deeper storyline.
“Her wonderland is ‘Candyfornia,’” Walliser says with a laugh. “It’s a mythical world built out of candy and sweets and treats.
“I got a voicemail from her telling me the story off the top of her head about this girl who works for this mean butcher and who always dreamed of opening a bakery, longing for the baker’s boy and then she finds herself in this Candyfornia land — this huge 10-minute recording. I had to take that and construct something tangible that would be broken up into six little videos that could play during costume changes and in between acts. The design was up to me, but I knew what she wanted to do. It was very collaborative.”
In a way, Perry’s conceptual approach doesn’t stray too far from Pink’s own tour storyline — escape and empowerment — or Lady Gaga’s recent concert themes — retro Broadway and The Wizard of Oz.
“I think a large part of it is that a lot of artists are not manufactured,” Walliser says.
“Katy was not manufactured. She struggled for years and lived on people’s couches. She has something to say. She has an opinion and a view on life.
“It’s not to say that someone who is manufactured doesn’t have a voice, they just don’t have an avenue to speak it.”
Walliser, 30, holds a BA in psychology from the University of British Columbia.
“It’s a lot more applicable than you would think,” Walliser says with a chuckle. “I use it every day. The biggest thing I learned at UBC was work ethic: Understanding how much work I can get done in a specific amount of time and meeting deadlines. With psychology, I learned how people perceive things and communicate. In filmmaking, it’s a valuable asset.”
Walliser has been involved in video projects since he was 14, shooting his friends skateboarding and editing on a video rig consisting of two VHS machines.
When not studying, Walliser would shoot and edit constantly, working to save up money to buy a high-end camera and a computerized editing system, learning all he needed to know on his own. A natural with a knack for getting the right shots, his work soon extended to another passion: dance.
Walliser admits he always desired to go to L.A., but thought he should finish his studies before heading south. Shortly after graduating in 2004, he made his move. It didn’t take long for Walliser to become a much sought-after talent, working with Cyrus on various projects following their first viral experiment and doing commercials, which eventually led to being recruited by Pink to create a variety of videos that would be shown on television and on the big screen at concerts during her Funhouse tour.
Meanwhile, Walliser is gearing for the next round, having just completed a new project with the Jonas Brothers’ backing outfit Ocean Grove Band, which is now trying to make it big on its own.
“It still blows me away: I grew up in Vancouver and now I’m in L.A. working with some big artists,” Walliser says.
“My life is a bit surreal, but Vancouver is always going to be my home.
To view Cole Walliser’s portfolio, Visit colewalliser.com
Source : heart-miley.com
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