Sarabeth seeks extras for music video

SANDPOINT — The band Sarabeth has always had a close relationship with Sandpoint and its residents.

That’s why they hope to feature more than 100 of them in their upcoming music video based on their song “Amandus” — Latin for “to be loved.”  Sisters Sarah, Rachel and Bethany Byrum — ages 21, 18 and 14, respectively — aim to collect between 50 and 200 locals as extras for a shooting schedule that’s nothing if not ambitious. Interested individuals should be at the Panida Theater at 3:30 p.m. Sunday to appear in the video.

“For us, this is a kind of stepping stone from our album into the future,” Rachel said.

Fortunately, they have some key help from their brother, filmmaker Stephen Byrum, 16, whose first film “The Victor” premiered in October. After shooting wrapped on that project, Sarabeth provided an original musical score for the film. Now Stephen has a chance to return the favor — a job he doesn’t exactly mind.

“It’s not really a case of them doing a favor for me and me doing something for them in return,” he said. “I love making films, and if I agree to do a project, I’ll put everything I’ve got into it.”

Despite being less intensive than the weeks of work poured into “The Victor,” the project will bring about its own distinct challenges.

“This music video is going to be even tougher than usual,” Bethany said. “We’re going to do it all in one take.”

The entire video will be organized as a single tracking shot. That means if any extra is out of place, any performer makes a mistake or any technical difficulties arise, the whole thing has to be done over.

“We’re probably going to have to go through this several times,” Rachel said.

According to the Byrum siblings, however, the tricky technical elements will bring the perfect thematic touch to the video. Along with a plan to portray the diversity and color of the town, the cinematography will help portray the character of Sandpoint in a few short minutes.

“Sandpoint is a big part of who we are,” Sarah said. “We’ve been so blessed to work with all the great people that live here. It’s like a gold mine.”

The same reasoning went into the selection of the Panida Theater, a primary Sandpoint cultural center, for the music video shooting site. Panida representatives even agreed to support the project with a custom message on the marquee.

The music video is partly a project to fill in some spare time. After Sarabeth’s first album “Hello World” came out in December, there was a small period of downtime before the band resumes recording and performing. With ideas already on the book for six music videos and the next three albums, the girls decided to keep busy in the meantime.

Likewise, the project will keep Stephen busy before he shoots his short film “Venia” at the end of the month. Inspired by the stories he heard working with the Bonner County Homeless Task Force shortly after “The Victor” premiered, “Venia” will tell the story of a rich man and a homeless man whose fortunes are reversed over the narrative.

Since both the musicians and the filmmaker could devote some time to the project, the collaboration will help keep them focused and motivated for the challenges ahead, according to Sarah.

“We really do make each other better,” she said.

The Byrum siblings’ father, Bob Byrum, will also contribute to the project. He served as a producer on “The Victor” and helped manage Sarabeth during their album recording and release. For him, watching his kids grow as artists is almost as fun participating in the creative process himself.

“To watch them work together and collaborate really is a pretty amazing thing,” he said.