Project
Details
“Knock on Marble” was my first collaboration with Jason Milgram, Settle Down Productions and the James Malcolm Band, and it turned out to be the beginning of an ongoing creative relationship.
The song is built around a hard idea: getting the success you once dreamed about, then realizing it does not count for much if you lost the person you wanted to share it with.
We wanted the video to feel less like a performance piece and more like a small cinematic story. Something atmospheric, emotional, and visually distinctive.
Finding the right world
A huge part of bringing the concept to life was finding the right location. We landed on 1000 Palms Hideout in North Miami, and it immediately felt right.
The property was formerly a tree nursery, so it is full of unusual palms, odd textures, open-air spaces and a vintage Airstream trailer. It already had a visual personality of its own. Instead of building every environment from scratch, we could let the location do part of the storytelling.
The cinematic approach
I shot it on the Z CAM E2-F6 using my Blazar Mantis anamorphic lenses. I wanted the image to carry texture and character rather than looking clean and commercial. The anamorphic glass gave us the width, the falloff and the personality that suited the emotional tone of the song.
Arie Forma joined the production for behind the scenes coverage and assistance, which let us document the process without slowing the shoot down.
Making someone disappear
One of the more interesting storytelling moments involved Malcolm’s girlfriend disappearing from the scene. That took VFX work in post.
The goal was not an effect that announces itself. It needed to read as part of the story, a quiet way of showing someone who had been there and suddenly was not.
It is a small moment, and it is one of my favorite examples on this project of production and post working together to serve the story rather than show off.
Credits
- Artist: James Malcolm Band
- Song: Knock on Marble
- Production: Dov Gurewicz Productions
- Client: Settle Down Productions
- Director and cinematography: Dov Gurewicz
- Camera: Z CAM E2-F6
- Lenses: Blazar Mantis anamorphic
- Behind the scenes and production assistance: Arie Forma
- Location: 1000 Palms Hideout, North Miami, Florida
Additional Info
One video became much more
Knock on Marble was only the beginning. Jason and the James Malcolm Band came back for more music video work and for live concert coverage as the band started selling out rooms. Read the full James Malcolm Band and Settle Down Productions case study, or watch the Savor Cinema concert film.
About the song
“Knock on Marble” appears on Never Too Late, the debut album the James Malcolm Band released through Settle Down Productions on November 26, 2025. The band is based in Fort Lauderdale and works in country, Americana and country-rock storytelling. Malcolm Philip Flavell, the lead singer and co-founder, named the project in tribute to his late father.
The song looks back at simpler beginnings from the other side of material success, and counts what that success cost. You can find the band at jamesmalcolmband.com.
Working on a music video or a creative project that needs a strong visual concept? Explore my music video work, or start a project.
Behind the Scenes
