Ben Quad – Painless (Music Video) Filmed at Black Valve

The Oklahoma-based punk band Ben Quad returned with another explosive visual — this time for their single “Painless.” Directed by Alex Scalzo-Brown and shot on 16mm film, the video was brought to life right here inside Black Valve’s Studio J in Cleveland, Ohio.

The shoot took full advantage of film experimentation — with overcranking and undercranking across takes at 4, 8, 11, and even 120 frames per second. The team pushed the creative boundaries of analog filmmaking, speeding up and slowing down playback “more times than a Subaru CVT transmission,” as Scalzo-Brown joked in his post.

The result is a dynamic, textured, and visually kinetic piece that perfectly matches Ben Quad’s sound — gritty, heartfelt, and loud in all the right ways.

Credits

Director: 🇮🇹 Alex Scalzo-Brown
Director of Photography: @jackson.c.clark
1st AC: @fanofcelebrities12
Gaffer: @ericmartingaffer
Art Director: @ithappenedinmonterey
Swing: @hillarytakacs
PA / BTS: @kinkade_ruppert

Studio Rental: @blackvalve
Gear Rental: @brighteyegripelectric, @greencorolla_, @liminalspacecle
Film Scanning: Nicki Coyle at @preservefilm
Shot On: @kodak_shootfilm
Label: @purenoiserecs
Management: @kevingnarsha

About the Shoot

This project embodies everything we love about hosting creative teams at Studio J — bold filmmaking, analog experimentation, and collaboration between talented crews from across the Midwest. From the overcranked 16mm frames to the inventive lighting setups, “Painless” showcases what’s possible when passion meets technical precision.

Watch “Painless” by Ben Quad now on Pure Noise Records’ YouTube channel and stream the song everywhere you listen to music.

We Worked on “Eenie Meanie” and It Was a Blast

We’re thrilled to finally share that four members of the Black Valve Media crew had the incredible opportunity to work on the upcoming film Eenie Meanie, a high-octane, irreverent thriller from 20th Century Studios, hitting Hulu and Disney+ on August 22, 2025.

Our team—Lo, Evelyn, Hunter, and Evan—were part of the video assist and video playback departments for both first and second unit shoots. From coordinating live video feeds to helping dial in playback for some of the film’s most stylized moments, we had a front-row seat to the action, comedy, and chaos that makes Eenie Meanie such a wild ride.

Directed and written by Shawn Simmons, the film stars Samara Weaving as Edie (a.k.a. Eenie Meanie), a former teenage getaway driver who gets pulled back into the underground life when her unreliable ex-boyfriend’s life hangs in the balance. The ensemble cast includes Karl Glusman, Jermaine Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Randall Park, Steve Zahn, and Andy Garcia, with production powerhouse duo Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick alongside Marty Ewing.

Being part of this crew was an unforgettable experience. Every department brought their A-game, and the collaborative spirit on set made long days fly by. We’re incredibly grateful to have contributed to a project with such style, humor, and intensity—and we can’t wait to watch it with the rest of the world when it drops later this summer.

Check out the trailer now and mark your calendars. Eenie Meanie premieres August 22, 2025—only on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

Summerbruise - VAN (feat. Carpool)

For the music video for "VAN (featuring Carpool)" by Summerbruise, we filmed in the backyard at our studio at Black Valve Media. The setup was intentionally low-key: a kiddie pool, some pool floats, and a bright summer day. But the emotional core of the video comes from the rain machine, which we used to bring a sense of internal weather to the scene.

Even with the sun shining, the rain reminds you that it can still feel like a storm inside. That contrast between the setting and the feeling reflects the tone of the song—about showing up, burning out, hiding out, and trying to hold it together when everything’s just a little too much.

The result is a video that’s fun on the surface, but carries something heavier underneath—just like the track.

"VAN (feat. Carpool)" appears on Infinity Guise, out August 19 on SideOneDummy Records.

Behind the Scenes of Sound on Tape’s PRICE Visual Album

Sound on Tape’s PRICE Visual Album: A Multi-Screen Analog Experience at Black Valve

We love when technology, creativity, and collaboration collide—and PRICE, the new album from Sound on Tape (@sound.on.tape), did exactly that.

For this project, Long Division and our friends at Ladybug AV Club (@ladybug.av.club) took over the Black Valve Media soundstage to film a full-length visual companion to the album. The result? A fully analog-inspired, multi-screen installation that turned our white cyc into an immersive audiovisual environment.

A Wall of CRTs and Controlled Chaos

At the heart of this build was a wall of 13 CRT televisions, each assigned a unique video feed powered by a mix of Raspberry Pis and VCRs. We used a color and number-coded sticker system to sync playback across the entire setup, allowing for organized control over what might otherwise look like visual chaos.

The center TV stack was operated in real time, giving the team the ability to adapt visuals live during the performance. This reactive element added an extra layer of dynamism, making the whole experience feel alive—just like the music.

This wasn’t a plug-and-play setup. The process took over a month of prep, including:

Hardware planning

Signal routing & sync testing

Encoding & tape preparation

Meticulous cable management

What may have looked like a tangle of wires and flickering screens was actually a carefully mapped, rehearsed system—each screen, sticker, and loop played a part in telling the story of PRICE.

Shoutout to the Team

Projects like this don’t happen without a community of creators coming together. We’re proud to have supported the production, and even prouder of the final result.

Directed by: @frames.per.darren & @marcusalanward

Camera Team: @deepscapecine

AV Design + Playback Systems: @ladybug.av.club

Production Support: @evanprunty

Shot at: @blackvalve

Project Stats:

13 CRT screens

5 Raspberry Pis

3 VCRs

1 month of prep

Dozens of cables + a full-scale routing plan

Watch the Visual Album

PRICE by Sound on Tape is out now, and the full visual project is live.