Following on from the release of their mini 15-minute documentary on the making of Ludens, Bring Me The Horizon have unveiled a new behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the epic single's music video.
Of the idea behind it, frontman Oli Sykes – who also directed Ludens – tells the camera: "The concept of the video is that it's got a protest or rally feel to it, because the song's got this message of, 'I've got a choice, basically: we can give up and let the world and everything else be fucked, or we can start making an effort to work together to try and save it.'"
It's a similar sentiment that the vocalist echoed to Kerrang! recently, explaining that this message came to him once he started diving in to the video game Death Stranding, of which Ludens is a part of.
“We build these new inventions, and this technology that can help people," Oli said. "I was reading about this 16-year-old who has invented a microorganism that can eat microplastics in the ocean; sometimes things can get so dark that you don’t see there are still these little rays of light everywhere. After reading all this, I felt like it needed to have at least a semi-positive message about what’s going on. If it’s not you, who is it going to be that makes a change or helps? Everyone goes, ‘Someone else will sort this out.’ And that’s how I was for ages, too – I was like, ‘I’m just going to quietly keep my beliefs to myself and hope that people see that things need to be done, and they change in their own way.’
"But I think what’s happened, maybe even over the past six months, is that if you believe in something, you really do need to stand up for it. The kids that are going out and doing that are making a difference. I didn’t have that faith before, and now I do. I want to join that fight, and I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t. That’s the message of the song: that we need new leaders and new heroes, and new people to try and beat this fucked-up game.”
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When asked by K! if the vocalist feels ready to step into that role now, Oli continued, “I don’t feel ready, but I feel responsible. If I’m going to do this job and travel the world and get to do this amazing thing, I can’t just offset it. It’s now a case of figuring out how to do it in my own way, because I’m not a politically-charged person. I’ve got an interest in it, but you have to know a lot about it. Right now I’m trying to figure out how I can help the most, and how I can make a difference in my own way, before I jump in and start blabbing about shit that I’ve never spoken about before (laughs). It’s always meant something to me – I’ve always loved animals and cared about the world – but I guess a lot of people don’t want to hear about it, and they don’t want to talk about it, and I’ve always wanted to be that person who’s just cool with everyone; I don’t wanna ruffle anyone’s feathers. But it’s gone past preaching now: these are facts that need to be repeated so people can finally start being able to hear the words ‘mass extinction’. I think when they hear something like that, it makes their skin crawl and they go, ‘No, I don’t want to think about that.’ And if you do believe in that stuff, you really do have to do something about it. This is something that goes through my head every day, so if I’m not using this small power or influence that I’ve been given, then it makes me feel like I don’t know why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
Go behind the scenes on the Ludens video below:
