Golden Days
Decoding a Unique Sportsmanship Relationship
in 'Golden Days'
Directed by Andrea Nazarian
Interview by Tatev Avetisyan
In a departure from the conventional romantic relationship storylines that dominate many music videos today, FRANKIIE's Golden Days offers an enriching exploration of the unique relationship between an athlete and their coach. Directed by Andrea Nazarian, based in Toronto, the video delves into the emotional world of a gymnast and his profound connection with his coach, all set against the backdrop of the devastating experience following a sudden season-ending injury.
During our conversation with Andrea, we gained insight into her early experiences in the industry, the creative journey that brought the music video to life, and the challenges that unfolded behind the scenes.
How did you initially get involved in the world of filmmaking?
Despite always being creatively minded, I didn’t dip into filmmaking until 2021. My original interest in visual storytelling emerged years prior, while running a campus arts and culture magazine at university. Directing editorial shoots and capturing a feeling with each issue allowed me to tap into what it means to convey a visual narrative to an audience.
A few years ago I met one of my closest friends and key collaborators, Sam Acton-King, who is a phenomenal cinematographer. That friendship piqued my interest in the world of film and developed my appreciation for what it takes to create one. Soon after, I began directing and producing films with local creatives, starting extremely small and growing with each new project.
Could you walk us through the creative process behind the making of Golden Days? What inspired the choice of the title and the motivation to explore this particular topic?
When FRANKIIE sent me a link to their album Between Dreams, I knew immediately that Golden Days would become the video track. The band chose the title of the song as an homage to “the good old days” of an important relationship. There is a deep sense of nostalgia and bittersweet reminiscence that Golden Days evokes in me, both with its melodies and lyrics. I took stock of those feelings and aimed to capture a world where we’re reflecting on a past connection through that same bittersweet lens.
What makes our video’s world distinct is that we are looking back at a non-romantic relationship in an athletic setting. This comes with its own unique version of intimacy, strife and connection. As for the choice of working with a gymnast, that came from my love of movement and showcasing kinetic energy in my work. I also wanted to explore the poetic aspects of male athleticism and the incredible impact female coaches have on athletes.
Tell us about your collaboration with the band FRANKIIE. Did they play a significant role in the creative process? How did you agree on the theme, aesthetics, and overall atmosphere of the music video?
I originally connected with FRANKIIE at a show they were playing in Vancouver back in 2021. The band’s vocalist/guitarist Francesca approached me saying she had seen my work with another local artist and wanted to collaborate. This was the first time in my career that I hadn’t been the one pitching myself to a potential collaborator, so I was incredibly honoured that Fran reached out. I shared the idea of the video exploring an unconventional version of love and loss with FRANKIIE, which they resonated with. They wrote Golden Days about a former bandmate and wanted the song to tell a story about the acceptance of loss and transition of a significant relationship. I created three rough concepts exploring three different relationships that I presented to the band, eventually creating a formal treatment for the gymnast/coach relationship, which was what we gravitated to the most.
FRANKIIE gave me an incredible amount of creative agency over this project. With the band in Vancouver and me in Toronto, once we had agreed on the concept, they gave me carte blanche to execute the video from start to finish. Having faith in a director nearly 5,000 km away to bring a vision to life requires a huge amount of trust and vulnerability. That’s not an easy thing and I am extremely grateful to the band for that.
How did you approach working with athlete Tristan McDermid and his coach, Mireille Stapleton? Were the scenes in the video scripted, or did you allow for improvisation? What underlying message or theme were you aiming to convey with Golden Days?
I knew we needed access to a gymnastics facility and a top-level gymnast in order to bring this project to life. I researched facilities and reached out to the team at Toronto Gymnastics International, who were incredibly kind and generous and connected me with our gymnast Tristan. Tristan introduced me to Mireille, who works as a coach at TGI. They already had an organic relationship and intrinsically understood the coach/athlete dynamic. I communicated to Tristan and Mireille what each scene intended to convey, and regularly asked them for their input to make sure our scenes were as true to the real dynamics of gymnastics as can be.
After we established that, everything was unscripted. I intended to capture as authentic a connection between them as possible, and so letting them do their thing without a script was the best way to achieve this. We experience many kinds of love and loss in our lives, and the underlying message with Golden Days is that we can find beauty, sadness and significance in all versions of human connection.
“We experience many kinds of love and loss in our lives, and the underlying message with Golden Days is that we can find beauty, sadness and significance in all versions of human connection. ”
Given that most films feature romantic relationships, do you believe that the bonds illustrated in your work are of similar or greater significance for athletes, considering the level of trust required in their partnerships?
Comparing romantic and close platonic relationships can be complicated. Trust, dedication, struggle and joy are essential parts of all significant relationships, and I hope that everyone who watches the film can connect with the universality of these ideas.
What challenges have you encountered while filming Golden Days?
We were racing against the clock on our first shoot day. We only had access to the gymnastics facility from 5:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., so it was challenging to execute each scene with such an intense time crunch. I felt I was rushing through takes to get through all of our scenes and reviewing the footage from that day was difficult. They hadn’t turned out like we had planned and we were disappointed. Luckily, our incredible talent Mireille and Tristan helped us secure access to the facility on a rare day it was closed, so we were able to reshoot everything exactly how we intended.
What projects are you currently working on or planning for the future?
We have a few projects percolating right now. We’re in post-production on an alpine wear commercial we shot in British Columbia earlier this year. We’re in pre-production on a documentary covering the life and legacy of a Canadian punk artist with a global cult following. We are also putting the finishing touches on a fashion editorial I art directed with some creatives I love and respect. Looking forward, I am travelling to France and the UK this month to meet with filmmakers and creatives in those markets to build connections for future projects. The goal is to work on an international scale so I am very excited about that.
Music: FRANKIIE
Director&Writer: Andrea Nazarian
Production Company: HILITE
Cinematography: Sam Acton-King
Edit: Warren Goodwin
Colour: Kevin Hawkins
Athlete: Tristan McDermid
Coach: Mireille Stapleton
Stills Photography: Adeline Manga
Special thanks to Toronto Gymnastics International, Maysen Kravesac and Ontario Camera