“The Girl Who Faded Away,” directed by Brent Heise
San Diego Short Film Festival
Genre: Musical / Music Video
Total Run Time 5:34

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I had never heard the song “The Girl Who Faded Away,” but Brent Heise’s music video – after a brief
interlude in a mysterious wood, with a mysterious woman (Theresa Hanson) and a man (Eric
Schopmeyer) with a mysterious box – instantly transported me to the 60s in some completely
unexpected ways.

 Musically, obviously, although that wasn’t obvious immediately as I’d never heard the song, by
The Hangmen, from 1965 before.
 Audibly, with vinyl-evoking hisses, pops and clipping that I hadn’t experienced since my first
Compact Disc player in the late 1980s.
 And haberdasher-ly, with Schopmeyer’s prominent trilby and smart suit.

Well, I had a dream last night, the song begins. And you seemed ever so near.
Hanson embodies the dream, with impossible movement and ghostly demeanor. Schopmeyer chases
her through a mansion but she remains out of reach.
You'll never come back to me, I guess. But my dreams keep telling me lies.
Searching from room to room, he catches glimpses but never gets closer.
My love for you is so real. But you'll never know the way that I feel.
When they finally touch, he’s jolted back into the “real” world of the woods. He wills himself back to the
mansion. He finds her and they dance – but it can’t last.
Well, the night is day and you're the girl who faded away.

Everything about this production is impeccable – the special effects range from subtle to jarring but
always fit the tone and mood. The sound, as I mentioned, is hauntingly evocative. (Although, given the
digital age we live in, I initially thought there was something wrong with my speakers when I heard the
pseudo-analog music.) The editing is in lock step with the music, as one would hope for a music video,
letting The Hangmen drive the narrative. And it is gorgeously lit, both in real sun and digital God-rays,
with Heise and DOP Bill Ward unafraid to let shadows grab the attention from time to time.
As happy as I was to be entertained by the visuals, I have to legitimately thank Heise for introducing me
to this song.