Stardust, Canada’s first F-NFT secured music video, has been released publicly by the makers Bkreative Productions after lapping up 13 awards from its run at the festivals over the past year.
The brainchild of UAE and Vancouver-based award-winning filmmaker Uzair Merchant, the music video release is the next logical step as an original soundtrack for the upcoming Black Rose TV series. Also published as a book, Black Rose is the first to be built within the Kreative Universe of Merchant, bridging the worlds of NFTs, films, fashion and music.
Black Rose is Merchant’s collaboration with James Bamford (of Arrow fame) and an extension of their relationship from the series Superman and Lois, also under production.
Entirely shot on Apple Iphone 11 Pro during the times of Covid-19, the visuals encompass locations from Bluewaters Island, parts of Jumeira and the Paramount Hotel in Dubai. The other locale is Vancouver, where the Indian is currently residing.
Of IPs and interactive processes
Stardust is being sold as fractional NFTs after integrating into a digital platform, Intellectually Interactive, Merchant’s IP that connects creative assets to a universe of possibilities in films, music, games and fashion.
According to Merchant – a production designer and filmmaker with credits for films such as The Misfits, Deadpool, Star Trek and Beyond, Fast and Furious 7,etc – Stardust is unique from all those who are jumping on to the NFT bandwagon.
“This Metaverse, Web 3.0 … picked up only now,” Merchant, 30, says.“I have been into virtual reality, studying and working on it, since the age of nine. I knew from the beginning that utility is the key to innovation, which is a bit different to what people are doing now with NFTs and that is not sustainable in my opinion.
“My views have been documented a long while ago on why we need to build sustainable models for artists to thrive in.We as are spiritual beings having a human experience, art is merely an extension to interpret what is in and around us. Let’s create worlds of heartfelt experiences. This is possible only by creating with intention to elevate.
“If it was about making quick money, I would have approached this differently and could have bootstrapped a simple release on Youtube or something like that. But I went through the whole legal process of registering the IP and the minting process, backed with a business model.”
The novel and secure NFT offering bridges the worlds of NFT with traditional finance and art in a way that is sustainable and robust.
Inspiration from real life
Belonging to the genre of Sci-fi hip-hop, Stardust is an ode to life and takes inspiration from the tenets of Islam about human life’s origin and end into dust, as well as the evolution of life as listed in the Big Bang theory of civilization.
The song and characters in Stardust are introductions to the Black Rose TV show. But the other perspective for the music video came from Merchant’s traumatic experience during the final journey in the life of his father. During the pandemic, Ameen Merchant was left in a state of immobility, post a cardiac arrest, almost trapped between two worlds.
“Stardust is a tussle between two worlds where the character is desperate to find answers, only to learn that life has a flow of its own. It is to be observed, not fought with – the idea that we all come from Stardust and to Stardust we shall return,” Merchant said. “This track will always be special to me as a result of an amazing collaboration by various artists around the world.”
The 13 accolades in various categories at festivals garnered last year have added feathers to the cap of the award-winning Merchant with five trophies won in Los Angeles from the Cinematography and Film Awards functions.
Artists from various parts of the globe such as Vancouver, Dubai, Kelowna and India came together to create this bilingual song in English and Arabic. Some of the well-known artists who have worked on this single are Genevieve Clements, Sian Flanagan, Aaron Drew and Salim Dahman as well as Superman star Alex Garfin in a special appearance.
