Keifer '07 wins NiCad/W&M music video contest

Music video contest Screenshot from Keifer's winning "In Color" entry.

by Staff | February 24, 2010

"In Color," the latest single by the international music band NiCad, looks a lot better, thanks to the music video created by Zach Keifer '07 as part of a challenge issued by band members to William & Mary filmmakers.

Keifer's was one of four entries submitted by William & Mary students and alumni for consideration during the College's annual Global Film and Music Festival in February. After determining that the song was about an individual's struggle to find himself, he blended ideas from an older project focusing on color to create the winning entry. "Basically I decided to make it about someone living inside a pepper; a red bell pepper," he said.

Concerning the contest, Troy Davis, director of the Swem Media Center, said, "It was discussed when NiCad visited the campus last year. Also at that time, plans were being made for the Global Film and Music Festival, and we all thought this contest would be a great way to bring student work into the festival. The contest, apart from being cool and interesting, really demonstrates a collision of talented people and supporters and the emerging availability of new-media learning experiences inside and outside classrooms at William & Mary."

On hand to present the award to Keifer was Gilad Woltsovitch, a member of the band, who discussed each entry on behalf of NiCad.

Keifer sees the honor of creating the "official" video as worth much more than money. "I was really surprised that they, being an international band, would come through William & Mary," he said. "They are very successful. Not often that you have rock stars willing to give up that kind of ownership. They certainly were taking a huge chance. And the song is great. I listened to it 1,000 times, and it never got old.“

Keifer is a well-known presence at his alma mater. He was one of the first students to work at the Swem Media Center when it opened. He won the initial 24 Speed video contest in 2006, and he has returned each subsequent year to serve as judge for that event.

“William & Mary always has had a unique culture of video makers," Keifer said. "My philosophy is to take advantage of every opportunity; I am particularly impressed by the work being turned out through the Swem Media Center. Right now, the media center seems to be providing the best opportunities on campus."

NiCad is an international experimental rock band based in the Netherlands. It was formed in 2004 when five students from five different countries met at The Hague's Royal Conservatory in Holland. In September, band members conducted seminars on electroacoustical music in the Swem Media Center at the College. As part of their visit, they provided William & Mary students with their new single, "In Color," and proposed that the students compete to create the official music video.