Behind the Video: Weatherell’s Sean Hackl Discusses His “Something Beautiful” Music Video

For Sean Hackl, his forthcoming Weatherell album has been something of a labour of love for the last few years of his life. A longtime songwriter and performer of the Toronto indie music scene, Hackl was the guitarist of the Toronto band Fade Awaays. Unfortunately, the band’s lead singer, Reid MacMaster, died at the age of 23 in the summer of 2022. For obvious reasons, this was devastating to Hackl, but rather than just mourn, he decided the right thing to do was to channel his grief into healing, and healing through his music. So Hackl sought to record the best album he could, not only for his own healing, but in honour of MacMaster.

The album, titled Lonely Soul, has been in the works for some time now. Hackl began to work on it in early 2023, compiling demos, writing new songs, and rearranging old songs. It has been a multi-year process with Hackl wanting to get the album right. He has sought to create a larger-than-life sound, inspired by the sound of bands like Chapter House, Primal Scream, and RIDE. Included in the expansive writing and recording process was a trip to Berlin, Germany, last year. It is here where Hackl filmed the music video for the Weatherell debut single “Something Beautiful.” The video was just released last week and marks the beginning of a new musical era for Hackl.

For this Behind the Video interview, we are joined by Sean Hackl to discuss the creative process behind the “Something Beautiful” video and what took place during the shooting of this monumental song.

Who directed the video?

Sean Hackl: “The video was directed and shot by my younger brother, Dylan Hackl. He is a talented up-and-coming Toronto-based filmmaker and has been creating music videos and short films since high school at the Etobicoke School of the Arts. He also studied filmmaking during post-secondary school at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and Catalyst Institute in Berlin, Germany.”

What’s the concept behind the video? Help us to understand the video’s concept in more detail and how it ties into the lyrics.

“The concept for the ‘Something Beautiful’ music video started from knowing that we had this special opportunity to shoot a video in Berlin, a city filled with unique architecture, underground culture, and dark history. It’s a city that never sleeps and is well known for its influence on electronica music and rave culture.

“Visually, the video was heavily inspired by the Gen-X Softclub aesthetics of the late ’90s and early 2000s—videos like Darude – ‘Sandstorm,’ Kylie Minogue – ‘Come Into My World,’ and Madonna – ‘The Power of Goodbye.’ While the video is heavily performance-based, it follows a character as he runs through the streets and tunnels of Berlin, trying to escape his thoughts and evade his past in a paranoid, bender-like flurry. Overall, it’s a mix of aesthetic-driven performance and high-energy action. If I could sum up the video in one sentence, it is basically Mission Impossible meets Trainspotting.

“Tied into the video’s concept, the lyrics carry heavy themes of substance abuse, addiction, and struggles with mental health. These themes are visually represented in the video through the cinematic use of slow shutter speeds and long exposures, which create the staggered and swirling ‘drunken’ effect. Masking (an editing technique) is used to multiply one character in a single frame, creating a sense that this character isn’t living in a singular reality, but rather a world made up in their head, fighting delusions and struggling with who they are.”

Weatherell “Something Beautiful” bts, photo courtesy of Weatherell

Weatherell “Something Beautiful” bts, photo courtesy of Weatherell

Weatherell “Something Beautiful” bts, photo courtesy of Weatherell

Where was it made?

“The video was filmed around Berlin, Germany, in June 2025. Some of the core locations include Hauptbahnhof U-Bahn Station, Alexanderplatz U-Bahn Station, various locations in and around Mitte, walkways and bridges along the river Spree, and inside hallways and staircases of Catalyst Institute for the Creative Arts.”

What was your favourite part of the creation of the video?

“I think my favourite part about creating this video was being able to shoot it in such an iconic and cool place as Berlin, where almost everywhere you look, you can find something interesting. We were also lucky to have been able to borrow a Sony FX6 camera and lenses from Catalyst Institute, as my brother was still finishing up his program at the time. I had never shot a video on such professional equipment, and now I never want to go back.”

Based on how this one was made, are you looking forward to doing another?

“I am super excited to continue making music videos! I have so much music that needs to be visualized, and I hope I can continue to one-up myself each time. While we won’t always be able to shoot overseas on location, I am currently working with my brother on more video concepts for the next singles. I think we established an initial image and aesthetic for Weatherell with ‘Something Beautiful,’ and I hope people are excited to see more of what we come up with!”

Weatherell “Something Beautiful” single artwork

What music video director would you say is your favourite?

“My favourite music video director of all time has to be French filmmaker Michel Gondry. His videos are so incredibly unique and obscure that I never forget them when I see them. As a kid I remember watching his music videos on this DVD box set we had at the cottage, and they would always surprise me, make me laugh, question reality, and feel something special. That feeling would sometimes be melancholic due to the obscure nature of his concepts, but I remember them for that especially.”

What are some of your favourite music videos? What about when you were growing up?

“This goes back to that Michel Gondry box set, but some of my favourite music videos of all time are: ‘Everlong’ – Foo Fighters, ‘Come Into My World’ – Kylie Minogue, and ‘Human Behaviour’ – Björk.”

Weatherell “Something Beautiful” bts, photo courtesy of Weatherell

Was there anything during the making of this (or any other) music video that happened unexpectedly, or that you were surprised to learn?

“One funny thing that happened while we were shooting the video was that a group of very drunk young German guys came up to us outside of Hauptbahnhof Station, asking where we were from and what we were doing with the cameras. We told them we were from Toronto and shooting a music video—they said they loved the Raptors; we showed them the song, and they loved it! They then gifted us a giant 1.5 litre beer stein from one of the bars they had been at earlier in the day, and went on their way. It is one hefty beer drinking mug, that’s for sure. We carried it with us the rest of the day, and my brother still uses it as a water glass every night.”

What should a music video set out to accomplish? Do you feel like yours did that?

“I think a music video needs to be unique enough that it is memorable and makes you feel a certain way when watching it. As I mentioned before, with Michel Gondry’s music videos, I am always left with some kind of resonating emotional response. Whether it leaves you with melancholy, confusion, hope, amusement, or awe, I think a good video is something you can keep coming back to and appreciate differently each time.

“I think we were able to achieve this with the video for ‘Something Beautiful.’ The emotions are strong, and the visuals are at times outrageous, while the modern cinematography mixed with nostalgic aesthetics makes it memorable and unique. I think it will leave a lasting impression on viewers—I know it always leaves me feeling excited and energized.”