Ravenheart
Release date: 2004.
Director : Oliver Sommer
Production company : AVA
Location : Neideck Castle ruins, Muggendorf, near Nuremberg
Shooting time : 1 day (20.3.2004)
Broadcast : from May 2004 on Viva and Vivaplus
Published on : Album "Ravenheart", Multimedia-Part
The first video of Xandria was shot on a stormy day in March 2004. "It wasn't clear until the day of filming whether we would have to go home straight away because of the stormy and rainy weather, but in the end we all held out - including the technicians - and the nice thing is that the weather fits the dark, fairytale atmosphere of the clip perfectly. Lisa flees from the threat of a group of sinister monks in dark forests and a storm-lashed castle ruin after being informed of the impending doom by a raven while paddling in a boat on a river. It all fit wonderfully with the weather, which, however, made us shiver with cold the whole time at the filming locations on and around the Neideck castle ruins (located near Nuremberg)! But as a rock musician you have to get through it, even in a T-shirt, while the crew braves the conditions wrapped up in winter jackets and scarves. But it was a fascinating experience for all of us that we will certainly never forget: being part of a mystical story for a whole day that revolves around a Xandria song. Including posing on the castle rock and in flaming circles on the ground. Playing the monks was also particularly fun: Alongside a few extras, all the guys from the band are hidden under the robes, and if you look closely, you can even recognize us. For Lisa, the day naturally required a lot of concentration, as she plays the main role in most of the scenes. From boating to the final scene on the horse, she had to master a number of disciplines, but she handled everything with ease." The idea for the final sequence was improvised on the day of filming, as it was a modification of the production company's script by the band. The mysterious black rider, who seems to be following Lisa throughout the video, as well as the sinister monks, turns out to be her saviour at the end and, after the rescue, turns out to be her alter ego, so that the viewer must speculate whether magic also plays a role in this mystical story from times gone by - or is it all just a metaphor about escaping from oneself and recognizing one's own strength in moments of danger. The viewer can decide for themselves! In any case, viewers of the sadly now-defunct Viva-Plus show "Rock/Alternative" have often decided to see the video: it was declared the winner of the show's voting three times in early summer 2004. At this point, thanks again to all fans...
Eversleeping
Release date: 2004.
Director: Oliver Sommer
Production Company: AVA
Location: Schloss Marquardt, near Potsdam (Germany)
Time: 1 day (31.8.2004)
Shown: Since October 2004 at Viva and Vivaplus
Released on: "Eversleeping" Mini CD, Multimedia-Part
"Eversleeping" is Xandria's second video, shot for the irish touched ballad of the "Ravenheart" album. Because of the great popularity of this song, band and label decided to take this song as a single.
"Eversleeping" is a sad ballad, in which a woman sings about her deceased lover and her hope to be together with him again sometime. Lisa is playing the role of this woman, who is walking around in the former mansion of the couple for a last time. Some flash backs show the sentimental memories of the time when Lisa and her lover used to be together while she's walking through the mansion and everything seems to be transient. But the mansion isn't that empty as it seems to be: the deceased's ghost is still there. Every spectator must decide for him- or herself if there's really a ghost or if this is just the visualisation of the woman's wish to be close to her beloved one.
The video was shot at the end of August 2004 in "Schloss Marquardt", a small old castle near Potsdam (Germany), which has a purged and cold atmosphere and fits into the sentimental tendency of the videoscript. Lisa traveled to the location one day before the shooting to find some fitting dresses in the properties of the theatre of Berlin. This requisite is a collection of clothes from all decades and centuries. The rest of the band arrived next day and after Lisa was ready with her "ghost scenes", the piano was pushed out of the ballroom to give place to the band for rocking the castle - lit up by the moon.
"The atmosphere there was really catchy. While the scenes with Lisa were shot, I and the rest of the band walked around the emtpy rooms of the castle and the park surrounding it. It felt like being a part of this unreal, spiritful story, filled up with images of a time where the castle was full of life and it's inhabitants were walking around the lake and the park where we were walking along right now. This castle was re-designed as a children's home in the times of the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik - former East Germany). A lot of sayings were cut in the peeled room-wounds of the upper floor by the kids. [...]" (Marco)
Schloss Marquardt emerged only half a year later in another video: Within Temptation's "Memories", a ballad with similiar atmosphere and images. A strange coincidence which made both bands grin...