Featured Selection
Mikey Bustos
"Crossroads"
For artist and director Mikey Bustos, the music video for “Crossroads” was never meant to be a small project. What began as a concept rooted in ancient myth quickly evolved into a large-scale world-building effort, pulling nearly eighty creatives into a production that blended fashion, prosthetics, practical sets, visual effects, and a philosophical core.
Below, Bustos walks us through the creative process behind the film — from assembling a massive team, to building entire spacecraft interiors from scratch, to anchoring the story in a message that mirrors the journey behind the song itself.
Check our interview with Mikey Bustos below.
When asked how many people helped bring “Crossroads” to life — and who played key roles — Bustos describes a truly collaborative machine at work:
“Around 80 people were involved at making the ‘Crossroads’ music video come to life. Key roles: Director/Creative Director/Concept/Artist/Songwriter: Mikey Bustos Executive Producer: RJ Garcia Co-director/DOP: JC Gellidon Assistant Director/Co-Creative Director/Production Designer: Larissa Casingal Associate Producer: Connie Valera”
The production timeline reflected an ambitious scope. Bustos explains the process and overall time investment:
“The music video was produced in three months. Approximately 1 month of preparation, 1 day of shooting, and 2 months of editing.”
You can check out the BTS Vlog from the making of “Crossroads” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxo30epJN2Y
From the beginning, the project demanded intense creative problem-solving across multiple departments. Bustos outlines the four biggest challenges the team faced:
“There were four primary challenges: First, the fashion, makeup/prosthetics, and ship design had to be right in order to effectively build the world of the Anunnaki (an extra terrestrial civilization cited in ancient Sumerian texts who traveled to Earth and created humans). We had to research Annunaki stone carvings and perform several makeup and fashion tests to make the culture and look of the Anunnaki come to life and feel real on screen. Second, the building of the sets, which took 7 days. We built two main sets in a sound stage, both of which were two storeys tall. The first set was a 360 degree space ship interior, and the second was a circular spa room with waterfall falling into a pool of golden water. The third challenge was that we had to film all our shots in 14 hrs, which involved 3 hrs of makeup for each talent, and elaborate costume changes for the two main talents. The final challenge was getting the visual effects to look right. We did some green screen work, but the magic was in the set which was mostly practical.”
Even in a production filled with world-building moments, one scene stands out. Bustos shares his personal favorite:
“The spa scene with the Anunnaki King and Queen are bathing (2nd verse) is my favourite scene. In the windows behind the characters, you can see the accretion disk of a black hole. My concept for that shot was the spaceship was docked near a black hole ‘recharging’ using energy from the black hole’s accretion disk. It made for a great sci-fi and cinematic moment in the video.”
The sci-fi setting is visually striking, but at the heart of the project lies a universal emotional message. Bustos reflects on the theme he hopes viewers won’t miss:
“Yes, in the music video, the Anunnaki made the difficult choice to leave their home planet and travel through the depths of space, risking everything for the primise of renewed life on the planet Earth. It perfectly embodies the message of the song ‘Crossroads’, which is that we all need a hard reset at some point in our lives in order to achieve a dream. If you push through the fear and take the risk, everything you seek and dream of awaits you on the other side.”
Submit your own Music VideoSubmit your own video, for a chance to be featured
as the next "Music Video of the Week"
