The Making of White Rabbit: How a 7-Person Team Brought a Surrealist Mermaid Dream to Life
Some music videos begin with a concept. Others begin with a mood.
White Rabbit began underwater.
Years ago, director and performer Nicolette Noble and cinematographer TJ Scott captured a series of ethereal mermaid images — footage that lived quietly in storage, waiting for the right moment. When Noble later teamed up with 8MM to record a new version of “White Rabbit,” the spark returned. The mermaids resurfaced, and a full music video took shape.
Below, Juliette Beavan from 8MM walks us through how seven creatives transformed discarded footage into a surreal, symbolic story about illusion, confinement, and consciousness.
Hatching the Idea: From Archive to Music Video
The mermaid footage existed long before the music video:
“Much of the mermaid footage was shot a few years ago over the period of a few days… Just a collection of beautiful images and shots, really.”
When Noble later recorded White Rabbit with 8MM — with Noble herself playing drums — the old footage resurfaced:
“This inspired Nic to bring up the mermaid footage and edit it to the song. We loved it.”
Two days of performance shooting completed the structure:
“So we set up in our rehearsal room to shoot the performance of the vocals, guitar, and drums. That took us about 2 days. And that was it!”
The Team Behind the Vision
As the team explains:
“The entire video was done with seven people total. Everyone kind of took turns doing everything, but Nicolette Noble directed and edited it all together for the music video.”
Key Roles:
- Nicolette Noble — director, editor, drummer, and dark-haired mermaid
- Stephanie Moore — blonde mermaid
- Raven Sutter (Merbella Studios) — creator of all mermaid elements
- Tyler Sutter — vaudeville clown/performer
- Juliette Beavan — lead singer of 8MM, additional editing
- Sean Beavan — guitarist & producer for 8MM
- TJ Scott – producer & mermaid cinematography
Challenges Beneath the Surface
The team recalls two main obstacles during the filming of the mermaid footage: creative direction and the physical demands of underwater filming.
“Initally, there were creative differences about where the mermaid footage was going but once the decision was made on the music video, everything else just fell into place.”
And then the harder one:
“Well, that and holding your breath underwater in a tiny tank wearing a giant tail. Lol.”
Favorite Moments
For the team, the underwater sequences remain the heart of the video:
“For me, all of the mermaid stuff is just beautiful.”
The Message Behind the Visuals
The core idea echoes the original song’s famous lyric:
“It’s like the song says, ‘feed your head’. Otherwise, you’re just another oddity trapped under glass.”
The mermaid tank becomes both literal and metaphorical — a place of beauty, confinement, and awakening.
Watch the video below.
CREDITS
Directed by: Nicolette Noble https://www.instagram.com/nicolettenoble/
Band: 8MM https://www.instagram.com/8mmofficial/
Raven Sutter – all things mermaid – Merbella Studios https://www.instagram.com/merbellastudios/
Tyler Sutter – vaudeville clown https://www.instagram.com/20pennytyler/
Stephanie Moore – blonde mermaid – https://www.instagram.com/stephxmoore/
TJ Scott – producer & mermaid cinematography https://www.instagram.com/tjscottpictures/
