Following a multi-year hiatus, AFI has quietly returned to creative activity, beginning with the production of two new music videos shot in collaboration with director Gilbert Trejo at Studio Eleven43 in Hollywood. The project marks one of the band’s first major visual undertakings since stepping out of the spotlight, signaling a deliberate and focused re-entry into their next chapter.
Instead of staging a sprawling comeback campaign, AFI opted for a more controlled and craft-driven approach. The band spent a day filming in practical Los Angeles locations, leaning into natural, grounded environments. The following day, they moved into Studio Eleven43, where they split time between the facility’s LED volume and its traditional black cyc stage — creating two distinct visual languages within a single production schedule.
Two Workflows, One Creative Thread
In the LED volume, Trejo and the cinematography team used digital environments not as spectacle but as textural and lighting extensions — creating atmospheric scenes with depth, tone, and color control that would traditionally require multiple physical locations and resets. The wall served as a tool for building subtle emotional environments rather than drawing attention to itself, aligning with AFI’s long-established aesthetic: stylized, but rooted in mood rather than overt visual effects.
For the second half of the shoot, the band shifted to a minimal black cyc setup, prioritizing pure performance and direct camera engagement. The contrast between the two approaches — abstract ambience versus stripped-down immediacy — mirrors the balance the band has historically explored between theatrical presentation and core, unadorned energy.
A Collaborative Production Model
The project was brought to Eleven43 by Mark Escribano, the studio’s Vice President of Operations. Escribano joined the team after serving in a key production leadership role at SV Studios, bringing broad experience across music, commercial, brand, and digital content spaces. His familiarity with artists and directors working at fast, high-expectation pace helped shape a production plan that allowed AFI and Trejo to accomplish significant creative ground in a single day without compromising quality or intent.
This shoot reflects a larger shift in studio practice: artists and directors seeking agile workflows that combine the control of modern virtual production with the timeless visual clarity of traditional stages. Rather than positioning technology as a centerpiece, Studio Eleven43 functioned as a flexible environment supporting the creative vision, regardless of whether the tools were digital or analog.
A Measured, Intentional Return
AFI’s re-emergence arrives without fanfare — no grand marketing push, no attempt to over-announce. Instead, the band appears to be prioritizing craft and substance, letting the work itself speak. The collaboration with Trejo and Eleven43 fits that ethos: considered, precise, and rooted in the fundamentals of performance and mood.
For Eleven43, the project reinforces the studio’s positioning as a space built for hybrid filmmaking — where virtual and traditional disciplines can be integrated seamlessly, driven by the needs of the artist rather than trends or technology alone.
As AFI moves into this new phase, the videos serve as early signals of the creative contours ahead: reflective but forward-moving, understated but deliberate, and grounded in a visual language that continues to evolve without abandoning its core character.