Hofmann Wins Video of the Year, Releases "The Bullfighter" Video
In the midst of a breakout year, Noeline Hofmann, an emerging artist from Southern Alberta, Canada, has yet again grabbed the attention of many after she won big at the 14th Annual Country Music Alberta Awards. Titled Horizon Female Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and taking home the award for Music Video of the Year for her beloved track “August,” Hofmann has proved that she’s here to stay.
Produced by Patrick Lyons, the well-received song “August” displays Noeline’s undeniable authentic artistry and storytelling abilities. “I began writing ‘August’ in August of 2023,” shares the up-and-comer. “That month I attended a Bluegrass camp in Northern Saskatchewan. While there, I had this thought about how banjos resemble full moons. Where I’m from, the start of harvest and wildfire season tend to overlap. Between the combination of dust from the fields and smoke in the air from the mountains, the moon gets a golden hue about it like a buckskin horse. From those two images I came up with the line, “goodbye banjo moon, hiya buckskin.” This line turned into the basis of the song, a reflection of my personal experience with the eighth month. August has brought about a time of loss in my life year after year from the end of relationships to, more significantly, tragic farming accidents. In the wake of these experiences, I found myself bracing for a storm each time August would roll around despite its eerily calm and quiet atmosphere. The end of the growing season, anticipation of harvest, the lazy, heavy summer heat, golden hues everywhere, the feeling like everything is going to change soon but no real sign of it in the picture – August. It’s a song about grief.”
The single, which is part of her debut Album Purple Gas, was amplified in its official music video, directed by esteemed filmmaker and photographer, Preston Hoffman. “I first met Noeline in Vancouver while I was on tour with Sam Barber and my brother, Kade Hoffman,” shares Preston. “We had all been fans of each other’s work, and when I found out she was nearby on tour with Charley Crockett, I invited her to the show. Meeting her was an amazing experience because she was on such a similar path as Kade – cut from the same cloth in a way as well. We were raised similarly, we’re both from ranching and farming backgrounds. She’s incredibly talented, and it was inspiring to connect with someone who shared that same creative energy. That night really kicked off our relationship.”
The award-winning project came together in quite possibly the most unexpected and unplanned way, and at a time when the two were still getting to know one another. “We started getting to know each other more at Old Salt Festival in Montana a month or so later where the ‘August’ video ended up coming to life,” explains the singer-songwriter. “Before then we had messaged back and forth about doing some shooting for fun while we would both be there. On the last day, we had about an hour or so to kill before sunset and decided to go out and shoot for the fun of it and see what happened. At the most, I was thinking maybe we’d come away with a fun aesthetic reel or something like that. There was no goal, no blueprint, no preconceived expectations, and us choosing a song to use as a foundation for the shoot was in the moment. It was a treat to get to go out and get into a creative flow together for the sake of being creative alone with no external pressure or expectation. There’s so much magic to be mined when you’re in that special space but sometimes when you create for a living, the opportunities to go there between deliverables for work and such can feel far and few between. It always feels uninhibited like this working with Preston. It always feels fun like being a kid.”
“‘August’ truly did come together as we were shooting it,” shares the Colorado native. “The goal was never to film a music video – let alone the official one for the song – but that’s exactly what made it special. Running on little sleep, on the third day of the event Noeline and I decided to take advantage of the evening light as the festival was winding down. We started with a couple of clips and some photos just for fun, but before we knew it we found ourselves in a creative flow just having fun creating something. One of my favorite moments was flagging down random folks on a dirt road and asking them to floor it just to kick up a massive dust cloud for us to film in. Noeline didn’t even blink – she was ready to roll and get gritty. That kind of spontaneity is what makes working together so seamless and enjoyable. We just know how to run with an idea and trust it’ll turn into something cool. I’m super thankful for her – she’s always willing to push the envelope, get scrappy, and make something out of nothing.
Total filming time was just under an hour and a half. I later spent about a day editing it, but the real magic came from Annika Danenhauer, a visual effects wizard from Bozeman, Montana. Honestly, when I first looked at the footage after editing what I could – I wasn’t sure we even had enough to make a full music video, but Annika swooped in and turned it into something way better than I could have imagined.”
“I wouldn’t have prioritized making a music video for this song if the opportunity to film that day didn’t arrive, but I am so thankful that it did and for Preston’s vision and generosity with his talent,” adds Noeline.
On the heels of the seven track project, Hofmann recently dropped what is possibly one of this year’s most memorable releases, “The Bullfighter,” originally solo-written by the late Luke Bell. There’s always strong expectations when it comes to covering a song, but Noeline’s fearless mindset and humble confidence allowed her to tackle this like no other. Adjusting the tempo allows listeners to grasp onto each word as if they heard them for the very first time. What’s even better? Its accompanying music video.
Once again directed by Preston Hoffman, the two creatives may have planned this shoot slightly more, but it still unfolded in a spur-of-the-moment type of way, which only adds to its beauty. “I was headed to Vegas to play a couple of National Finals Rodeo (NFR) shows, one with Zach Top and the other with Charley Crockett.” explains the songstress. My manager has a connection with the amazing folks at Bullfighters Only and we had been talking for some time about arranging access to the Bullfighter Ring during the World Championship weekend to capture some footage in collaboration with them to promote the single. I wasn’t sure how or if it would all come together, but was hopeful for the opportunity.
Preston and I had talked about the potential opportunity to capture some footage for the song in Vegas off and on in the weeks prior, as at one point it was looking like he may already be in town for another NFR show but it didn’t pan out that way. I ended up calling him with about 48 hours notice or less and basically saying “Listen, I know you’re not coming out to Vegas anymore, but any chance you could be convinced to? It’s looking like we might have a chance to capture some video at Bullfighters Only for the song. Now, I’m not sure what that might look like. Nothing is confirmed yet. I’m not sure what our video access to the event will be if we are able to get access. If something does work out, we might be able to get enough footage for a few reels or maybe pull together a lyric video or something. But I’m playing these shows anyways so worst comes to worst we have you shoot the shows and we come up with an idea for a different song on the fly.” He may as well have said, “Hold my beer.” I was running on a shoestring budget, so to set the scene, I had to hem and haw about whether or not it would be too risky to invest in flying a videographer out for the weekend given that there were no solid guarantees of getting a video together, let alone a full scale one. But that’s what Vegas is all about, placing bets, so place a bet we did.”
During a layover on his way to Vegas, Preston had reached out to his friend Tim McNarie, a former bullfighter who casually mentioned he could connect him with Tyler Mansell. “No big deal, just the guy projected to be the world champion at the event,” says Preston. “Less than an hour later, I had plans to film with Tyler as soon as I landed in Vegas. And on that flight from Aspen to Vegas, I typed up a rough story outline and music video concept in the notes app on my phone. It was a little chaotic, but I sent it to Noeline. As always, she was instantly on the same page. We’ve learned to trust each other’s instincts and can build off one another’s ideas. Whatever happens, we’re going to make something we love.”
On the recent updates, Noeline adds: “Suddenly, we went from maybe being able to get a visualizer together to having a fully blown story to tell and turn into a fully fledged music video. We were granted all access to capture Tyler’s championship weekend story in and around the ring. It was the kind of thing we never could have planned which is the whole magic of it. I was totally giddy with excitement.”
Going into this large-scale event as a former champion hoping to take home that title once again, Tyler Mansell had his plate full already, yet graciously and eagerly jumped on the opportunity to be a part of the video. “I really didn’t know what to expect when I found out about all of this,” adds the Idaho native. “I just knew that it’s one of the most well known songs about bullfighting and to get the opportunity was truly an honor. I was so excited to be a little part of Noeline’s success and to really be able to show the world the art of bullfighting. Some days it’s great, other days it may be rough! But that’s bullfighting, it’s very unpredictable. The video is as real as it gets without getting right there with the bulls like I did. My routine that day did not change at all. Preston did a phenomenal job at capturing everything authentically.”
“We couldn’t have been more lucky to have gotten to work with Tyler, and to have been granted this permission to film these moments,” Noeline further shares. Tyler was an admirable sport, so generous with his time and jumped in with both feet enthusiastically totally on the fly, not knowing us at all prior (during his World Championship competition, no less!) And get this, he went and won the whole dang this. Are you kiddin’ me? What are the chances that it would all pan out that way! What an honor to get to capture that moment. I feel so lucky he shared it with us. We were riding high the whole weekend. Thank you, Tyler, Hooey, and Bullfighters Only for everything.
After gathering the NFR footage, Preston journeyed up to my hometown in Alberta, Canada for a few days while we set up shop at The Bow Theatre to re-shoot my half of the video.” “Let me tell you, Noeline’s hometown was the perfect pit stop,” shares Preston excitedly. “I found myself in her hometown, welcomed by her amazing family and being spoiled with home-cooked meals that were nothing short of spectacular. The conversations flowed just as easily as the food – exactly what I needed after being on the road for so long. We filmed at the Bow theater, which holds a ton of sentimental value for Noeline. That place added a whole new level of meaning to the video.”
“My approach to all things ‘The Bullfighter’ and the imagery to support it has been all about heart, being intentional but not contrived. My hope was to honour Luke’s legacy and the song,” explains Noeline.
Watch the music video for “August” here.
Watch the music video for “The Bullfighter” here.
Catch Noeline on tour this year.
Questions & Answers:
Question For Hoffman: How does it feel to start working more in the music industry? Are there any notable differences in how you go about filming for a music video than for other projects you’ve worked on?
Answer: Working in the music industry has been a game-changer. It’s completely different from the outdoor commercial and documentary world I’m used to, but I’m loving every second of it. And getting to sometimes work alongside my little brother in this space has been a blessing for sure. We get to watch each other grow in different creative worlds, and now we’re collaborating in ways I never imagined. It’s been surreal. The big difference between music and outdoor projects? Well, you’ve got more glitter in one, and more dirt in the other. Just kidding. Kind of. The real difference is how people approach projects and how the culture varies between industries. That said, the one thing that stays constant is working with passionate people who love what they do. No matter the project, that energy is contagious, and it keeps me inspired to keep pushing myself to do better, make it sharper, and keep things real.
Question For Mansell: How does it feel to be a part of a music video? How does it feel to watch it?
Answer: Being a part of this particular music video means a lot. This song has a ton of weight in the bullfighting world and to be the one fighting bulls in the video is bittersweet and rewarding. Knowing all of my hard work had landed me two world titles and even the opportunity to be a part of something like this seems surreal. But going back and watching the video really kind of rewinds one of the toughest times in my career. I tore my ACL and meniscus during that fight, and 15 minutes after I was calling for the bull that’s the deciding factor on the event title. To have that captured in this one video is pretty cool though.
Question For Mansell: Do you get nervous bullfighting? Were there nerves involved with knowing you were being filmed?
Answer: If someone says they’re not nervous to fight bulls there’s something wrong with them. It’s a 1,300 pound animal that potentially could detour how the rest of your life could look. It’s ultimately what you do with those nervous that have a part in the outcome. Knowing I was being filmed for this video didn’t impact me at all because there’s cameras on us every time we fight. I was also working for my second world title, so any nerves I had that day were mainly just from me setting a standard so high because I didn’t want to fail.
Question For Hofmann: You took home a lot of awards at the Country Music Alberta Awards, being that you’re from Southern Alberta, if you could describe what winning awards at this particular event means to you in three words, what would those words be?
Answer: Full circle. Heartening. A pleasant surprise.
Question For Hofmann: Describe what it’s like not only working with Preston, but also touring with his brother Kade.
Answer: Working with Preston has been a breath of fresh air. Where most people would shy away, he rolls up his sleeves. He is steady as a rock through any curveball, meets my ideas with enthusiasm no matter the long shot, has been so generous with his talent, cares deeply about the quality of his work, and is just a hoot to be around.
He, like me, really appreciates the magic in those things you just can’t plan. I work like this often and have made a career out of flying by the seat of my pants (with purpose) and chasing the coincidences. However, rolling this way makes it tough to bring others into the fold when you’re leading the charge because a lot of the time the plan is, well, no set plan and having faith in the right opportunity presenting itself to cowboy up to and roll with the punches. It’s been fulfilling to find a kindred spirit in Preston who can meet me in that space creatively and leap into the unknown with a matched confidence and faith. I think we’ve established a great trust that we’ll rally through whatever scenario and come away with something great.
When it comes to both of the Hoffman boys, I’ll say the rural world we all come from is a large part of our identities – there’s that core part of one another that we understand without a word of explanation because we come from such similar places. You meet a lot of different kinds of people in the music industry, and a lot of wonderful people at that, but rarely ranch raised, small town, prairie kind of people. That’s an experience you have to live to understand right there. We have many shared experiences between our upbringings and now working in this wild industry as adults. We were fast friends off the bat and I’ve loved getting to know them on the road this year.
They have been a part of so many of my favourite memories of 2024; Old Salt Festival, Americanafest, my Grand Ole Opry Debut, going on tour with Colter & others, NFR, the Country Music Alberta Awards – we’ve had so much fun. I’m excited to get to take the two of them on tour with us this year and make more memories.
