Synopsis

At an old woman's funeral, Leerone appears to be the only mourner. From the graveyard, the video carries her into the deceased woman's mansion, where ghostly images and animated tableaux reveal fragments of a troubled life. Scenes of romance, ceremony, and loss unfold through the house's haunted rooms, prompting Leerone to consider her own choices and the different paths a life might take. Gothic imagery, fantasy elements, and a steampunk-inspired visual style turn the mansion into a surreal space where memory and fate overlap.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Empty Houses" was released in October 2009 as the third music video connected with Leerone's debut album, "Imaginary Biographies," originally issued in 2008.

• The video was conceived by Leerone and produced by Hank Friedmann, who had also worked on her earlier video "Care For Some Whiskey?"

• Friedmann's work on the project extended beyond conventional video production: the credits list him as editor, compositor, and set builder.

• The production combined live-action performances with animation and compositing to create the mansion's supernatural atmosphere.

• Cinematographer Larkin Seiple was part of the production team. The cast included Leerone as the young woman and Vallean Mann as the elderly woman.

• The wedding sequences feature Roscoe Farnsworth, Sasha Strauss, Apryl Svetinsky, Cherilyn Fox, and Billy Mendieta, with dancers appearing among the wedding participants.

• The video was presented as a visual meditation on fate, life choices, and unrealized possibilities, rather than as a straightforward performance clip.