Bliss N Eso have made their final statement for the time being to the press regarding the death of Johann Ofner on the set of their video clip yesterday.
The entire statement is below. More information about Ofner can be found here.
“We are devastated about the tragic passing of Johann Ofner. Out of respect to Johann’s family, friends and the on-going investigation we don’t feel it is appropriate for us to make further comment at this time.
“We chose not to disclose Johann’s details yesterday to ensure police had time to contact his family and friends, however this information is now clearly in the public forum. We continue to express our support and condolences to the family and friends of those so deeply affected by this sad event and appreciate your on-going understanding in this incredibly difficult time.
“As there have been many varying media reports about what took place yesterday our management team are in the process of issuing further known information to the media.”
Much love,
Bliss, Eso and Izm
Below is the further information sent to the media a few moments ago.
- Bliss n Eso engaged an award winning production company to film a video clip for their upcoming single. That Production company engaged an accredited stunt company, who in turn engaged a licensed armourer, to provide theatrical and weapon supplies for the video clip.
- The licensed and accredited stunt company engaged Johann Ofner as a professional stunt person for the Bliss n Eso video clip.
- Johann was tragically fatally injured when a prop gun was discharged as part of filming a scene in Bliss n Eso’s video clip. The gun was loaded with blanks, not live ammunition.
- The exact cause of Johann’s fatal injury is still to be confirmed, but as the gun was loaded with blanks, not live ammunition, the cause was not a bullet or live round.
- All of the appropriate permits were in place for the filming.
- A licensed armourer was on location at the time to monitor the four firearms on site (one imitation, two hand guns and one shot gun).
- Only professional stunt people were used in the scene that involved prop guns.
- Any actors engaged by Bliss n Eso via a social media call out were not at any point involved in any scenes that used the prop guns.
- Bliss n Eso chose not to use Johann’s name in their statement yesterday to ensure the police had time to contact family and friends first. The decision was made to respect Johann’s family’s privacy despite some media outlets reporting Johann’s details.
- The video clip for ‘Friends Like You’ is a “sliding doors” fictional story that contained a secondary scene depicting the robbery of a poker game. The poker segment was the final scene to be filmed after a week of filming and was the only scene to feature weapons and was a minor part of the overall story line.
- The song and the video is about having a positive friend or influence in your life that helps you to overcome personal hardships and adversity. The music video was written as a short film where multiple story lines based around the theme of the song intersect at the end to ultimately depict a positive outcome against all odds.
- Anti-violence messaging has been a continued theme in the band’s music since forming in the late ‘90s.
