Following my midnight running film, i’ve been really interested of composition in music videos; in particular live sets.
The new song ‘Lippy Kids’ by Elbow combines a richness of aesthetic and lighting while setting a mood for the piece.

Before I get into everything I need to improve on in this video I will point out that it was extremely fun to shoot and has been my most engaging project to date.

Midnight Running is the pursuit of a better understanding of how film/design and music blend together seamlessly. It’s no secret that I want to move into a career that links me (and my creative partner) with the music industry and so it’s important that we can demonstrate our skills together. It began as a poem which turned into a film as a better way to reach a conclusion about my work and the direction I was going.

It is a working metaphor for the hard work and perseverance that I feel the company we’re creating stands for. I really wanted to push myself as an art director and my perspectives in order to really get some interesting and more thought provoking shots. Running is the act of motion and therefore it was a must that the film reflected this. With the help of Tim driving a car and Lucy holding the camera in the back seat we were able to recreate the motion I was after. There were some big issues that had to be addressed right up until the very last shot which tested my ability to problem solve under pressure.

Sound – We had perviously written and recorded a song that we believed fit the mood of the piece, however it just didn’t work and it is important to understand why. If I had made the decision of leaving it in, it would’ve lost the focus of the audience and the narrative would have been distorted by the masquerade of sounds.

Planning – Everything from the time of day to the number of hands need to co-ordinate the film were taken into consideration and really worked my communication skills. The shoot date changed three times in two weeks to make sure everybody could be there (especially as it wasn’t paid work). This was probably the most frustrating and rewarding part of the job because when we did finally collaborate it brought the piece together.

Weather - Wasn’t looking good for the week anyhow but I had to take a gamble and pick a day that could work into everyones schedules. It was cold, windy and wet but I had come this far and didn’t want to turn back. Learn through doing.

Quality – My photography skills are pretty sufficient but I didn’t account for the motion of the car and the lighting of the night. This is something I need to think about when reshooting.

Overall I am very pleased with the production and it really has really developed my understanding of film and sound as well as my skills in video editing and photography.

This test was to see if the viewer became more engaged with the piece when the shots were close up and intimate and weren’t distracted by noise. I wanted the narrative of fatigue to be consistent throughout the piece.

I’m not entirely convinced that these shots work because they have no sense of scope and direction. Most of the shots were uphill which made it more apparent that i was fatigued.

The tempo and structure of the song I think, takes away from the pace of the shots. Although the music was composed to reflect a twilight ambience I feel it may be a little too over produced to have the impact I was looking for.

I started looking around local areas to find places that would be suitable for the shots I was after.

The route planned is mostly uphill so that I can gain sweat to show hard-work and perseverance. I want the film to be a metaphor for what Pinfeather means.

I wanted to create a piece of work which can draw upon all my strengths in one go. Using language and sound together, breaking the barrier between them and reconstruct it into something appropriate.

I came up with the idea while running at night and noticing all the sounds and visuals that come from the night and how it’s just as busy as the day. I’m going to use a voice over saying all the observations I find. I think running is a great way to clear the mind and see things from new perspectives and I want this to be reenforced in the film.

Below is a rough sketched storyboard of what I am planning:

There are a few themes running through this

Slowyear are an alternative rock 4 piece from North London who were ready to record and release an album and came to us for direction.

We covered everything from recording, equalisation and mastering to artwork, brand identity, online presentation and album printing.

You can download the ‘Slowyear’ Self Titled E.P. now for FREE at:

www.slowyear.bandcamp.com