Stuff on the side

Tim Gibbs talks about how a bunch of advertising creatives used the skills advertising has given them to create something that isn't - but is still a story with a message that compels. 

“Felusine started with an email from Nic Cogels, with whom I had worked on an advertising job last year. He asked me if I’d like to direct a clip for his band called, coincidentally, Cogel. I’d heard their previous release, the Bug, when we worked together and really liked it. I also liked the video that they’d produced for it.

So I was actually quite chuffed to be asked to be part of this next project. Nic sent me a link to the track and I was hooked immediately. It had a haunting quality and a certain timelessness to it – and - it had violin, which is bound to get an old rocker going.

We met, drank too much (coffee. You read, 'old rocker', right?) and the idea of projecting the band on to a plaster replica of Nic’s head becamse an idea that gave us both the kick our lattes hadn't.

I had already been involved in projecting onto heads while setting up the Ned Kelly museum at Glenrowan.

Nic and I shared a determination to keep away from the overuse of post solutions. We wanted it to be as real and un-’posted’  as possible and, initially, even thought it would be good to create a one shot execution.

As the project developed, however, it became more ambitious

We filmed the entire band performing the song in a locked off set up and then went about editing that footage into a continuous performance video. As this edit developed, it began to become clear that the second stage of the project, re-photographing the performance as a projection on to Nic’s plaster head, was going to be really amazing and that to shoot it too simply would not be doing justice to its potential. The reality was that the head projection had dimension and a life of its own that needed to be explored in the final execution.

So, I set about finding cool locations as settings and backgrounds against which to film the head projection that would help give a sense of narrative to the clip and bring the song to life visually (and, I hoped, expand its meaning - as all great clips should).

It was during final testings that we saw that this clip really could be clean and pure and focussed purely on the images captured in camera and without the need for post enhancement.

We shot the final visuals over two days with a purpose-made rig that linked the projector  to the head. Then I edited with Peter Barton, to form the final narrative.

Pete did an awesome job in helping me realise the potential of the images we had collected. I did the final edit, grade and conform with adv mates, Will Alexander, Kilou Picard and Bonnie Law at Heckler.

I knew that they have what it takes to see a pure and simple project for what it is and be respectful of that. Originally we had thought of doing a Flame Grade. The Heckler boys had a better idea.

Christine Trodd did a really fabulous, old-fashioned grading session and then handed the final grade over to Maxence Peillon to conform and smooth out a couple of transitions. It was perfect. Finally we had the ‘simple’, ‘in camera’ video that we had originally envisioned.

The most exciting aspect of the finished result is that everyone has his or her own twist on the meaning of the song, and the clip doesn't mess with that. Its ‘reality’ helps the audience connect. Despite all the twists and turns during production, the original intention is presented intact."