MUSIC VIDEOS SPOTLIGHT
TONE TWEAKING Colour plays a huge part in making films pop and creating atmosphere. On the TONKZ music video, Bailey leaned into the dynamic reds of his gym set to mirror the high energy and intense themes of the tune
During pre-production, Bailey had another idea: “I remembered these videos of a woman power-lifting. She projectile-vomits all over the crowd, which is obviously uncomfortable, but she keeps a straight face, drops the weight, wipes her face and walks off. I
thought it was hilarious.” He pitched it as the ending of the video, with D Double E as a personal trainer who’s pushing one of his trainees too far. “I wondered, ‘Can we get away with this?’, and we did – we put it in there.” Caitlin Ross handled SFX and makeup,
explaining how to shoot the sequence with practicals. On the day, DOP Simon Stolland shot with an ARRI ALEXA Mini and Super Speed spherical lenses ‘that have character – they’re a bit old and grimy’. “We were going for 4:3, which is great if you want to later put it on social media. It’s an old-school style and I find it helps me keep the energy in the frame,” Bailey admits. Stolland also did the editing, with Bailey on VFX. “You do whatever’s needed,” he says, though he does enjoy playing multiple parts. “If I were in a band, I’d hate to be the guy that just sang.” Though the VFX were pretty painless, Bailey did have to ‘clean up the vomit shot’ by removing the pipe used to create the projectile display. “It just plays and plays and plays,” he describes. “It’s absurdly long and has an ending I really like, where people both cringe and laugh. It worked incredibly well.” FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME As with any production process, whether it’s a feature film or a 30-second social clip, music videos come with their fair share of challenges. Crews are usually strapped for time and money, so they’re almost like passion projects. “I write, I do storyboards, I direct, I have a heavy hand in the design,” Bailey lists. “I’m now doing more VFX and sometimes sound design. I wasn’t the editor on this one, but I often am.” He adds that Nerve supplied the video’s sound effects. Despite obstacles, the results – not to mention recognition – make the videos worthwhile. “I love the open-ended nature of visual work,” states Ben-Haim. “In many ways, it’s the medium with the fewest rules, allowing total creative expression. It’s also an incredibly fast-paced world. While tiring, it’s also rewarding because you get to share your creation almost immediately after ideation.”
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