I’ve just finished the new music promo for Swimming. Here it is, take a look.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

As a director I’ve always been interested in collaboration with other artists and the exploration of different methods of story telling. So when the opportunity arose to make a music video for Swimming, I grabbed it with both hands. This was a chance to work with a group of like minded artists – musicians who think progressively and see their band as an art form itself, not just a means of making music. I had recently written a short film script called The Last Human. The narrative follows the fate last human being left alive – a concept that I have had a long standing fascination with – and their mission to implant DNA on a strange world in an attempt to begin new life in the universe.

When I listened to the song I Do (Come True) I immediately felt a connection between the music and the story I had written. The song has an ethereal quality and a chorus riff that descends into minor chords, taking the listener down into a place of profound meaning. It was that musical connection that made me want to turn the short film into the music video for the song.

As we explored the idea we decided on making two versions of the film. The first would be the music video and the second would be a longer short film edit with natural and elaborate sound design and which uses elements of the song as the basis of the film’s score.

Further ideas came through as we went into pre production, the concept had such narrative scope that it felt natural to explore the back story and so we are now utilising various platforms for the transmedia storyline which will allow people to explore the world that has been created via online and mobile.

In the music video the viewer will see the word HERA appear quite often. This is the title of the mission in the story and is named after the Greek Goddess of childbirth but also has a double meaning – it is an acronym for the mysterious Human Evolution Recovery Administration. This organisation will form the backbone of the fictional narrative in the story but will cross over into a real world exercise in disinformation, transmedia storytelling and an alternate reality game (ARG). For more information visit: hera.im

A project of this kind can only work with a band like Swimming, whose music reflects a progressive sensibility and helps to inspire such interesting ideas.

swimmingband.com
@weareswimming

Director – Tom Walsh
Art Director – Amy Nicholson
Costume Designer – Tonia Brown
Art Dept. & Make-Up – Sarah Lewis
First AD – Ken Coppel
Visual Effects – Tom Walsh & Nic Pylypiuk

The Pilot – Hestor Ruoff

Thanks to David Houghton and Georgina Sparks

I’ve just had the pleasure of shooting a mini-doc for Nottingham’s arts & culture magazine, LeftLion. The film documents the creation of the artwork for their 46th issue.

I wanted to make a film that shows an artist and craftsman at work rather than just document the process of painting a mural. I concentrated on the details – little things that an artist does to make their work their own. I also wanted to create a film that works as a piece of art in its own right.

The music is a bespoke commission for this film and is by Alex Herington, aka Ultrastate.

For more information on the people involved, visit the links below:
Artist – Dilk: montanashopnottingham.com
Music – Alex Herington: ultrastate.co.uk
LeftLion: leftlion.co.uk

The art team have been hard at work making the sphere. We got a steel framework made and then we’re building on top of that. We’re using a variety of materials to create a beaten up metal look which will then be painted and adorned with lights. The sphere was originally based on a Russian Vostok space capsule from the 60s but has taken on a life of its own.

Here’s a photo of the work in progress…

Without giving too much away, the narrative follows a pilot who is trying to carry out a vital task in a harsh and barren landscape. Because it’s set in the future, this project has loads of design challenges and the pilot’s costume is one of them. The costume has lots of cool gadgets and one particular item shows a kind of digital readout.

During the shoot I’d like to try and not have to do too much tracking of surfaces and then add displays in post production. So we’ve gone to the trouble of designing and animating the displays beforehand and integrating screens into the costume to play these animations. This will mean we’re not spending hours in post trying to add display screens onto constantly moving body parts.

Here’s some of the display screens we’re working on at the moment…

I’ll be doing a series of ‘Making Of’s for this project which will include art prep and design, behind-the-scenes on the shoot and post production effects as well, so look out for those!

The Wraith

February saw the release of my first short film, The Wraith. Starring Angharad Jones and narrated by Bernard Hill it tells the story of a young woman trapped in limbo between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Official selection for the Crystal Palace International Film Festival 2011.

We Show Up On Radar – I’ll Be A Ghost

We had the honour of making the music video for WSUOR’s I’ll Be A Ghost. The song still sends shivers down my spine. I hope our video does it justice, see for yourself. You can see the ‘Making Of’ here.

Odin’s Wolves

In Spring, I was impaled on a sword while shooting the book trailer for Giles Kristian’s ‘Odin’s Wolves’. I didn’t mind because the film is awesome!

Humans

The summer was long and balmy and we spent a week of it larking around in the Lincolnshire countryside with our good friends at Red Dog Film and Urban Apache Films. The project was a spec trailer for a feature film called ‘Humans’. The trailer is still in post-production so for now take a look at some photos from the shoot.

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We Show Up On Radar – The Anchors In Your Heart

In September we were asked to do a second music video for We Show Up On Radar. Their beautiful song ‘Anchors In Your Heart’ was irresistible. The official release for the promo is in the New Year so here’s the Making Of.

Ulysses Storm – Franska The Bear

The end of the summer saw a massive downpour which forced us to cancel our exterior shoot for the Ulysses Storm music video and we instead took it indoors. So instead of harassing people in the park, our bear went to a dance audition instead.

Pr0xy

October was filled by our second short film shoot for ‘Pr0xy’. A film about a young woman who stalks people by hacking into their social networks and lives her life by proxy. The film is in post-production now and will be completed for the Spring. Many thanks to Zacuto for the equipment loan!

By The Winter Sea

Last but certainly not least, I teamed up with Phil Stevens from Urban Apache Films to create a film for Red Dog Film and Lincolnshire County Council. The film is set during WWII and tells the story of Ada, a young woman who leaves London to become a land girl on a Lincolnshire farm.

The shoot took 6 days and gave us the opportunity to get all the toys out of the box, a RED One MX, a steam train, a 1937 Austin 7 Ruby and a load of pyrotechnics! The film is in post right now and will be completed early in the New Year.

Austin Ruby through the viewfinder

Look out for lots more in 2012 including more shorts, music promos and robotic puppets!

Have a great Christmas and New Year,

Tom x

I’ve just finished primary shooting on my new short film, Pr0xy.  With this film I wanted to be able to shoot quickly and easily yet still get great shots so I wanted a rig that was versatile and easy to use. Imagine my shock when I opened the box from Zacuto to find about a thousand different parts! “Yikes!” I thought.  However, the system is beautifully simple.

Zacuto Double Barrel & Canon 7D

Like all shoulder rigs it has the basic elements – plate, rods, shoulder pad, handles but it also comes with a few extra bits.

The one thing I noticed straight away was the quick release nature of the Zacuto rig.  The two main handles have a ball joint quick lock system, which is great for adjusting the grips to any angle.  The camera plate has a great little twist gizmo that allows you to remove the camera so you can switch cards/batteries or if you need to remove the plate altogether.

The second thing I noticed was the build quality.  Undeniably good.  I’ve used a few rigs before and the locks and connections are often a bit sketchy.  The Zacuto rig has the feel of a piece of kit that you know will last for a very long time.  The locks lock and stay locked until you open them.  That seems obvious but not having to tighten the rig up every time you go to pick it up is great.

Shooting Angharad Jones in 'Pr0xy'

The Double Barrel also includes a weight and a top handle which I didn’t end up using. My camera set up is fairly light – no matte box, monitor or top light, just the camera and lens – so it was unnecessary.  The top handle is a nice idea but I found it hindered access to the record button and the x5/x10 magnification/exposure buttons on my 7D so I left that off until I needed the handle for low angle shots.

The follow focus is great – very smooth.  Although the demo version I received did not come with the gear section that attaches to the lens so I used one of my own.  There was a tiny bit of slippage now and again but that was due to the slight mismatch in gears.  When it locked in place however the action was really smooth.  Exactly what you need from a follow focus rig.

Zacuto Follow Focus

One unexpected advantage of the Double Barrel’s long handles was that I could lift the rig off my shoulder completely and still maintain balance.  This allowed me to extend my arms fully into hard to reach places and still get great shots!  This came in particularly handy when filming a drummer during a music video shoot I was able to get done the week before the film shoot.  I was able to lean over the kit and get really close in while he was still playing.

The viewfinder is fantastic.  The one thing you need from a viewfinder above everything else is clarity.  Firstly, the Zacuto viewfinder blocks out the light superbly and secondly provides great picture quality.  In bright light situations this is absolutely necessary and cannot be underestimated.

Zacuto Double Barrel

Overall the Double Barrel is a fantastic bit of kit.  The fact that it is modular allowed me to be inventive and that’s the best thing about it for me.  It let me be creative and get the shots I wanted to get while still being simple and durable.  A quality piece of kit.

Hello!

Here’s the official video for ‘Franska The Bear’ by Ulysses Storm. The video was shot a few weeks ago for their first single and launch of their debut EP, Snake Cult, which you can download HERE.

Enjoy! x

On location

Both shoots went really well despite a poorly leading lady and the general incompetence of Royal Mail. I’m now going to spend the next 2 months locked away editing and doing post production/visual effects and audio for ‘Pr0xy’. The film is due for release in early 2012. The Ulysses Storm music video will be released as part of the album launch at the end of October!

I’ll post a link to the finished version as soon as I can!

We shot the whole thing in two days with a few days design & prep beforehand. The puppet/creature design by Amy Nicholson was the main challenge. An 8 foot tall monster creates its own problems when shooting, not only for the film crew but also the performer. The creature took two days to make an has four interchangeable faces to convey different emotions. The hands are bamboo and inspired by Papua New Guinea witch doctor traditional dress.

Here’s some photos. I’ll do a quick making of soon. 

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The project is for a spec trailer for a film called ‘Humans’. Shot on RED and on location in the Lincolnshire countryside.

Here’s a few production photos.

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