The Long Blondes’ Guilt is a song about temptation, lust, and (you guessed it) guilt. But the video for the Long Blonde’s Guilt is about dogs. Lots of dogs – leaping, swerving, climbing in a Crufts-style doggie training course.

This fairly unconventional yet absorbing and photogenic approach is the work of Lewis Gourlay and Abby Warrilow, of Edinburgh-based live action and motion graphics outfit Cagoule – the name of their company chosen “as a way of embracing their inner anorak.” And its also a suitable garment for a pair – Gourlay is a motion graphics artist, editor and director, Abby is a director and choreographer – working in both Scotland and Canada.

According to Lewis, the band agreed to their suggestion to set the video in a dog show after receiving numerous literal interpretations of the lyrics.

It features a cast of well over forty well-behaved pedigree dogs, and Lewis and Abby had a lot of fun casting canine versions of the band members.

Frankly Blondes drummer Screech may never be the same again.

[pay]The Long Blondes
Guilt (Rough Trade)
Prod co: Cagoule Productions
Director: Abby Warrilow/Lewis Gourlay
Producer: Jude Lightbody
DoP: Andrew Begg
Art director: Jade Strachan
Editor: Lewis Gourlay
Commissioner: Jeanette Lee
Watch online: Flash
or YouTube

Lewis Gourlay on making the video for The Long Blondes’ Guilt

“Having met with the band to discuss what they were looking for, myself and Abby came away with a brief to make something that had nothing to do with the song, something that was out of left field, it should involve movement and the whole band should participate.

“The main things we wanted achieve was to create an ‘event’, much in the same vein as the video we made for The 1990s’ You Made Me Like It which was set in a gymnastics arena. We also visualised dancing dogs and a backstage dog grooming area – which was actually dropped from the final edit.

“Matching each member to their doggy persona was the first task, with the help of producer Jude Lightbody the dogs were cast, along with around 40 other pedigree pooches. We put the whole event together from scratch.

“A local dog training club provided the majority of the dogs and handlers, agility equipment, etc. In fact, Margaret Butcher from the club became much like a 2nd AD for most of the shoot. Working with a cast of 40 dogs has it’s own set of rules. It wasn’t like any ordinary film set, and there were a couple of moments when Abby and I looked at each other in disbelief as five minutes after we cut a shot the action continued in dogtastic chaos.

“Luckily all the dogs were trained to an amazingly high standard and were very obedient. Only one dog, a boxer called Tonka, got stage fright and started throwing up and was sent home.

“The band bonded very well with their matching dogs and proved themselves worthy of Crufts in the agility course. Screech, the band’s drummer, showing especial affinity with his very rare pedigree “Kerry Blue.”[/pay]