Professor Green’s Jungle by Henry Scholfield
Monday, 15. November 2010 - 2:55 pm
Professor Green’s latest video directed by Henry Scholfield is a lot darker than the likes of Just Be Good To Green. It’s more in the vein of the superb Upper Clapton Dance – but frankly, just a bit more terrifying.
“I think its really important you people understand what this is,” says Professor Green. “It’s not saying life is the hardest here. It’s not representing world issues, as I’m not a spokesperson for the entire world. It’s not me trying to be ‘real’. What it is, if only for a small percentage of people, is reality. It exists, and this is it un-exaggerated, un-glossy and un-altered.”
Hackney residents (especially ones with kids) look away now. Or perhaps its just time to move…
Professor Green feat. Maverick Saber
Jungle (EMI)
Director: Henry Scholfield
Producers: Campbell Beaton & Tiernan Hanby
Associate Producers: Ashley Rowe & Daniel Kenton
Production Company: Fortune Films
DoP: Stuart Bentley
Editor: Johnny Rayner @ Speade
Grader: James Bamford @ The Mill
2nd Camera: Khaled Lowe
Focus Puller: Patrick Meller
DIT: Eric Young
Commissioner: James Hackett
Henry Scholfield on making the video for Professor Green’s Jungle
“Having got the track and not knowing the realities were of life on ‘the road’ is like Pro hooked me up with an old friend of his from the ends, Ashley Rowe, who in the course of an afternoon told me story after story of things that had happened to his friends, family and himself. I spent a lot of time saying ‘really’ along with a range of incredulous expletives, and based most of the vignettes and characters on this.
“Campbell and Tiernan made an unbeatable production team and their boldness in the approach to shooting this video really came out in what we were able to capture. Ashley and Daniel Kenton, the other associate producer, pulled together all the guys for the shoot other than a few key cast, who were fantastic. As the policeman, one of eight, who raided our location said “You’re with the baddest guys around here.” to which the only reply from production was “Well if we’re here with the baddest; at least we don’t have to worry about anyone else.”
“At the end of the day it was an amazing shoot and great process overall. As Stuart (DP) said to me as we were filming the car spinning round sequence: ‘This is f***ing good fun’.”
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15. November 2010 - 3:55 pm
Lovely work Henry…
16. November 2010 - 2:35 pm
un-glossy and un-altered? why the posturing to camera and the slow-mo then?
no: this clip joins countless other videos in glossing and glamourising a whole load of things that its target audience shouldn’t be doing. i’m fucking sick of people making videos like this to ‘show how it is’. there’s no commentary, it’s all for show and there’s not a single solitary thing to learn.
bogus.
16. November 2010 - 3:35 pm
COMMENTS ARE BACK – WOOOO
16. November 2010 - 6:07 pm
Agreed with c&b – At least when Romain Gavras did it, there with a modicum of style & originality. This is Lazy, uninspired & dangerous film-making. Null Point.
17. November 2010 - 1:14 am
‘this clip joins countless other videos in glossing and glamourising a whole load of things that its target audience shouldn’t be doing’
What a load of shit, its a hip hop video dummy promoting a song using profanites, what kind of video do you expect? Atleast the cinematography is on point.
17. November 2010 - 1:33 am
Also when did Romain Gavras ever do a video like this? If the video is ‘Stress’ your referring to then you completely miss the point
17. November 2010 - 11:27 am
what kind of video i expect peter? let me answer that with a few questions: does a hip hop song with profanities really need to feature wannabie gun clappers swaggering through their bad boy fantasies? couldn’t it be about something else? couldn’t it make it’s point in a more imaginative or visceral way?
do you think the ‘reality’ looks or feels like this? do you think this is ‘how it is?’ do you think it has this sheen to it, this attitude? don’t you think that imagery like this creates a dangerous and limited culture for young people?
the fact is that the artist and director could have made any kind of video they wanted to, but chose to regurgitate the kind of imagery that’s pinned hip hop video to the floor for decades.
cinematography… jesus.
17. November 2010 - 4:01 pm
‘couldn’t it make it’s point in a more imaginative or visceral way?’ what point is a video ever trying to make that hasn’t been made in the song already? You seem lost Crash and Burn, this isnt an art form, this is a selling mechanism aimed at a mass audience the likes of who think Jeremy Kyle is the closest thing they have to a role model.
Do you think a director is really going to refuse to a take a project on the grounds of moral responsibility to society? there simply isn’t enough work going around for anyone to do that, someone else would just make the exact same video.
Wether the ‘reality looks or feels like this’ is completely irrelevant, the video serves its purpose, to sell records to people who aspire to be like those in the video, if your so concerned with todays youth then go actively engage with them instead of coming up with half thought out garbage on promo news
17. November 2010 - 6:13 pm
well, i’d disagree with that, peter. i think music video is an art form if it aspires to be, and i think there should be a sense of moral responsibility in people who manufacture things that communicate in very potent ways to young people.
music videos don’t have to have any point, they’re normally better if they don’t, my problem with this is it’s a well-shot series of glossed-up, posturing, self-aggrandising lies masquerading as social commentary (see the prof’s comments above) in this sense there are strong parallels with gavras’ output.
probably a waste of my breath, but an point i want to make nonetheless. i couldn’t give two hoots what the forum is.
18. November 2010 - 6:05 pm
Peter perhaps I have indeed missed “the point” of the video, please let me know what that point is… there are plenty of examples of material (‘the wire’ for example) that use the visceral appeal of gang warfare and yoot-culture but contextualise it in a way that is not overly-gratuitous and perverse.This is Hackney not Baltimore and all I’m saying is that it’s lacking a bit of contextualisation, which would have ultimately made it more authentic and a stronger film. It doesn’t have to feel like a PSA or Documentary, gang culture is intriguing, and we all love cars spinning round – but glamorous exaggeration of life “on road” with no original-angle or wider ambition is inherently lazy.
Agree that everyone needs to eat and but then specify that in the commentary. I’m cool with that, if this is someone living out their Max-Power-Rudeboy fantasy and making a living fine, say it as such. But I’m sure a talented director like Schofield had it in him to make a film which spoke to the Jeremy Kyles and the Guardian Readers (Both of whom count amongst Green’s fanbase.) – Yeah the cinematography is pretty good…
19. November 2010 - 5:08 pm
It is horrible sometimes seeing ‘one trick pony’ talents flog themselves to death… poor little pony!
19. November 2010 - 6:25 pm
Schofield’s videos are all really different and to a certain extent, interesting ideas . I really enjoyed his Lily Allen video, and its nothing like this. To a certain extent, his stumbling block is largely due to being attached to Professor Green. he needs to work with more people for sure but He’s far from being a one trick pony. And saying so reveals just how eager you are to make pot shots at up and coming directors trying bloody hard to make a living.
cameraluva, maybe you should try to live up to your name, or change it to lenswanker or something.
15. December 2010 - 12:35 pm
Thought talents like Schofield and Green could come up with something more interesting than this.
A video that looks like a trailer from Harry Brown, Shank, Kid/Adulthood or some other rather crap british urban gangsta film? Well done boys about as innovative as The Wanted’s first video.
The shots are nicely composed, its well lit and edited well but haven’t we seen this all before?
Boring, boring, boring in my opinon.
If you want to make these thieving, murdering scum bags look interesting than they really are then do something new please and maybe actually scare the viewer or put us on the edge of our seats rather than show us this bollocks that looks like it is just a 14 year old’s wet dream of what its like to be a London estate gangsta. Hoodies, chains, guns and cheap hatchbacks.
The real reality of these so called ‘bad boys’ lives is far more boring.
They live with their mums, on the dole, commit mostly minor level crime with the risk of being shot or stabbed by some other prat they were probably at school with and have a future of either jail (communal showers, shitting in the corner of your own room, lunch with a pedo and bed time at 9 with no girls to keep you warm) or a serious crack habit (a life of hanging out on street corners begging, shitting your self, no teeth and a few nervous ticks).
Overall its just dull but will probably sell some Pro Green records to the estate gangsta wannabe’s.
Shame really as when I heard Upper Clapton Dance it was actually quite a clever take on this life style which we all know goes on but would be nice if he said some thing new with either the lyrics or the video.