It's been building ever since their first single came out, and now the mystique around The Last Dinner Party reaches new heights with the release of their new short film, directed by regular collaborator Harv Frost - who tells us how the band's passion in front of the camera was mirrored by her passion behind it. Main pic: Harv Frost.

The Last Dinner Party appear to be unstoppable. In barely a year they have come from nowhere to being a major force, with a legion of adoring fans - many of whom are young females who are inspired by the aura and aesthetic that the fivepiece all-female band themselves convey and the message of passion, freedom, romance and theatrics in their music and lyrics.

Harv Frost has been along for the ride since co-directing the video for My Lady Of Mercy with Dora Paphides last autumn, and then directing the Caesar On A TV Screen promo on her own, dovetailing smoothly with the band's strong sense of their own image. 

Now comes Prelude To Ecstasy: A Short Film, a cinematic extension of the band's distinctive universe - named after their debut album. It places the band within the surroundings of an exclusive performing arts academy, as TLDP frontwoman Abigail Morris arrives on her first day. 

Under this alluring overarching concept, the film includes four songs - Ghuja, The Feminine Urge, Sinner and Burn Alive - three of which could exist on their own account as music videos. Indeed one of those has become the music video for The Feminine Urge. But it also works as a whole, evoking a sense of nostalgia with its cinematic references, while hinting at the future of the band and greater things to come. 

We talked to Harv Frost to get her insight on the making of Prelude To Ecstasy: A Short Film, what she hopes its achieved - and her own role in the band's irresistible rise.

I was hearing rumours about the band's origins that were far-fetched and dramatic - and I was inspired.

PROMONEWS: Having made a few videos for the band, what excited you about making a short film?

HARV FROST: As a music video director and super-fan, is there any prospect more exciting? After collaborating with the band on My Lady Of Mercy and Caesar On A TV Screen, it felt like I had only scratched the surface on what could be achieved with the band. A wealth of visual references had yet to be touched, so working on longer-form project was a really thrilling opportunity.

I was excited to create something bigger than we had done previously - more cinematic, more holistic and spend even more time living in the TDLP universe. Honestly, it was a dream come true for me!

What’s the objective in making the film? What were you most keen to put across that hadn’t been evident in the previous videos?

HF: In all honesty, this film was made for the fans. The band had an insane year, and the reception of the album was so explosive, it only felt right to revel in it with something special (and TDLP don't shy away from the theatrics, if you haven't yet noticed). Their fans are so amazing, and the film gave them something physical to sink their teeth into.

It was important to me that each member of the band was highlighted as an individual, as well as a collective. In track two in the film, The Feminine Urge, I was able to give them each a set up of their own, to really flesh out their characters - inspired by the characterisation that you see in individual band members of K-Pop Groups.

The band read my treatment for The Feminine Urge and said 'we think this idea could be a whole film'.  

I also wanted to create something that existed in the rich visual world the band has already created. They have such a clear aesthetic that it felt like we had established the rules of what a film by The Last Dinner Party would look like. So it was exciting to have the chance to tell stories within that relm and see how far we could push it.

I saw the beautiful (and now iconic) album artwork that Cal McIntire shot: the family portrait of the band hanging on the mantelpiece. I just imagined the place that mantelpiece might exist, where that photo might have been taken and story behind it, then, dressed the world around it. I wanted to give the fans the full picture. 

How did the project start and how did you come up with the overarching concept of the performing arts school idea?

Well it started with the treatment I wrote for The Feminine Urge, which took place inside this grand hotel (think Overlook Hotel) - the video obviously following each individual band member as they purged their feminine urges. WIth it, I had written a lot of context that it would exist in. The band read the treatment and turned round and said: “we think this idea could be a whole film.”

Suspiria - both original and remake - and TDLP just made perfect sense.

The next step was convincing everyone else involved to make it! I knew each video would need to stand alone, and that the overarching link would be this building where all the stories unfold.

I continued to be inspired by the mythos of the band. I had worked with them twice already, and had heard rumours of the band's origins that felt very far-fetched and dramatic - things like they're all related to Royalty, or that they met at boarding school. So the idea of them meeting at a highly prestigious performing arts school run by (maybe) witches, or a higher supernatural power, sounded just as likely as anything else.

Prelude to Ecstasy in some way is sort of the writing of our own fictitious backstory to the band's history. Also, Suspiria - both Argento’s original and Guadagnino’s remake - and TDLP just made perfect sense. The themes of femininity and performance, sisterhood and competition all just felt right for this, and somewhat reflective on their career so far.

What were your big references for the cinematic flavour of the film?

There are a few that were really formative for this. For the opening sequence I was heavily inspired by fantasy genre tropes and specifically Sucker Punch (2011). I wanted the audience to feel like they were stepping into a world with a different set of rules where anything could happen.

I was interested in the characterization of individual members in K Pop groups and applying that to the band. 

Then there is the obvious, Suspiria - both original and remake - as well as other Giallo movies for both Feminine Urge and Gjuha - with Gjuha being the part of the film that really hits that Argento reference point. For Sinner, films like Picnic At Hanging Rock for its aesthetic, and of course, 2019’s Midsommar for its use of daylight in the horror genre. The way it was able to achieve such a sinister atmosphere despite most of the film taking place in glorious sunshine, was so interesting to me.

For Burn Alive, The Passion of Joan Of Arc inspired what you see the fictitious band do on the TV screen in the dorm room. As well as The Love Witch and, of course, a little bit of Kate Bush. However the reference that inspired me the most was Andrze Zulawski’s Possession (1981).

This was a film I watched at the very start of the process that formed the visual style for the entire project, but especially the last track. From the cold blue colour palette of Anna and Mark’s apartment to the iconically harrowing underpass scene, which Abigail (lead singer) completely nailed in that final 'birth’ scene. She was actually watching this scene right before we shot our version, and I have to give her huge props for how much she embodied this.

It was extremely physical, and I think Isabelle Adjani would be very proud of Abigail's execution of this scene. In the final edit, it was just a few shots, but that performance is probably the thing I'm most proud. This scene shows Abigail giving birth to a star, and that's truly what she is, in the truest sense of the word.

This scene shows Abigail giving birth to a star, and that's truly what she is.

Where did you shoot the film? And how did you structure the shoot?

We shot this just outside Dulwich, at a place called Kingswood Arts. It's an incredible building that sits in the middle of the Kingswood Estate, and is used by the community for the arts. They host ballet lessons, painting and even open it up as part of a school campus.

The location was key. We actually ended up shooting everything 360, and lighting from the outside of the building most of the time, after realising that the building is too stunning not to show it all.

We shot the majority of the film in three days (including a pre-light and rehearsal day). We then picked up Sinner on another day, as this was shot just outside in St Albans on the hottest day of the year. It worked perfectly for the task of splashing around in a lake, so we really couldn't have asked for better!

The Sinner shoot was probably my favourite day at work, ever. We were in a beautiful location, on a gorgeous day, with the most incredible crew imaginable. It was all so playful, and masterfully managed by my 1st AD Rose Lucas. I feel like everyone had got to know each other so well by that point, and it was so collaborative, we had a blast. My face hurt from smiling at the end of it!

It was one of those days where you feel like the luckiest person in the world. There I was, standing on the bank watching a strobing lighting rig being lowered to the bottom of a lake and saying “I can't believe they let me do this”. There were a lot of moments like that on this project.

My DoP Natasha Duursma... was as passionate about the project as I was, and as mental I am.

It’s very successful in creating a distinctive world around the band - while each part works individually too. What were the main factors in achieving that goal? 

I'm glad you think so. I think for me it was about doing each song justice. Gjuha has such a different tone to Sinner, so establishing the rules at the start of the film and framing this all as sort of episodic tableaux really helped. I didn't want to be stuck in one genre and wanted the freedom to move the aesthetics and story as the songs needed them to. I used the building and sense of space to my advantage, to give the viewer a mental map and anatomy of the academy.

The key factors for achieving this world are made up from its parts - by the work of my art director Furmaan, who was able to dress the rooms with so many beautiful details that help to root the viewer in the location. For example seeing ballet flats and medals hung in the dorm room in Burn Alive. They did a fantastic job of linking all the tracks together.

In addition to the exceptional styling by Rubina Marchiori that gave the film so much identity and personality. Rubina did a truly incredible job, tying in so many references and creating a really cohesive world that felt timeless and original.

Finally, the work of my DoP, Natasha Duursma. She understood what makes the band so cool and was really devoted to getting the best possible shot, (even getting into the lake while whipping a heavy camera around in a floating fish tank on the water!). She is an incredibly creative DoP, who brought so much to building the look. I was lucky to shoot all TDLP videos on film, and she was a real champion on that. I didn't even know what a bleach bypass was before we were on set shooting Gjuha and she asked to do it. She was as passionate about the project as I was, and as mental I am too!

We couldn't rely on the traditional short film structure, I needed payoffs in every track​.

Within the structure of the film you’ve prioritised performance over an overt narrative. When did you reach that decision?

be watched alone or together. I wasn't sure at the time of making this, how it was going to be released, or even in what order. It could've been released one by one or watched all at the same time, so we couldn't rely on the traditional short film structure. I needed setups and payoffs in every track, rather than one big payoff and resolution at the end.

I was also looking at my inspiration in these spiritual/body horror movies and noticed that they don't spell it out to the audience. A good film within this genre trusts the audience to fill in the gaps themselves. Instead we wanted to get the best possible performances out of every single band member, and give them the freedom to change things as they felt.

I jokingly said ‘follow your instincts’ a lot on set - but it was very true. We were like kids playing dress up, and that's how I like my sets. For that to happen, you need a frame to work from but the flexibility to colour it in as you go.

I jokingly said ‘follow your instincts’ a lot on set - but it was very true.

I wanted all their voices to be heard and for their identity to be in this, so I wanted to prioritise this over a strict narrative in order to facilitate it all.

Why do you think your collaboration with TLDP has been so successful?

I think it's been so successful because they see how much I care about their visual world, and that I'm ready to fight to make it happen. I owe them so much for taking a chance on this crazy gal! We met at a time when both parties had a great deal to prove, and I think through our collaboration both the band and I have found our voice visually.

Creating a bonkers Shakespeare video for Caesar felt like a risk after co-Directing My Lady of Mercy with the uber-talented, Dora Paphides, but I think it showed the band that I was confident in them as performers and as actors. When it came to Feminine Urge, I thought about the things I had seen them thrive in on other videos and what they like to do and worked from there.

I also think we have profited off drawing from similar pools of inspiration, so that helps when it comes to imagining how it's all going to look and feel. The band is filled with true artists, who really care about the medium of music videos and how it relates to their sound, and they treat me as a sixth member of their coven. With so much trust and faith.

I've found what makes a ‘Harv Frost Video’, and it's given me confidence going forward to other projects.

Have to also thank Joshua Mitchell at the label, who has become a good friend and valued collaborator over the course of these videos. We have developed a really wonderful working relationship and showed me total trust and creative freedom which was really motivating throughout. Through working with The Last Dinner Party I've really found what makes a ‘Harv Frost Video’, and it's given me so much confidence going forward to other projects. 

Lastly, KODE was so supportive in the making of this film. They truly gave me all the backing I needed to make this happen. I rhad all the tools at my disposal and they had my back in every way possible. They are a big reason that this relationship between the band and I has been so fruitful and fulfilling.

• Harv Frost is a director at KODE, represented for music videos by Mouthpiece. Check out her work here. More BTS pics from the Prelude To Ecstasy shoot here.