Just Jack’s Doctor Doctor by Nick Frew
David Knight - 22nd May 2009
Will Bex, the hardest working man in videos, provides the ideal ambience. But Nick doesn't forget his AE roots either, as Jack's confusion gets the better of him. Most entertaining - and arguably Nick's best video yet.
Nick Frew on making the video for Just Jack's Doctor Doctor
"We had a long succession of castings until we found Faye [who plays Trixy] and I'm really glad we held out because she looks amazing. She's a sweet, unassuming girl but she really knows how to turn it on for the camera.
"We didn't bother casting the security guard because when we met John (the security guard at the Wilkinson's in which we shot) we knew we'd found our man. His authentic bewildered expression fitted the bill perfectly and had the crew in hysterics.
Comedian Ed Weeks did us proud as the sleazy supermarket manager. He's a very funny man and kept the set alive with his humour. I want him on every shoot I do.
"It was great fun building things for Jack's severed head shots. We cut a hole in a supermarket trolley and attached a hammock-like contraption under it so we could wheel him about. The meat counter stuff was a bit of an ask. Jack was encased in a box surrounded by the cheapest, nastiest cuts of meat - they kept slipping down and touching his face but he took it very well.
"The flashing aisle was a bitch to build. We basically took apart a whole section of the supermarket and rebuilt it with a forced perspective. It took the best part of a day. Then Will Bex came in with his inspired lighting design and the results were fantastic.
"The footage was filled with great moments where Jack appears out of darkness as the lights chase past him and it was really rewarding cutting them back into the other, naturalistic aisle performance. I'd been looking forward to working with Will for ages and he really delivered. He moves bloody fast and we didn't drop a single shot.
"I knew I wanted the animated sequence to be a modern take on the Vertigo dream sequence set inside a supermarket checkout scanner but I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with it. We shot some stuff on green and once the offline was approved with a big black hole in it I locked myself away for a few days and played.
"I really enjoy the creative freedom of being able to try things out, sleep on it, re-visit and re-work them. As a control freak, the post production process is like sanctuary because by that stage I'm only relying on my own wits. It's like my version of playing video games all night."
David Knight - 22nd May 2009
Credits
Featured here in the credits?
Production/Creative
- Director
- Nick Frew
- Producer
- Tristan Goligher
- Production Company
- ordin
Camera
- Director of Photography
- Will Bex
Art
- Art Director
- Henry Armand Smith
Editorial
- Editor
- Jake Roberts
Commission
- Commissioner
- Tom Bird
David Knight - 22nd May 2009