Get the Promonews daily round up

User Accounts

Get the Promonews daily round up

Take That’s The Flood by Mat Whitecross

Jimmy Brown - 15th Oct 2010

Shot at Dorney Rowing Lake near Eton back in July, Take That row back into action with this superb Mat Whitecross-directed promo for big 'welcome back Robbie we missed you' single The Flood.

"The original idea for the video came from the band - they wanted to do 'Chariots of Fire meets Forrest Gump', a timeless rowing race," explains Whitecross. "It needed to feel like an event - something epic to bring the band back together again after all these years.

"We got in touch with a National Rowing Team Trainer, and he said to get the band rowing even at a basic level he'd need to work with them for 3 months solid. We told him we had 2 hours the night before the shoot. Within seconds, one of the band had capsized in the lake and we all started freaking out. But the boys were troopers - they threw themselves into the shoot without any complaints. I knew they had a really good reputation, but they were so patient and lovely they made a tricky shoot a real joy.

"Logistically it was all a bit of a nightmare. My producer Mark lost weeks of sleep trying to get permission and insurance for one of the biggest UK bands to row past the Houses of Parliament at the crack of dawn, tailed by a low-flying helicopter with 2 safety boats in tow. But the band were adamant they wanted to do it for real.

"I'm so glad they pushed for it. It's always better than trying to fake it in post. Every day brought another disaster - we ended up abandoning the final part of the shoot after the boat hit a rock and sank. If we'd known how difficult it would be to shoot on water, I think we'd have ended up doing the whole thing in the studio..."

Featured sponsors

Jimmy Brown - 15th Oct 2010

Tags

  • Director's notes
  • New Promos
  • Promos

Popular content

Feedback

Problem with this page? Let us know

Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Mat Whitecross
Producer
Mark Harbour
Production Company
Between the Eyes @ Pulse
Executive Producer
Ben Pugh
1st AD
Rawdon de Fresnes

Camera

Director of Photography
Ed Wild

Art

Art Director
Richard Bullock

Wardrobe

Stylist
Luke Day

Grading

Colourist
Rushes

Commission

Commissioner
Ross Anderson
Commissioner
Label
Polydor

Misc

2nd AD
Tony Evgeniou
Offline
Joe Guest

Jimmy Brown - 15th Oct 2010

Related Content

Industry News

Promonews logo

Music video creativity everyday.

promonewspromonewstvpromonews.tv
Submit your video