Gem Club 'Speech Of Foxes' by Ben Phillippo
David Knight - 13th Jan 2016
Ben Phillippo has directed this profoundly moving video for American chamber pop band Gem Club's Speech Of Foxes which is distinguished by an ingenious visual device.
Set in some snowy woodlands at dusk, the melancholic video sees flame and heartbreak intermingle when an old man builds a fire to burn his mementos in. But as each photograph and letter is destroyed, the man himself starts to burn up too.
Beautifully executed visual effects (by Phillippo himself) makes this a compelling watch as the old man is gradually consumed. And when all the memontos are burned, there is one final twist.
"When I first heard Speech of Foxes, I was overwhelmed by the emotional quality of it, and wanted to do something about loss and transformation," says Phillippo, whose works as a TV director in Boston. "The image of a wooden man on fire became the starting point for the rest of the story."
He shot the video in Carlisle, Massachusetts, casting Jack Goldman in the role of the old man. "He's an amazing actor working in New England who we knew from a previous project. I wrote this video with him in mind, and luckily he was available. He did an outstanding job."
David Knight - 13th Jan 2016
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Credits
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Production/Creative
- Director
- Ben Phillippo
- Producer
- Cara Campanelli
- Producer
- Katherine Griwert
Camera
- Director of Photography
- Frank Mobilio
Casting
- Lead actor
- Jack Goldman
Grading
- Colourist
- Bryan Smaller
VFX
Commission
- Label
- Hardly Art
David Knight - 13th Jan 2016