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Methyl Ethel 'No. 28' by Olivier Groulx

Luke Bather - 14th Nov 2016

Methyl Ethel's new video is another collaboration with Olivier Groulx, and this dance number is just as playful as it is sinister.

Shot entirely with an infrared camera, the video sees a wonderfully choreographed dance between a couple  – including dancer/choreographer Rachel Meyer, who was 4 months pregnant at the time of the shoot. The dancing is romantic, intimate and switches effortlessly between contemporary and a more classical style seen in musicals mid 20th century.

But the additional, looming presence of a number of old men – wearing only Y-fronts – is a reminder that all harmony comes with a peripheral sense of dread, even in the most perfectly synchronized couples.

"The best part of working with Methyl Ethel is that I get to chat with Jake Webb before I start writing anything. This way of working gives this sort of project a sense of immediacy and it's tremendously helpful when I'm trying to unpack the song's meaning.

"I immediately wanted to shoot a musical number.  Something earnest and irreverent and playful, where the characters' performances are expressions of their inner lives. To avoid making something that was too sentimental, we used a night vision camera. I'm really happy with how romantic and eerie images are – it's impressive what our cinematographer and his crew managed to capture with this tricky method. 

"We also wove in these creepy guys throughout the video. I'm not sure where I got the idea (maybe it was the election?) but these pants wearing middle aged men acted as a kind of manifestation of some forgotten resentment festering within this happy couple’s relationship. I have to say, all three actors played their part fantastically. 

"By sheer luck, our amazing producers were able to put us in contact with Rachel (dancer and choreographer) and Andrew (her partner in the video). Rachel's choreography and their performance is the best part of this project, in my opinion."

Luke Bather - 14th Nov 2016

Tags

  • Choreography
  • Dance
  • Dance film
  • Director's notes

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Olivier Groulx
Producer
Meriah Schultz
Producer
Joshua Olson

Camera

Director of Photography
Liam Mitchell
1st AC
Jared Boyce

Lighting/Grip

Grip
Scooter Corkle

Wardrobe

Wardrobe
Clayton Evans
Wardrobe
Adam Dekeyser
Hair & Make-up
Redia Soltis

Choreography

Choreographer
Rachel Meyer

Misc

Grip Assistant
Simona Analte
Production Assistant
Nathalee Paolinelli

Luke Bather - 14th Nov 2016

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