Young Fathers 'Lord' by Rianne White
David Knight - 24th Nov 2017
Scottish alt-hip hop trio Young Fathers are back with a striking new video for Lord, the title track from their forthcoming third album, directed by Rianne White.
Singer Alloysius Massaquoi describes the scuzzy electronic neo-gospel track as "an act of internal withdrawal from the outside world”, and the dark, deep-rooted video sees the Mercury Prize-winning group standing in the rain and Massaquoi riding on horseback against the scenic St. Andrews coastline.
RIANNE WHITE:
"[At] the first meeting with the Young Fathers at their studio in Leith, a rocking horse stood proudly in the corner of the room. The idea for this music video revolves around the way in which we could incorporate this into the concept. The horse quickly became its own character and the catalyst to the way in which we pieced together three iconic scenes.
"The first scene features Alloy immersed within a blacked out studio lit by an isolated blue light. He sits alone on the rocking horse, the pair framed within the space representative of the isolation felt from the world internally. Working with the main themes of anxiety driven by desire this space compresses these emotions through the first verse. As the song progresses the sense of animal instinctual repression builds within Alloy.
"The secondary scenes work with the aspirational fantasy of escaping that space, in turn entering a new world where the fantasy becomes reality. The rocking horse and Alloy are one, the suppressed and trapped body of what they soon become. The release and triumph of becoming transported into an open expansive space echo within the many metaphors found within the sea.
The folklore of the white horses that crash to shore throw Alloy into his most representative identity, becoming the horse hero’d by the infinite horizon. “If wishes were horses, than beggars would ride” frames the piece, playing into the dual reality of how fantasy drives home an escapism Alloy desires throughout the piece.
"Undeniably one of [my] most exciting and creatively-charged shoots to date, working with the dynamic trio Young Fathers. Massive thank you to all those that made this vision a reality. With special thanks to Freak Films for allowing us to use their facilities and guidance, my incredible crew who worked above and beyond, and my mother for her support throughout."
David Knight - 24th Nov 2017
Credits
Production/Creative
- Director
- Rianne White
- Producer
- Rianne White
- Production Company
- Freak Films
Camera
- Director of Photography
- Archie Short
- Focus Puller
- Evangelos Polychronopoulos
Lighting/Grip
- Gaffer
- Nuno Rodrigues
Art
- Production Assistant
- Izzy Gibbs
Editorial
- Editor
- Rianne White
Grading
- Colourist
- Archie Short
Commission
- Commissioner
- Young Fathers
- Label
- Ninja Tune
Misc
- Animal wrangler
- Mandy Peden
Other credits
AERIAL
Sam Short
RAIN DESIGN & PROD
Great Brink
BTS
Mark Chong
David Knight - 24th Nov 2017