Get the Promonews daily round up

User Accounts

Get the Promonews daily round up

Everyone You Know 'The Drive' by Silent Tapes

Promonews - 9th May 2019

In this tale of young adulthood and recklessness for new brother duo Everyone You Know, directing duo Silent Tapes demonstrate considerable technical prowess in the narrative trick that the directors and DoP Sam Meyer call the 'geostationary camera technique'.

And frankly, trying to figure out the relationship between the rotating movement of the camera and the movement of the car it's in, is a bit of a headf*ck. So Silent Tapes and Sam Meyer explain more below...

SILENT TAPES:

"The initial idea for the video came from wanting the camera to spin inside the car, but obviously, that's been done a million times so we only wanted to do that if we could make the life still outside. This was actually said as a throwaway comment at first because it sounded impossible. Consequently, we realised that was a really good idea so we just had to figure out how to make it possible technically. We dreamed up a geostationary camera motion which made the 'impossible' possible as far as the initial creative went.

"Importantly, we also wanted the juxtaposition of abstract and realism; incorporating multiple narratives that would take place outside of the vehicle simultaneously, interpreting some of the lyrics of the track. This would create a sense of surrealism as if the guys were stuck in their heads during the drive the entire video and none of the outside scenarios occurred at all.

"The most challenging part was wrapping our minds around the motion control camera vs the motion controlled turntable going in the opposite direction vs also playing the whole thing in reverse. Its a completely impossible to think about those things and imagine them all as one. The correct way to do it is to break them down individually, they never need to be jumbled into one thought."

SAM MEYER (DOP): 

"In pre-production we tested as many aspects as we could to avoid surprises on the day. We built a model version of the turntable rig including a remote head made with a microwave motor and 3D printer which we put a Go-Pro on. 

"Lighting the car was a big challenge, being on a 8mm lens rotating 360 there were very few angles that allowed light to hit the faces without being seen by the camera or casting a shadow. Me and my gaffer Mark Stewart had to carefully hide LED tube lights using the A and B pillars of the car to hide them from the camera, these were then programmed onto chases to simulate street lights and police lights."

"There's a the behind-the-scenes video, documenting the technical and creative evolution behind the geostationary camera technique."  

 

Promonews - 9th May 2019

Tags

  • Director's notes
  • Narrative

Popular content

Feedback

Problem with this page? Let us know

Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Silent Tapes
Producer
Andrei Croitor
Production Company
London Alley
Executive Producer
1st AD
Joe Starr

Camera

Director of Photography
Sam Meyer
Focus Puller
Larry Gallagher
2nd AC
Asia Rose Kilgallon

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Mark Stewart

Art

Art Director
Anthony Neale

Editorial

Editor
Silent Tapes

Grading

Colourist
Thomas Mangham
Colour grade company
The Mill

Agent

Director's Representation
OB Management

Commission

Commissioner
Elizabeth Doonan
Label
Sony, Rca

Other credits

Runner

Theo Somers

Spark

Isobel Jones

Moco Technician

Justin Pentecost

Production Assistant

Cameron Perry

Promonews - 9th May 2019

Related Content

Industry News

Promonews logo

Music video creativity everyday.

promonewspromonewstvpromonews.tv
Submit your video