Glass Animals 'Dreamland' by Colin Read

Colin Read celebrates joining Pulse Films' music video roster with one of the most inventive and resourceful products of the Covid-19 crisis for Glass Animals.

Although Read was frustrated in his ability to achieve his original idea for the band's track Dreamland, he successfully overcame the problem, days after lockdown came into force in the UK, with his ingenious 'flat-pack music video'.

The result is a video of two halves - a suitably dreamlike start, with Glass Animals' frontman Dave Bayley moving through a room of floating objects, is succeeded in the second half, which reveals the making of the video, and in doing so, the underlying 'flatpack video' concept. 

We discover that the elements required to make a video - including camera, lighting, props, and dolly rig - were delivered to Bayley's home. Via a detailed 40-page master instruction book and accompanying photo glossary provided by Read, he was talked through the process of making his own video by Read, DoP Ruben Woodin Deschamps, and other heads of production. Bayley is duly able to build and dress the set, lay a dolly track, as well as set-up the cameras (including an Alexa Mini), rig the lighting - and make his own video.

Colin Read makes a virtue from the restrictions imposed on shooting videos, with an idea that is potentially transferable to other artists - although he will no doubt to prefer to make videos in the normal way, just as soon as its safe to do so.