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Glass Animals 'It's All So Incredibly Loud' by David Wilson

David Knight - 5th Aug 2020

Ever since his marvellous video for Metronomy's The Bay, David Wilson has been able to make magic happen by the pool. And that's what happens in his video for Glass Animals' It's All So Incredibly Loud.

GA's frontman Dave Bayley emerges through wisps of smoke to negotiate the diving board of a swimming pool in a suburban home at night. Yes, once again Wilson is making an English summer appear impossibly glamourous. He also brings us a heightened reality which almost seems nostalgic in its visual crispness.

The intention is to capture a moment, and explore it's metaphorical meaning. Shot on both a Phantom and an Alexa, the time when Bayley inevitably enters the pool's water is stretched out to last as long as possible. Time is slowed, just as seems to happen when you dive into cold water - and also when you are faced with the emotional issues discussed in the song.

Suitably Bayley also delivers a heartfelt performance to camera in this video that marks a triumphant return by David Wilson to the music video mainstream. A nod too to marvellous camerawork, supervised by DoP David Foulkes. 

DAVID WILSON: 

I loved the song, and the brief, and Dave, and was so excited to craft the film.

“The concept for It’s All So Incredibly Loud came directly from Dave (Bayley). He wanted to draw an analogy between the feeling of jumping off a diving board into water, and the feeling of breaking bad news to another person.

"I loved the song, and the brief, and Dave, and was so excited to craft the film. During the writing process I explored lots of different avenues, but I always returned to the diving board. This analogy just seemed so pure, simple and right.

"The first two thirds where Dave is on the board, visually represents the build-up to needing to break the news, whilst the climactic third act is the ‘jump’; the liminal space between when words leave a person’s lips to the time it takes for their partner to respond. In that time silence becomes deafening. It’s the kind of silence that makes your stomach feel like you’re jumping off a diving board and feeling weightless before hitting water. There’s no gravity, nothing to hold on, it’s perilously empty.

The climactic third act is the ‘jump’; the liminal space between when words leave a person’s lips to the time it takes for their partner to respond.

"At the start of shooting we wanted to explore the option of Dave delivering the entirety of the film with no lip-sync. However, when Dave’s sync performances began to deliver such exceptional vulnerability, the decision to keep the whole film as performance was clear. I just adore Dave’s delivery in this film. Not many people can hold the viewer’s attention just by looking in the camera. I’m so glad we went bold, simplistic, and gave Dave this room to give such a beautiful execution.

"I love summer nights, but the reality in the UK is that this darkness only lasts a few hours. It was quite a feat of production to pull it off in the time available (when is a music video anything different!?). However, the simplicity of choices that arose from all decisions only seemed to strengthen the final film. 

"I’m very proud for this beautifully simple film to accompany such a powerful and textured piece of music.”

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David Knight - 5th Aug 2020

Tags

  • Director's notes
  • Pick of the Day
  • Performance
  • Indie
  • Pop
  • Swimming pool

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
David Wilson
Producer
Production Company
Executive Producer
Kate Brady
1st AD
Luke Goodrich

Camera

Director of Photography
David Foulkes
1st AC
Luke Jefferson
2nd AC
Jonathan Treherne

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Danny Hayward
Grip
Steve Wells

Art

Art Director
Stephanie Williams

Wardrobe

Stylist
Scarlet Wallis

Editorial

Editor
Ross Hallard
Editing company
Edit Producer
Tatyana Alexandra

Grading

Colourist
Richard Fearon
Colour Producer
Tamara Mennell
Colour grade company

Agent

Director's Representation

Commission

Commissioner
Emily Tedrake
Label
Polydor

Misc

2nd AD
Alice Hayes
Asst stylist
Lucy Upton-Prowse

Other credits

Key PA

Hannah Lockwood

PAs

Joanna Thompson, Sophia Kawyani

Covid Supervisor

Alice Hayes

Grip Assist

Will Andersen

Jib Op

Dan Lobo Pires

Electricians

Will Pope, Lee Brinkley, Jonh Joe Basagni

Phantom Op

Jason Berman @ Love High Speed

Lifeguard/Medic

Sue Reynolds

Runners

Denis Norty, Elodie Philip, Matias Reyes Fox

David Knight - 5th Aug 2020

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