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Tom Jones 'Not Dark Yet' by Jordan Rossi

Rob Ulitski - 22nd Dec 2021

Jordan Rossi directs a cathartic promo for Sir Tom Jones, featuring actor/dancer Iain Mackay. 

The track is a reversioning of the Bob Dylan song, and touches upon frank realisations about growing old, whilst still evoking a sense of positivity.

The video focusses upon Mackay as a solitary drinker in a dive bar, chugging back the beers whilst lost in painful thought. As Sir Tom and the Dylan-penned track get going, his spirits start to improve. Soon he is off the barstool, dancing around the venue, leaving no part of the room untouched. And then, after reclaiming his sense of self, he leaves - driving off in a vintage Pontiac.

"The concept for Not Dark Yet represented something very unique to me - even in the harrowing nature of this awareness of being near the end of your life there is a kernel of positivity that I wanted to hone in on," says Rossi.

"I remember writing in the treatment that you're never too old to have some fun and that's exactly what this is. No matter where life has taken you to you can always find a bit of fun somewhere. Particularly in the music.

"I really wanted to ensure that the video had some emotionality to it. I tried to imbue the video with every inch of detail that I could, some aspect that everyone would recognise in themselves. Whether that's the down-and-out start or the carefree climax or simply a love of music that is splashed across the entire piece.

"I couldn't have completed the video without our protagonist Iain Mackay, ex-principal dancer from the Birmingham Royal Ballet, who came in at the last minute - literally the night before the shoot - and absolutely understood what we were trying to achieve.

"But also [DoP] Luke Scully who helped develop the visual style with me, Elle [Lotherington, 1st AD] who kept us on track throughout a tricky day and Natricia [Bernard, choreographer] whose energy and ingenuity never cease to amaze me."

Scully's cinematography, including the use of different overlays and digital grain creates a slightly gritty and timeless feel. "The visual style takes inspiration from 1970s B-Movies and the Grindhouse genre, popularised in recent years by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez," says Rossi. "But I chose to swap the action-packed gore for an upbeat two-step."

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Rob Ulitski - 22nd Dec 2021

Tags

  • Director's notes
  • Pop
  • Bar
  • Dance
  • movement
  • Grain
  • Gritty

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Jordan Rossi
Producer
Katie Cooper
Production Company
Executive Producer
Beth Montague
Production Manager
Jake Bishop
1st AD
Elle Lotherington

Camera

Director of Photography
Luke Scully

Wardrobe

Wardrobe
Krishan Parmar
Make-up
Rebecca Hanson

Choreography

Choreographer
Natricia Bernard

Casting

Lead actor
Iain Mackay

Editorial

Editor
Samuel Marr

VFX

Post production company
True Black Studio

Agent

Director's Representation

Commission

Commissioner
Paul McKee
Label
Universal

Rob Ulitski - 22nd Dec 2021

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