Harvey Pearson combines a modern mating ritual with a pulsating performance by indie rock duo Good Neighbours in the feelgood promo for Mary Jane. 

At a house party where people are casually sitting around talking, a young man attempts to get the attention of a girl he spots across the room, by the surprising method of dancing on his own, demonstrating some awkward, Dad-dancing style moves.

Hopping between stark performance and the bouncy party scenes, this is both fun and relatable, as the our hero perseveres with his dancing, despite the fact the girl, apparently engrossed in her conversation, will not look his way.

Eventually Good Neighbours appear at the party, to provide him with dance back-up. But will he ever achieve eye contact with the girl?

"In Mary Jane, we meet this genuinely uncomfortable, awkward guy who then unexpectedly reveals himself as an exceptional mover, with the dance becoming a kind of mating ritual," explains Harvey Pearson. "I was really interested in the strange performance of attraction, especially when it’s coming from someone who doesn’t quite know how to express what they’re feeling."

George Beattie, the DoP on the video, adds that as the video was character-focussed, they opted to shoot in 4:3 ratio, so the cast become the focus within the frame. 

"We wanted a classic warm interior look so I chose tungsten, muslin and soft sources," he says. "This was contrasted in the performance scenes where the lighting is direct and much harsher, akin to that of MTV music videos. I like sticking to a couple focal lengths when possible, the less choice the better sometimes. The 50mm at 2.8 in open gate was a beauty - shout out to Miti (my focus puller) she crushed it."