Denisha Anderson teams up with Purple Disco Machine, Duke Dumont and Nothing But Thieves for cinematic collab Something On My Mind, to create a Pulp Fiction-like narrative within an intriguing time loop structure. For the video, Anderson was inspired by Maya Deren's Meshes Of The Afternoon, and wanted to create a fantasy romance, using a time loop pattern of confusion and lust. With each loop, the storyline unfolds as the lead protagonists go on a whirlwind trip joyriding in a Porsche and robbing diners.It's a big and very successful leap into bigger concepts for Denisha Anderson, who navigates a hybrid narrative / performance promo with flair, cleverly interweaving the storyline with enigmatic shots of the artists - Tino Piontek aka Purple Disco Machine, and Noting But Thieves tied up in a basement. "It couldn’t have gone any better, despite it being the first time I had no contact with the artists prior to filming," explains Anderson."Day 1 was a remote shoot with our team filming Purple Disco Machine in Berlin. He was an absolute gent to work with whilst being tied up and placed in the back of a boot with myself and my DOP directing him via a laptop from London. "On Day 2 we shot Nothing but Thieves in person, and again it was such a pleasurable experience. The whole band had great energy and Connor (the lead singer) was up for anything and everything I threw at him."For this narrative video, I got for the first time to choose professional actors which was a luxury for me. I needed people who were confident, comfortable and convincing for the roles I had written. I had an amazing casting director who managed to get around 130 to audition for our lead roles; it was a long day of tape watching, but to our joy we knew we had found our protagonists in Bonina and Seamus. And after our rehearsal day, I felt excited and confident that they were going to deliver and they went above and beyond."As a director you have memorable moments on set and for this one it was the end of Day 2 which was Hot Rod Diner. I know it sounds cheesy but I thought to myself: 'Sh*t the bed I’m really living my dreams'.”
Rob Ulitski - 13th Sept 2023