Left With Pictures - "Stuck in Time" (2010)

My 8th Film Left With Pictures - "Stuck In Time" Directed by Chad Mason Director of Photography: Greg Harris I have long admired east London folk-poppers Left With Pictures, so getting the chance to make one of the 12 videos for their "In Time" project was a real coup. This vid was something of risk from the beginning. I was initially asked to do the October vid at short notice, but I had something special in mind that would need the extra time, so I turned it down, hoping I would still be able to get the gig for November or December. Luckily all turned out well, Ed Christmas did a second Left With Pictures vid in as many months (both are fantastic), and I got the November slot. My crazy idea was to film a journey through Mike and Laura's Walthamstow flat in one shot. Possibly in slow motion. There was only one man that could make this happen, so low and behold the second Mason/Harris collaboration came into being. As soon as Greg was onboard, I dropped another "idea" into the mix. I wanted it to slow down at SPECIFIC MOMENTS in the song....and then speed up again. The date for the shoot was booked, and after much editing of the track on Logic, we were ready to shoot. I story-boarded in the car on the way down with the aid of a torch (I wasn't driving), and the props (well, prop. one hideous doll) were purchased on the morning of the shoot. It could have all gone horribly wrong, but luckily the LWP boys were tremendous and bowed to my every whim. Mime at double speed? No problem. Play violin in the bath? Sure thing. After a couple of hours rehearsing we realised the whole thing was actually going to happen - which is always the best bit of any shoot. We had decided to compromise that morning. Greg thought that the camera would white-out when we moved into the garden, so we had planned to cut at that point. Then mother nature intervened, it got rather overcast (believe it or not the best weather for filming) and the whole one take thing became possible. i shan't spoil the surprise by telling you how we made the band, their instruments and various props appear and dissapear, as we might do a "making off" vid soon with all the hidden camera footage, but it's safe to say we gave everyone the run around. A grand day's work, and we were back in Norwich for tea. Shot and edited within 48 hours. Am going for the hat-trick in 2010, so I wonder who will be next....