Here's something I put together by accident, really.
Dama / Libra - Stravinsky from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Dama/Libra are a band from Seattle that I created a film for a while back......
Dama / Libra : Been to the Water from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
..... They were called Thine but had to change their name. Anyway, I was compiling footage for another project whilst listening to to this song and I guess I got a little distracted because the footage I found didn't work with the project I was assigned to at all - but it really worked with this.
So I worked a little on it and re-cut much of the footage. de-saturated it, and added some filters to give it it's own feel and I think the final project looks great. The band seemed to think so too.
It's a deliberately hypnotic song, which I think the video compliments. Have a watch and see how it makes you feel.
Tuesday 23 September 2014
Live Video's
So now that I'm back in the saddle, I thought best to start with music video's.
It's been a while since I did any of these. The main reason is that I'm generally too busy to want to work for free. However, you can't just show up to a gig, film a band and expect to get paid for it. That doesn't work.
Sadly, the chances of being paid for doing this kind of work is slim, but fortunately I enjoy doing it so expect a few of these over the coming months. They'll be fleeting, but they'll be good.
Anyway, here are three films from a recent Merrin gig in Northampton. We were supporting Karma to Burn (and Desert Storm & The Atrocity Exhibit, again)
The video's are a mixture of synced and un-synced footage and I don't thin you can tell the difference.
Anyway, enjoy.
The Atrocity Exhibit from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Desert Storm - Astral Planes from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Karma to Burn - 53 from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
I am toying with the idea of creating a channel specifically for this kind of work. Dedicated & branded, delivering quality live footage of underground shows. Whether I have the time to keep it up to date on a regular basis is another matter altogether though, so we'll see how that goes.
It's been a while since I did any of these. The main reason is that I'm generally too busy to want to work for free. However, you can't just show up to a gig, film a band and expect to get paid for it. That doesn't work.
Sadly, the chances of being paid for doing this kind of work is slim, but fortunately I enjoy doing it so expect a few of these over the coming months. They'll be fleeting, but they'll be good.
Anyway, here are three films from a recent Merrin gig in Northampton. We were supporting Karma to Burn (and Desert Storm & The Atrocity Exhibit, again)
The video's are a mixture of synced and un-synced footage and I don't thin you can tell the difference.
Anyway, enjoy.
The Atrocity Exhibit from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Desert Storm - Astral Planes from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Karma to Burn - 53 from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
I am toying with the idea of creating a channel specifically for this kind of work. Dedicated & branded, delivering quality live footage of underground shows. Whether I have the time to keep it up to date on a regular basis is another matter altogether though, so we'll see how that goes.
Thursday 20 March 2014
Coma Wall - Summer
I had the pleasure of working with the band Coma Wall over January/February to create a video for their song Summer, from the split record Wood & Wire with their alter ego, Undersmile.
The genesis of the video was natural. I was interested in the band and invited them down to Northampton to play a show (which turned out to be pretty unsuccessful due to a double booking at the venue) The aim of the night, much like the other night's of music I've put on, is to create images which I feel relate to the band's themes, musically and lyrically.
Coma Wall's music is heavily influenced by the acoustic side of the 90's grunge scene, but which a distinctly doom-ridden style of song/riff-writing. Both atmospheric and also very relaxed. Inviting, yet dangerous.
It wasn't difficult finding images for the evening, the inspiration was right there and I connected with it instantly.
The band themselves were lovely and completely understood the angle I was coming from in regards to the correlation between a certain kind music and imagery. They were enthusiastic about the work I was planning on and gave me plenty of input. The final images lasted 30 minutes and consisted mostly of stock footage which reflected the sleeve image of their record.
The footage is again comprised of stock footage, and also some I shot myself. I added numerous grains and colour alterations to give it a washed out, vintage feel. This was tricky due to the footage from being all over the place. Some of it was in full HD, and some of it was cruddy old VHS so it was a tricky learning curve but I'm very pleased with the results.
The video itself was premiered on the Sleeping Shaman website to promote the record before the band go on tour. The article, which features an interview with yours truly can be read here - http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/news/coma-wall-premier-video-for-summer-undersmile-gig-dates-announced-including-kin-hell-fest-leeds/
And the video itself can be watched right here
Coma Wall - Summer from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
The genesis of the video was natural. I was interested in the band and invited them down to Northampton to play a show (which turned out to be pretty unsuccessful due to a double booking at the venue) The aim of the night, much like the other night's of music I've put on, is to create images which I feel relate to the band's themes, musically and lyrically.
Coma Wall's music is heavily influenced by the acoustic side of the 90's grunge scene, but which a distinctly doom-ridden style of song/riff-writing. Both atmospheric and also very relaxed. Inviting, yet dangerous.
It wasn't difficult finding images for the evening, the inspiration was right there and I connected with it instantly.
The band themselves were lovely and completely understood the angle I was coming from in regards to the correlation between a certain kind music and imagery. They were enthusiastic about the work I was planning on and gave me plenty of input. The final images lasted 30 minutes and consisted mostly of stock footage which reflected the sleeve image of their record.
The video itself was premiered on the Sleeping Shaman website to promote the record before the band go on tour. The article, which features an interview with yours truly can be read here - http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/news/coma-wall-premier-video-for-summer-undersmile-gig-dates-announced-including-kin-hell-fest-leeds/
And the video itself can be watched right here
Coma Wall - Summer from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Merrin - Doom Cinema update
Well, we've certainly had our fare share of problems with this shoot, but we're still just about on track for getting it finished since it's initial release date was delayed.
Of the many problems we've faced, it's casting that's proven to be the biggest hurdle to overcome.
Let down not once, but twice by leading actors - I had to step into the fold as a performer in one of the films and drastically re-write another. It's a real shame when things like this need to be done, and it's not the first time. Obviously, the biggest problem this causes is distracting me from the job at hand - directing.
As such, I've been a little unhappy with some of the shots, especially in the third part of the film. Also, as I couldn't behind my camera, most of the footage was eventually captured on my second unit camera which wasn't a film camera, it's DSLR which only produces footage that can be used on certain editing software's which are far out of my humble, unpaid price range. As such, I've wasted a good month trying to edit the film at a painfully slow pace before it crashes and destroys the entire project. (This has happened three times already, forcing me to start again from the beginning)
Anyway, problems and creative compromises aside, the film is looking alright and initial screenings have been overwhelmingly positive towards it's dark, tongue in cheek tone.
Is it good enough to be released? Probably not.
But the learning curve has given me a better idea of how to put a project like this together. As always, the solutions are strongly in favour of downsizing the entire crew/cast to a few dedicated people.
What I have learned is that you simply can't control people who aren't fully invested in your project.
And if your crew hasn't invested in your project then you can't control the quality of the final product.
A harsh lesson.
The premiere show is at the end of April and it will receive a small number of screenings.
Of the many problems we've faced, it's casting that's proven to be the biggest hurdle to overcome.
Let down not once, but twice by leading actors - I had to step into the fold as a performer in one of the films and drastically re-write another. It's a real shame when things like this need to be done, and it's not the first time. Obviously, the biggest problem this causes is distracting me from the job at hand - directing.
As such, I've been a little unhappy with some of the shots, especially in the third part of the film. Also, as I couldn't behind my camera, most of the footage was eventually captured on my second unit camera which wasn't a film camera, it's DSLR which only produces footage that can be used on certain editing software's which are far out of my humble, unpaid price range. As such, I've wasted a good month trying to edit the film at a painfully slow pace before it crashes and destroys the entire project. (This has happened three times already, forcing me to start again from the beginning)
Anyway, problems and creative compromises aside, the film is looking alright and initial screenings have been overwhelmingly positive towards it's dark, tongue in cheek tone.
Is it good enough to be released? Probably not.
But the learning curve has given me a better idea of how to put a project like this together. As always, the solutions are strongly in favour of downsizing the entire crew/cast to a few dedicated people.
What I have learned is that you simply can't control people who aren't fully invested in your project.
And if your crew hasn't invested in your project then you can't control the quality of the final product.
A harsh lesson.
The premiere show is at the end of April and it will receive a small number of screenings.
Friday 10 January 2014
MERRIN - Doom Cinema
Here, have some promo shots/stills for the new Merrin film, Doom Cinema.
It's going to be a 30 minute epic, comprising of three music video's with a loose plot tying them altogether.
We've shot about a third of it already and it looks great.
It's going to be a 30 minute epic, comprising of three music video's with a loose plot tying them altogether.
We've shot about a third of it already and it looks great.
Nick Hudson - Promo
Quick post to show you my new promo for the latest up-coming Nick Hudson record.
I've listened to some of it, it's going to be a belter.
Here's the promo for the video, Looking for Love.
Full video should appear in a couple of weeks. It's going to be disgusting.
NICK HUDSON - GANYMEDE IN A STATE OF WAR - 2014 from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
I've listened to some of it, it's going to be a belter.
Here's the promo for the video, Looking for Love.
Full video should appear in a couple of weeks. It's going to be disgusting.
NICK HUDSON - GANYMEDE IN A STATE OF WAR - 2014 from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Sly & The Family Drone - Live in London
This was a fun evening.
Over the last year, I've worked with a band called Sly & The Family Drone. First encountering them at Supernormal festival (where I filmed them) And then I invited them for a performance/film collaboration in Northampton with my band Merrin. I hadn't captured the essence of their live shows though.
It's harder than it sounds considering the kind of abstract noise they make (and how they make it)
Largely improvised, and allowing the audience to get involved in the music making, it's seriously difficult to keep up with how much carnage is going on.
It's a lot of fun though.
I came out to shoot them at The Old Blue last a few months ago, and it proved difficult as ever to capture the performance. I got about half of it, but the lights were low, the space was tight, and the band were pretty much all around the room. The film has been edited using footage from the entire gig (an hour) condensed into half an hour, to make it as visually interesting as possible. I also had to mess with the colours of the footage as it was just too damn dark to get anything solid. The sound is pretty good though.
They have a new record out. It's good, you should check it out.
Sly & The Family Drone : Live from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Over the last year, I've worked with a band called Sly & The Family Drone. First encountering them at Supernormal festival (where I filmed them) And then I invited them for a performance/film collaboration in Northampton with my band Merrin. I hadn't captured the essence of their live shows though.
It's harder than it sounds considering the kind of abstract noise they make (and how they make it)
Largely improvised, and allowing the audience to get involved in the music making, it's seriously difficult to keep up with how much carnage is going on.
It's a lot of fun though.
I came out to shoot them at The Old Blue last a few months ago, and it proved difficult as ever to capture the performance. I got about half of it, but the lights were low, the space was tight, and the band were pretty much all around the room. The film has been edited using footage from the entire gig (an hour) condensed into half an hour, to make it as visually interesting as possible. I also had to mess with the colours of the footage as it was just too damn dark to get anything solid. The sound is pretty good though.
They have a new record out. It's good, you should check it out.
Sly & The Family Drone : Live from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
Thine - Been to the Water
A few months ago, I was approached by my old friend, Staurt Dahlquist (Asva, Burning Witch, Sunn0)))
to create a film for his new musical project, Thine, with he co-creates with Joel Phelps.
He sent me a rough mix of the record, and I was, pt simply, blown away.
After listening to the record, I decided I wanted to make a film to the track called, Been to the Water. Not only was it the stand out track, but it was also the one that instantly spoke to me, instantly filling my mind with images and opening my memory of times past.
We both had idea's on what the film should look like, and we eventually settled on the final look of vintage film reel of 60-80's America. Contrasting between the rubble streets of Detroit and holiday footage of well to do families at the beach. The contrast was deliberate, but not for any intention of making social statements.
The song was actually written around a tragic story regarding a drug addict who had never seen the ocean, and the overwhelming joy she finds when she finally does. The story of the film is to chronicle a life of decay and struggle, opening up into an unexpected wave of joy when we arrive at the beach. It's an emotional story, and I hope the video translates that feeling.
Thine : Been to the Water from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
This is the second film I've created for Mr Dahlquist.
The other, Birds, can be found here : https://vimeo.com/30028333
Here's to many more.
to create a film for his new musical project, Thine, with he co-creates with Joel Phelps.
He sent me a rough mix of the record, and I was, pt simply, blown away.
After listening to the record, I decided I wanted to make a film to the track called, Been to the Water. Not only was it the stand out track, but it was also the one that instantly spoke to me, instantly filling my mind with images and opening my memory of times past.
We both had idea's on what the film should look like, and we eventually settled on the final look of vintage film reel of 60-80's America. Contrasting between the rubble streets of Detroit and holiday footage of well to do families at the beach. The contrast was deliberate, but not for any intention of making social statements.
The song was actually written around a tragic story regarding a drug addict who had never seen the ocean, and the overwhelming joy she finds when she finally does. The story of the film is to chronicle a life of decay and struggle, opening up into an unexpected wave of joy when we arrive at the beach. It's an emotional story, and I hope the video translates that feeling.
Thine : Been to the Water from Chris Purdie on Vimeo.
This is the second film I've created for Mr Dahlquist.
The other, Birds, can be found here : https://vimeo.com/30028333
Here's to many more.
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