Johnny Foreigner

www.johnnyforeignermusic.com

Shooting a music video for johnny foreigner tmrw. A RED camera shoot with added elements of slow motion.

watch this space for more information.

Vessels - 6 months in the making

It took six months to get this video made. But i feel it was worth the wait. Vessels are a band whose music i find visually encompassing, so it's difficult to say my idea was to cover them in cake.

Also the shorter version for the Directors reel



Directed and Produced by Left Eye Blind - http://vimeo.com/channels/lefteyeblind#2899917, lefteyeblind.net
Aurora Fearnely

Vessels - "A Hundred Times in Every Direction" was released in June 2008 Cuckundoo Records. - vesselsband.com

ALBUM OUT NOW

"Vessels - White Fields and Open Devices"
Experimental rock band who formed in 2005, and have since played over 100 gigs including the Leeds and Latitude festivals, released two 7"/download singles, one download-only single & recorded a full length album.

Starring:
Martin Teff
Tim Mitchell
Tom Evans
Lee J.Malcolm
Peter Wright

A Left Eye Blind Production - http://vimeo.com/channels/lefteyeblind#2899917 , vimeo.com/LEB

Production Diary - Rochelle

Rochelle - Fer De Lance

I should let you into a little secret. It’s a small one though so don’t go clearing out important memories or pin numbers to hold it within your brain space.
This video was made on nothing. And by that I don’t mean it was made on thin air and candy floss. I mean it was made for very little money. I’ve been lucky enough to work on some pretty high budget work. In music videos and adverts where budgets are so big that money gets thrown in the air and people dance on king sized beds naked, rubbing themselves in dollar bills.

As a result, all of the people who worked on this video, did so for nothing. Nothing at all. NOTHING

Everyone either forgoed their fee or worked at a reduced rate equivalent to giving away their time for free. Every single person.
That should say something for the sixty odd people that are on the credits for the video . All the dancers that rehearsed for hours for it.
The crew that traveled for it.
The production team that has been working on it for months.
For Phil Wood, our brilliant camera operator who drove up from London for the shoot.
For Sarah Hartley, who sewed all of the girl’s costumes for the drones.
For Rob Gardner, the incredible Director of Photography who put off another (well paid) job to work on our low budget shoot.
For Sophie Dowd who worked tirelessly over the weekend as our 2nd AD despite her Monday to Friday, all hours job on Emmerdale; and for everyone else who if I could mention, I would.
Working on nothing, means that you have to work for everything. Every last bit of kit is measured for what it is worth, and every minute is well spent. For that, I am in Jamie Donoughue’s debt. Although I’m lucky enough to call him a colleague, I was blessed to have him work on the shoot as my producer. It is often the role that goes without the most credit, and you deserve the most for your work Jamie. It’s hard to be told to get everything for nothing, but you did an incredible job, especially when most producers do a ’great’ job of getting nothing for everything.

The two days of the shoot we’re probably the best shooting days of my life. More than anything because the crew we had we’re a joy and privilege to work with. The dancers we’re awesome, and a constant supply of energy and enthusiasm, frolicking, licking, friendliness and fun. And the band brilliant both as performers and supportive friends. It was brilliant for me, to see our little idea come to life, see the whole crew perform with such professionalism, the band drill their performances with such energy, that at times I had to pinch myself. It’s what happens when you’re doing your dream job.

For the weekend, where we had to get so much done on such a little time scale, Aurora Fearnley held my head in her hands for the majority of the time. She’s a brilliant first AD (the person who tells you what you have to do, and how quickly) and a fine friend. Her skills as an Assistant Director are only bettered as her work as an editor, and in the ensuing three week aftermath of the shoot, her experienced skills surpass her young age. She is responsible for so much of the finished film, from the cuts to the colour, the pace to the grade, in that, it is your work too Aurora.

Although this video carries my name as the director within these credits, it has been the hard work of Joe Costello, the co-director and SFX creator that has transformed the idea of the video into the video’s ideals. Without him, my brain would have been blown apart many times over, and I thank him for keeping it intact.

During January, I honestly didn’t know if the video was ever going to get made. Over the month Rochelle lost a member, changed record labels, and looked likely to blow out so big on the world that it fully justified them placing the video in someone else’s more trustworthy (or experienced hands). Throughout it all though, I had Joe ringing me and supplying our bodies with caffeine, thrusting the video in front of us regardless of what was going on around us. And it worked. Without him, this would have been a different project.
You’re a talented man Joe, and I thank you for it.

The band too were just fantastic, and considering it was their first time on camera, they did an amazing job. Lydia in particular something incredible in coming in and overcoming some pretty nervous nerves to do so much within the video.

Production Diary - Royal Vendetta

Royal Vendetta - Soothsayer
by Matt Maude

It was my first proper video where I was going to get paid for a budget. A BUDGET! BIG TIME! ACTUAL LIGHTS!?! A CAMERA BETTER THAN MY DICK IN MY HAND AND A MOBILE PHONE IN THE OTHER?

I got three hundred smackers...

My lights therefore came from IKEA (I took them back) my tracking shot came from hanging a camera out of the car, and I shot it, edited it, and directed it. The only help I had was my flatmate who drove my car, and my friend who took the dubious title of first AD when he came down for half an hour and ate a sandwich.

The premise of the video was that of a dodgy looking geezer (played by actual lovely geezer Rob Silva - his dad knows Desmond Tutu don't you know?) out on the robbing. After sneaking into a secluded car park and breaking into a car his actions catapult him into a dark world filled with revengeful repercussions, hooded spirits and no escape. The band play out, narrators of this ghostly world, taunting and tormenting our anti-hero as he spirals further and further down the disturbing rabbit hole.
As the video end, our hero looks on unrepentant and undefined, disturbed, crazed, gazing on to a darkening fading world


Despite no budget, no crew, and lights provided by IKEA, the band were great, the parkour kids fantastic (even the one who nearly got hit by the car) and considering what little light we had, that children as young as 13 were back flipping through the air and that a car was going round and round in a circle at 20mph in an enclosed space I was glad no one died.

I think that was the biggest learning experience of the whole thing. It's all good if no one dies.

Left Eye Blind loves Joe Costello

Back in Feb we had the joy to work with a fantastic director Joe Costello.
Here is a bit about the blond lovely lad.

Joe Costello

Joe Costello spent his early years learning to program computers, making animated short films on his Sinclair Spectrum. Combine that with an early love of camera work (that mostly starred the family cats) then you have the making of the filmmaker that Joe is today.


In Joe's work you can the emblems of this childhood; his strengths with special effects are easily seen, but also the wide eyed innocence of youth within his videos is palpable.

Like most music video directors, Joe got into the genre because the band he was in wanted one for promotional purposes. Being 50% computer geek and 50% videographer helps him to visualise the finished piece from the very beginning of a project, and understand the best way to achieve it.

Joe is one of those that multiples the budget of a project twenty fold purely because he puts his eyes and fingers across it. He's that guy.

Joe also enjoys sleeping during the day, eating bagels, knowing a lot about East Germany.


Hopefully you will have seen or heard of our latest video for Rochelle - Fer De Lance f or Southernfried Records. If not check it out below;


Fer De Lance TASTER from aurora fearnley on Vimeo.

or



Matt and Joe co-directed the video together, what wonders will happen next?

Just who the blazes are Left Eye Blind? Part 3

Aurora Fearnley

Aurora is best for her own narrative based, visually abundant music videos. They combine two of her favourite things music and film (or perhaps models and musicians?). She has sweet teeth and keeps her fingers, toes and earlobes in every pie and dessert around and is often believed to be in two places at once. This includes directing, producing and editing all sorts, from documentaries, events, live performances and short films to commercials and broadcast serials.

She is a 1st grade graduate from The Northern Film School in Leeds, where she has made a name as an organiser for the music video competition 20202 Vision and also now as director with Left Eye Blind. Her post production company Little Northern Light has been running for under a year and has already seen her flying to the middle east to work on the visually stunning "Sword of God" historical drama series.

Aurora is currently working freelance Internationally as a director, producer and editor for various companies and personal projects.

Ambitions to Make music videos for:
Bjork, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, crystal castles and MGMT

Just who the blazes are Left Eye Blind? Part 2

Matt Maude



After starting work within the industry as a camera trainee at aged 15, Matt Maude crossed between the sides of the camera often during his mid to late teens. Acting on the London stage and within several broadcast productions (including a series of the soap 'Crossroads'), Matt used the experience and privileges of being an actor to further inform his knowledge of camera, direction and editing.

After hanging up his acting credentials to work behind the camera, Matt started work within the music video industry. Given a lucky break by his older brother who was manager of the band 'Snowhite', he directed the video for the their first single which featured the young director on MTV2 circulation at just 18. Further promo work has brought subsequent music video experience as a director and producer, but also as a coordinator on projects 20/20/2 Vision and The Radar Festival.

Matt has also worked extensively in America and India on documentaries for PBS National broadcast and MSN home page web content. He is a part time lecturer at the Northern Film School.

Just who the blazes are Left Eye Blind? Part 1

Jamie Donoughue






Director Jamie Donoughue has been in the industry for nearly a decade. Initially training as a camera operator in his late teens Jamie studied Television and Film Production in Manchester. He Directed and Operated on various broadcast productions before moving back to Leeds to set up ‘Viewfirst Media Ltd.’ - a broadcast, corporate and web production company. Off the success of his company Jamie started investing in the Leeds music scene, working closely with up n coming talent from across the region, including releasing the highly rated ‘Leeds By Example’ album. As a result he moved into producing and directing music videos for a variety of artists across the UK before joining Left Eye Blind. He is known for his unique approach to videos, especially his use of original camera styles and filming techniques.

Jamie
Although now specialising in music videos, Jamie still works on a variety of other projects including TV pilots and short film.