Johnny Foreigner Video

July saw Left Eye Blind shoot our latest music video. It’s been a strange six months since our last video. Signing with Academy in March we’ve found ourselves in the world of ‘pitching’, and other than getting involved in our own personal projects, the collective identity of Left Eye Blind has spent it’s time either writing on tracks or travelling to London. Having not made anything for a while, we decided it was about time we got out there and produced one. And what better band to do that with than ‘Johnny Foreigner’?

These guys are serious rising stars with a huge fan base and we all felt we needed to create an impacting video. The song allowed us great scope for a narrative within it, but to pull it off we needed to build a set, get access to great equipment and find some brilliant collaborators to work with. Not easy on a low budget.

I’m not going to go into detail of how we did it but nevertheless we had the time of our lives trying to achieve the near impossible. None of this would be possible without every single person on the shoot. Al

though this reads a little like an Oscars speech, everyone needs mentioning. Without the finances to say thank you, we hope this writing goes someway to saying how much we appreciated the hard work you put in.

THE HANDYMAN CAN AWARD

Winner – Kev Marchant

We’ve never put up a set before. And without Kev, we would still be saying it. Handy with a drill, hammer and chainsaw, Kev has an instinctual ability on a shoot.

He’s also responsible for building

the majority of the set in amongst a million other things I can’t even begin to list. More so, you really can tell the true measure of a man if he is willing to get up before 6am for you for 5 days running.

THE MASTER OF DIGITAL AWARD

Winner – Rich Bennett

There is nothing this man can’t do or fix when it comes to the technical

stuff. Before we came to shoot, the studio we were using had no electricity beyond 13Amp sockets, by the end of it we were running 3 Phase 32 AMP, a dimmer board across two sets, and a PA system over the entire building. Rich is that guy that makes 1970’s electronics work again.

He’s also a fantastic RED operator, and anyone needing such a brain on set, Rich Bennett is that brain.

BABE AWARD

Winner – Rudy Riveron Sanchez

Every shoot we have a surprise crewmember who appears on set last minute. The ‘baby faced Cuban’ Rudy Riveron Sanchez (is that not the coolest name ever?!) instantly

became part of the left eye family. Rudy helped out with everything and although his wallpapering was pretty dode at times we couldn’t have done the set without him.

A constant flirt, a brilliant grip, It was like working alongside Tony Montana with toothache.

INSOMNIA AWARD

Winner – Adam Conlon

Our own Christopher Doyle, Adam’s lighting and operating was brilliant throughout the shoot. He’s one of those rare operators that has great

filming instincts, listening to the music to time a crash zoom or pull focus. Since working with Adam we’ve seen him grow as we have, and to say the least, he’s a very talented and hardworking chap.

LAST MAN STANDING AWARD

Winner – James Rhodes

James didn’t leave set once throughout the shoot. Lending a hand and eye to every shot, he was also the on set photographer. His energy was insatiable throughout the weekend and we look forward to him working on our shoots in the future.

BIG FOOT AWARD

Winner – James Bridger

Working with Rich 24 hours before the shoot, Gaffer James turned up and turned everything on.

No one would question that James

is very tall, but that isn’t the pre-requisite for climbing up to very high places to change out lights. Quite often we’d see James just out of shot, dangling from the roof changing a light.

He was also in quite a considerable amount of pain during the shoot, and he’d struggled on possessed with a Bear Ghylls / Will Farrell fighting spirit.

BEST FAMILY

Winner – The Hunt Family

The studio’s managers, Pete, Ron and ‘Mum’ worked tirelessly over the 5 day prep, shoot and dismantle to keep us fed, watered and happy. We can’t say thankyou enough for letting us use the space, but we’ll try:

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

BEST NEWCOMER AWARD

Winner – Anna

Following around our normal 2^nd AD Sophie Dowd on Saturday, Anna learnt the ropes and replicated them on Sunday. Keeping the band happy, the crew fed and the set organised, she excelled as the hours got longer and everyone began to lag

ANIMAL CONTROL AWARD

Winner – Pete Trifunovic

2^nd Place – Ron Hunt

3^rd Place – Anna / Matt Maude

A previous Babe winner, Pete took this shoot’s Animal Control Award when trying to catch a bat in a cardboard box for 45 minutes. He finally trapped the flying miniature beast in a set of curtains. In a close run competition, second place was awarded to Ron Hunt when removing a 4 month* dead squirrel (*awaiting autopsy report) from the studio. 3^rd place went to Anna and Matt when unearthing a sleeping hedgehog in a mound of duvets

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Sophie Dowd

Sophie is quite possibly the best 2^nd AD in the world. Every time she’s on set things just go smoothly. She’s like the opposite of Jonah

Lami

Lami, our new camera assistant, impressed all of us with her inquisitive nature and hard working attitude. She’s welcome back anytime.

ASH (Surname unknown)

For donating his bass guitar for senseless destruction. Nuff said’

THE BAND

Finally the Band. Alexei, Kelly and Junior were great to work with. Patient, passionate, and fun to be around, they were all up for anything we asked of them (including destroying their instruments with chainsaws, axes and sledgehammers)

all photos by James Rhodes

jamesrhodes.co.uk

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.

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.