NEWS

Searchlight: Stevie Russell

New director Stevie Russell, now signed to Sonny and Moonwalk, won first prize in YDA’s European Broadcast category with his mesmerizing and clever film for Ireland’s Road Safety Authority. His music video for Kodaline, All I Want, also did well at the YDA where it was shortlisted and has recently been released on the net by the band. As good as the music video is, it’s not such an easy watch, however, as his recent commercial Johnny, a happy romp of a film for condoms…

Please tell us how the narrative came about for the band Kodaline’s track All I Want, why were you drawn to this story?

I made a test spot a while back for wrangler. We had a monster in it who was supposed to be quite scary, but every time we shot a take I just felt really sorry for him. He was such a cutie. Since then I always wanted to use that monster in a story about a really nice guy who is misunderstood because he is a monster, but in a real world environment.

The idea kind of came and went but when I heard the Kodaline song it seemed like a great song for a narrative and the thing just wrote itself really. It’s a pretty classic tale in its structure. I felt very close to the main character, Oliver, as he had been in my head for so long and I really wanted to give my dog a cameo. My dog is from the pound though and a bit of a freak with strangers. As a result, I decided to play Oliver myself.

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The narrative of this story brings up quite a few uncomfortable issues and we’re intrigued what it was that made you feel compelled to address them?

I think those issues came naturally from the story. I didn’t consciously address them to be honest but I was obviously aware of them. We’ve  all seen it happen to people in the past and its a horrible human trait we all carry. We fear and reject things that don’t seem familiar to us. Especially these days where the emphasis on ‘perfection’ is becoming more and more pronounced. The monster thing is obviously a fitting metaphor, but for me that was not the central idea of the film. I was really interested in putting a monster in the real world and having the world treat him totally normal. The result of this turned into a really sad metaphor that I didn’t initially consider.

Tell us please how the RSA, Loaded Weapon, spot came about.

The brief was pretty loose actually and the budget was pretty tight. They wanted guns used as a metaphor for dangerous driving amongst young guys. It was one of the first briefs I got from an agency (the luck!) and straight away a lot of imagery came rushing in. I wanted to give it the feel of a movie trailer. You always want to try and talk to people in a visual language they are interested in and they will respond to so ‘movie trailer’ seemed like a suitable one for a project aimed at teenagers.

From there, I spent a lot of time driving around Dublin trying to find imagery and locations that would suit this ‘trailer’ feeling. The style/mood I pitched was all about capturing that ethereal, slightly panicked feeling you have as a teenager. Everything is steeped in uncertainty and fear but also a sort of ‘Live forever’ mentality that comes with youth. The way certain memories are always heightened and magical because you are starting to feel like a totally independent individual for the first time.

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Did you storyboard each scene or was there quite a lot of spontaneous filming with a shots list?

I didn’t storyboard this project. I had sections in my head and I had a wish list for each section. So it started in the house. Then getting into the car section. Then the car traveling section. Then each guy had his ‘horseplay’ moment and so on.  I sketched out some of the trickier parts to make sure they would translate okay. Un-natural things like tracking alongside the car with the doors off.

The night time atmosphere of the spot is beautifully shot, with wonderful lighting. In terms of cinematography, how tricky was it to  capture that light and atmosphere?

Ruairi O’Brien shot the commercial and did a great job with the overall look. We shot one day around the place and one day in studio for all the interior car stuff. Then separate to the shoot we shot some plate stuff and we shot with a stills camera to achieve that streaky effect, using an introvelometer with 1 second exposures. The car in the commercial was my car. This meant we could experiment with the exterior car shots over a couple of nights while the piece was being edited. It was really quite nerve wrecking going into the edit as there were a lot of elements that needed to match up.

Please tell us about your decisions to film at the slow pace, and what camera and kit you used to get the affect. Also was there much post work or was it nearly all filmed in camera?

The slow motion was one of the first ideas we had. Once the guys get in the car, the world should slow down and become a little weird.  It seemed to suit this very weird concept. It also allowed the visual metaphor of the guns to exist in a real way. This approach led us to shoot the car interiors in studio against green screen. Again, to try and create a world that was a little hyper real and exaggerated so the effect of the guns would be a little less jarring. We shot on the RED camera mostly. All the exterior car stuff was 5D. It seemed like a nice way to separate the two worlds. The smooth, falsely safe, hyper real interior against the jagged, rough, and genuinely dangerous exterior.

It’s notoriously difficult filming in cramped car situations. How did you manage this?

The first thing I thought after reading the brief was we had to do it green screen. There was just too much action to try and do it in a moving car. This allowed us to shoot through windows and remove doors, making the whole thing a lot easier. It also meant we had control over the backgrounds in post.

How do you think out your visuals – methodically with notebook and pen taking notes or sketches or do you just let the visuals form in your mind over time?

There are steps I guess. What happens in your mind when you first read a brief/script? I think it helps to write down things as you read scripts for the first time. There are always spare images in your head lying around that you are dying to use. I find music really helps. Once you get a good track reference you can start laying down images over the music (with Adobe or Final Cut) and from there a lot of solid useable imagery starts to emerge. A mood film. Once you get all that stuff more or less in place you can start to have fun with the camera and its capabilities.

A potted history of your working life please – this far! Also did you study film?

I did! I studied cinematography in college and shot a whole lot of stuff for anyone that would let me. Learnt a lot about visual language and focused a lot of attention on the aesthetics of a frame. I left college and kept shooting but also started directing a bit.  I signed to Sonny in London and Moonwalk in Paris this year.

When did you decide you wanted to direct?

I’ve loved cameras and making little films since I was nine pretty much. A friend and I used to remake our favourite movies. Jurrasic Park, Blade Runner, and Terminator all got the high 8 treatment. Once I went to college, I always had it in the back of my mind I would direct, I just thought it made sense to study a craft as being taught how to direct seems a bit mad to me. It’s all too subjective!

Where were you brought up? Did creativity play a role in your childhood?

I was brought up in Dublin. Creativity was a big part of my life, it was pretty clear early on that I was shit at maths and good at coming up with stories as to why I hadn’t done my maths homework. I think you really shape your creativity if you hang out with other creative people and thankfully, as a kid, I did.

What would your dream script be?

Something crazy and interesting that went on for months and brought the production around the globe. That would be a dream script!

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