I was delighted to be asked to produce a music video for Art Making Animals for their single ‘Mannequin’.
The song is taken from their debut album ‘Toast’ which was released in December 2023. You can watch the film and read more about how we made it below.
Film Stills
The Story Behind ‘Mannequin’
Ben and Mark set out to write an album 20 years ago but life got in the way. This was the first song that Ben wrote for it. It’s about realising it’s ok to make art even if you have imposter syndrome and about deciding to finally make it. In Ben’s own words…
“It’s about the signs in your life that are all around you that are telling you to make some bloody music, and then going, yeah, I’m alive, I’m here on this damn earth, why shouldn’t I!”
“The first half of the song is about trying to work out who you are and what you are not. The second half is about the various signs I saw that reminded me how important music is.
The Stone Roses, Taylor Swift and The Clash. I saw all those things, and every time thought, wow, music is incredible. It moves people to climb to the top of Mount Etna, get inside the crater, and write out in giant letters with individual bits of lava “THE CLASH”. That’s how fucking important music is.
To sit at Almscliffe Crag for hours and hours scratching “THE STONE ROSES” into granite. That’s how important music is.To walk to the most remote place in the Peak District, and then, in the peat bog, write in beautiful scrolled lettering “TAYLOR SWIFT”, in the full knowledge that only a handful of people might see it before it gets washed away. That’s how important music is.”
The last bit is about just following those signs. Going with your instincts, and seeing where it takes you. You might stumble, or you might end up someone new. Either way, it’s an adventure.”
“And that’s certainly how important music is to me. And so it is important that I made some.”
Ben – Art Making Animals
The Concept for the Video
Ben and I came up with the concept for the video pretty quickly. I loved the idea of seeing someone going through a monotonous routine but feeling unfulfilled. I pitched the idea of the man going through the process of getting ready for work, only to spend his days sat on a bench wishing for something more exciting, carrying a suitcase that turned out to be empty bar his lunch.
I wanted the man to see Mark sat there too doing the same thing, with an unanswered question as to whether they see each other there every day.
Ben wanted the video to reflect the fun that fills the lyrics of the album. His original suggestion was that he’d pull an easel and paints out of the suitcase and paint Mark naked. This sums the dynamic of mine and Ben’s relationship pretty well.
This conversation led to the idea of Mark painting Ben as a human statue (something he’s always wanted to do by the way) and it stuck. This was this man’s dream and he was finally taking the plunge. I loved the idea that ‘The Decorator’ is a specialist that can be called at a moment’s notice for just such a request. Mark arriving and helping Ben to fulfil a life-long ambition is the perfect metaphor for the song.
Pre-Production & Planning
As soon as we started talking about the project I set up a Milanote board to pull together a mood board and plan for the shoot. This really helped with planning as I could add the song itself, the lyrics, visual references from Ben and start to outline the story. From there I could add equipment lists, shot lists etc before sharing with Ben. While I worked on shot lists and planning, Ben and Mark worked on preparing props and paint (lots of paint).
A snapshot of my Milanote board planning out the Mannequin shoot.
Behind the Scenes – Shooting the Film
The shoot consisted of three main settings – one on location at Ben’s house, one in transition between the house and the bench and then a third shoot at the bench for the last part of the film.
Ben and Mark did an excellent job preparing props for the shoot
We needed to get everything shot in a day and the time spent planning really paid off. I’d broken the whole film into a really detailed shot list and we shot chronologically which really helped to speed up the edit.
My detailed shot list really helped us with efficient shooting and editing
I shot with a fairly lightweight rig, a top and side handle attached to my caged Canon R6 Mark II with a Røde VideoMic NTG and an Atomos Shinobi monitor. I did bring my gimbal but I chose to hand hold the moving shots because I felt the movement added more tension at the appropriate times. There’s a single drone shot at the end which is the only time a smooth gimbal shot is used to portray the passing of time and moment of success at the end of the film.
For the internal shots I used a single Smallrig RC120B light which I bounced off the white walls and ceilings to give a natural, soft light.
Some Kind Words from Ben
“The thought of making our first music video with a professional filmmaker was a dauntingprospect. Would they get our music? Would they get us? Would they get it done in time? Would they get us to act?
Simon responded to our music instantly with a cinematic outline sketch of an idea. Phew. He got our music. Would he get us?
We had two things that were important to us; to have some input into the creative process and to really enjoy the making process. That is after all, why we do this stuff. Oh, and we had a little wooden mannequin we wanted to include somehow.
“What we actually needed most was someone with the vision and ability to take overall creative control of the end to end process. Simon ticked all these boxes. Finalising the storyboard with Simon was a joy. He was patient and encouraging as we scratched our own creative itches, and responded with delightful ideas while maintaining a clear overall vision for the final film.”
Timescales were tight, there was some prep to do ahead of the shoot (making a gold Living Statue suit for a start), and the weather conditions were variable, but Simon kept us on track. He shared the mood board, storyboard, shot list, to do list, and project assets through a neat little app, all in one place, which was a god send and made the organisation super smooth.
“From the minute Simon arrived on the day of the shoot, I knew this was going to be a great day, and a video to be proud of.”
Simon brought all the fancy gear, but most of all he brought his gentle, considered, enthusiastic and incredibly professional self with him. He put us at ease and guided us through the shoot effortlessly, and we loved every minute, even the acting! It was an awesome day that we will never forget. Even lunch was memorable.
“After the shoot Simon kept us up to date with progress on the edit, and when the final version arrived exceeded all our expectations – it totally blew us away. “
We shot the video in Harrogate, home of the famous Betty’s Tea Room. Betty’s is famous for its silver service and unbelievable afternoon tea. There is always a queue, but it is worth the wait. When the solid silver afternoon tea stand arrives, perfectly polished, it is dressed with exquisitely made cakes, delicate sandwiches with the crust cut off, and melt-in-the-mouth scones. The pristine service and attention to detail takes your breath away, while each delicious layer of the stand comes together to make an unforgettable overall experience. And to top it off? It is all washed down with a no-nonsense cup of Yorkshire tea in a solid silver tea cup.“
“And that, is exactly what it is like, working with Simon. Perfectly polished solid silver perfection. Get in the queue.”
Ben – Art Making Animals
Art Making Animals
TOAST the debut album from ART MAKING ANIMALS is available to stream, download (pay what you want including free) and physical CD from https://artmakinganimals.bandcamp.com/.
