New Director: Ben Strebel

Over the past 18 months Ben Strebel has been cutting his directing teeth on music videos, fashion films and virals out of Stamp and Saloon Films. But it’s his video for Clock Opera’s Once and For All that is getting lots of love on the net. He hasn’t shot any big UK commercials yet – “that’s the next step hopefully” he says. Go on. Give him a script. Here Lyndy Stout, shots' editor-at-large, talks to the Anglo-Swiss new director about his moving film.

It's so refreshing to see a music video about the other end of the spectrum, and how it just doesn't get any easier to pick up girls. How did the idea evolve for the script?

This video was an intensely personal project for me. Not only was it conceived during a time in which someone I love was going through a very tough time, it also comes from my dismay at the way in which elderly people are treated in this country. Having grown up in Europe for the first half of my life, I was shocked by the degradation faced by older people in the UK. They are not represented in popular culture, and the papers are full, daily, with horror stories regarding care homes and the general isolation faced by most of our ageing population. They are easy to ignore, but lets face it we will all be old one day - hopefully! The launderette is traditionally a setting for young lovers to meet, but here it is an elderly couple, subverting the traditional expectations for the setting. This coupled with the cinematic aesthetic helped elevate the subjects onto a grand level. This was the nucleus of the concept, and as the song evoked this idea of being heard and seizing the day it made sense. I was also aware that Clock Opera were a band who would not be afraid of taking risks - as you imply, its not often that a music video features this kind of subject matter. In fact this wasn't ostensibly conceived as a music video; in reality it is a short film without dialogue, one that was inspired by and expresses the sentiment of this specific song, Once and For All, and which has a really strong narrative. 

Wonderful casting, where did you find them?

From the outset, and in the same way that the concept is subversive of a classic music promo, I wanted the execution and approach to be as that to a drama. As a fervent admirer of British drama, I wanted to realise this project to the highest aesthetic and dramatic quality. From its very outset I worked with a drama producer, Alice Lusher. I was also very lucky to have worked with Sacha Green, a casting agent who has worked on Wallander and with the infamous Doreen Doncaster. Together we explored some of the options based on the potential she saw in the script. Dudley Sutton was made for this part. His facial expressions and emotional power as an actor are vital to the success of the film. There are also wonderful performances in there from Anne Queensberry and Katherine Steadman. Securing such a high level cast was really down to the strength of the story, and everyone's belief in it. 

What were the main challenges of the shoot?

We had a limited budget, and limited time with the cast, so it was a challenge! But everyone on set worked incredibly hard to ensure that we made the best of what we had available. We storyboarded each sequence before shooting so that we used every minute as efficiently as possible. The story is a very emotional one - I worked very closely with the actors to get them in the right mindset for these scenes. As you can see emotions definitely ran high! I remember hearing sobbing coming from behind me as the rest of the crew witnessed Katherine Steadman getting into character. It was incredible to watch her reach the height of grief.

The grade was also a challenge, as it defines the final, thus the way Dudley and Ann are represented. The colours in the launderette scene are beautiful, and the skin tones throughout are perfect. The Mill were hugely supportive of the film, their enthusiasm was vital to its success visually. 

As the shoot progressed, and we had a couple of unavoidable incidents on set, I felt the need to apologise to Dudley, given his stature as an actor. He was incredibly gracious and replied, “Ha ha, that's what Fellini once said to me, I told him not to worry, and he answered ‘Ah, a true professional’." It was an incredible moment of realisation – that here I was working with some of the highest acting talent that this country has to offer. 

Watch out for the short film - I will be submitting it to festivals throughout 2012 with a special soundtrack composed by Guy and the rest of Clock Opera.