the video

I am an administrator.  That is what I am paid to do.  I have been a legal secretary for about nine years but just this year got a sweet promotion to this flash new role.  My job is actually interesting at times and definitely quite demanding.  But being the creative that I am, my job is also often quite unfulfilling.  The hours between 9 – 5 are a breeding ground of daydreams for me.

This might seem a bit silly, but a couple of years ago I started this thing where each year I give myself a new motto to base my life around.  My first year’s motto was ‘I’m gonna live my life regardless’ and honestly, it really helped (not to mention it inspired one of my most favourite songs I have ever written).  Last year’s motto was ‘Fuck Dreaming: Make Plans’.  A tad crude, but the blunt aggressive nature of it was what I needed to inspire myself.  So since the beginning of last year I have approached my dreams in that way.  That’s how I transformed my dream of making an EP into a reality as well as all the other musical ventures I have been involved in over the last year and a bit.  However, sometimes no matter how hard you try certain dreams just seem impossible.  Making a video clip was one of those dreams for me.

Since I can remember, all I have wanted to do was make music, perform and be on film.  

Actually before I was obsessed with making music, I was all about the acting.  My little 10 year old self spent most nights lying in bed rehearsing her Oscar Award Winning Speech, or imagining how her interview on Oprah would play out.  I was going to be a great movie actress.  Even though my dreams for feature film making have been put to one side (for now), I have spent many day dreaming hours on the topic of music videos and the making of them.

The problem was, while it was well and good me saying I was gonna start making plans as opposed to just dreaming, how does one make plans to make a video clip with no money and utterly no clue.  That was the question.  I’ve spent years dreaming about it and never felt like I had any way to proceed in this regard.  However, during a good day dreaming sesh at work I began racking my brains for any possible film connections that I had.  I came up with three.  Turns out three connections and the audacity to send a cheeky email was all I needed.  It also turns out that unpaid work for an unknown artist can sometimes be an enticing offer.  I don’t know what gods were shining on me that day, but my heart and smile continued to grow as various emails were exchanged and a date was set down for me to meet with this potential director. 

I remember my first meeting with her so well.  I was impossibly afraid.  I had decided the best thing for me to do was google this so-called director and find out who she was.  Once I did find out I was clueless as to why she would be entertaining the idea of making this video for me.  Her name is Ruth Korver.  She has quite a beautiful array of work under her belt acting in various roles (ie director, producer etc).  The most notable would be that she co-produced the feature film ‘How to meet girls from a distance’ (if you don’t know what I am talking about, well you should check out this trailer).  So yeah, I was a tad intimidated.  But all of my nerves and anxiety dissipated within a minute of meeting her.  I left that meeting so excited because I couldn’t believe my luck.  I had managed to meet a talented director who loved my music and was herself excited to make a clip with me.  It was impossible to believe what had just taken place.

Somehow, over the following months, a lovely lady crew was pieced together by Ruth (so very Beyonce of us!).  So all up we had a director, a director of photography, a set designer, a costume designer, makeup artist and lighting coordinator.  Oh and I got to be called ‘the talent’.  I was quite ok with that.

Everything about the whole process of making this video I was drooling over – ‘Why yes I would love to drink wine and brainstorm with you’.  ‘Costume fitting you say?’  ‘Of course I don’t mind doing some pinning to our pinterest mood board’.  ‘You want to do a makeup and hair test? OK!’ -   I LOVED.IT.ALL.  Like to the point where just now I considered hashtagging that statement.  I thrived on the environment of creativity, the environment of collaboration.

Still now, when I think about it all, I panic that it was all just a dream.  It’s all just too good to be true.  I got to spend hours brainstorming with Ruth and creating this interesting world for the clip to inhabit.  The costume designer Bonne folded approximately a million doilies to hand make me a one-of-a-kind whimsical and daydreamy dress.  Larissa, the set designer, created a room I wanted to live in forever.  Daniela lit my face and the space so beautifully that it looks like I am glowing.  Ness the DOP captured beautiful angles and perspectives and gave the clip such warmth and Fiona gave me my dream hair-do and makeup.   I mean.  Just tooooo good.

But it was real.  It is real.  And its realness is very soon going to be presenting itself to you.  In just a few days all should be revealed.  So keep your eyes peeled people for my dream is about to be served to you on a platter.  And I refuse to pretend I aint excited.