What were the initial conversations like with the band – and how did the idea for the film evolve? Was it driven by the lyrics?
Yeah the lyrics played a huge role in the film’s concept and how it evolved. I mean, even the song name alone was already such a key visual, so I knew the film needed to revolve around a sofa somehow and also lean into the song’s dreamy, emotionally soaring lyrics. The band wanted the film to really pay attention to the lyrics and the message of the song, and from the moment I heard the track I knew it was a special song, and the video had to be equally mesmerising and ambitious.
When I first listened to the track, I imagined travelling somewhere on a train or a bus, watching the world unfold from my window seat. That’s the feeling that inspired this idea – the feeling of sitting back and travelling past scenes on a summer’s day, only this time it was on a sofa 🙂
There were lots of specific lyrics in the song that the band really wanted to pay attention to, like the Seven Sisters line, for example, was really important to them as it’s where they wrote and recorded their album so the location needed to reflect that. The band also had lots of ideas about the scenes and if you look closely there’s lots of easter eggs in there which point to different lyrics in the songs off their album which is fun – it’s a bit like Where’s Wally! Some of the band’s friends and family were also extras in the video which made it even more special.
Were there any particular constraints on the production – money and time always seem a challenge – or did everything free flow?
I’d be lying if I said money and time weren’t constraints, as with most music videos! It really is a labour of love, but that’s also what was great about the shoot. It was a very ambitious idea and so I always knew it was going to be challenging. I wanted to do everything in-camera and not use a green screen for the sofa scenes, so we shot on various residential and commercial streets in North London and built a real-size living room in the middle of the street and had a 200ft track with the sofa rigged onto it.
We shot everything in one day on 16mm with 65 extras plus the band and sofa scenes and very temperamental weather which kept changing throughout the day, which the camera crew did a very good job at embracing!
It was a brilliant shoot and process overall and I couldn’t be prouder or happier to have played a part in helping to bring this song to life.
Was it actually shot in Seven Sisters ?! And how did you rope in the extras?
It was shot very near to Seven Sisters, about a 10 minute drive from the station so yeah, I’d say it was shot in Seven Sisters!
We worked with Jinjo to find the extras. They did an amazing job at finding a really diverse range of people with incredible skills and talents that were so fun to work with, as well as street casting a few myself!
Anything else you’d like to add?
To me, this song and this film is about feeling content with where you’re at in life and cherishing the present moment as well as looking forward to what the future holds. And I think that sums up how I feel at the end of it. It’s a healthy reminder to stop and appreciate how fortunate I am to get to do what I do, and all the people that make it happen and all the work that goes on behind the scenes to get it over the line. So I’m left feeling very grateful and lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such a talented crew and make something everyone can feel proud of.
On location with director Fiona Jane Burgess
