Biscuit Filmworks director Ben Strebel makes a stunning return to music videos with his latest for Skrillex, Starrah & Four Tet’s new track Butterflies.
Displaying Strebel’s trademark attention to detail and heightened narrative sensibility also presents a moving and deeply heartfelt portrait of the hopes, anxieties, and aspirations of a generation of youth whose relationships have been stymied and whose opportunities have been curtailed by the COVID lockdowns of the past year.
The video features typically intricate and emotional choreography by Holly Blakey, intimate and compelling cinematography by Ben Todd, and dazzling visual effects from the team at Electric Theatre Collective.
Strebel spent weeks working with his cast, carrying out interviews with each member about their personal experiences over the past year, which eventually formed the emotional and narrative basis of the film. One actor told him “I feel like we haven’t grown older because we haven’t had a chance to live for a year,” a sentiment that resonates throughout the video.
Far from dwelling on these lost opportunities and deep-seated anxieties, the film is all about living, self-expression, and hope in defiance of those feelings. Freedom. Watch the new Ben Strebel video below:
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Of working with Skrillex, Strebel highlighted the total trust and freedom he was provided, as well as remarking upon the importance of the collaborative nature of their relationship. “He is a truly great artist to work with,” he said.
The film’s co-visual effects supervisor, ETC’s Tobin Brett, explained how they achieved the film’s stand-out ghost effects: “Creating the ghosts for the main choreography section of the video was the biggest challenge for this project. We made use of reference footage shot at rehearsals and on set to match the behavior of the fabric.”
Brett adds, The FX team were able to quickly iterate low-resolution cloth simulations whenever we updated the animation and layout to help us get a feel for how the shot would work. Once we were all happy with the composition of the shot and overall movement, we upped the simulation resolution and added any secondary movements to lift the shot. On set the VFX department captured all the information we needed to realistically recreate the lighting environment to sit the ghosts into the location.”
Biscuit’s Head of Music, Andrew Law, commented: “I am immensely proud of this video. Ben poured his heart and soul into the whole process and the end result speaks volumes about just how high caliber a filmmaker he is.”
CREDITS:
PRODUCTION COMPANY.: Biscuit Filmworks UK
- Director: Ben Strebel
- MD: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
- Executive Producer: Andrew Law, Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
- Head of Production: Samantha Chitty
- Producer: Adam Farley
- Production Manager: Roma Nesi Pio
- Director of Photography: Ben Todd
- Choreography: Holly Blakey
- Casting Director: Kharmel Cochrane
- Casting Assistant: Virgina Kerr
- Cast: Ben Todd-Jones
- Holly Brennan
- Tyrese McKenzie
- Maddie Miller
- Devonte Sackitey
- Zirihi Zadi
- Aden Dzuda
- Jamie Bell
- Lauryn Bryan
- Location Manager: Titus Penate
- 1st AD: Ed Bellamy
- 2nd AD: Christopher Mears
- Directors Assistant: James Murray
- Production Runner: Dalia Saeed
- Runners: Kwesi Mcloed, Sonny McMillan
- Steadicam Op: Simon Wood
- Focus Puller: Sean Lomax
- 2nd AC: Dan Jenner
- Drone: Stem Studios
- Camera Car: Box Van
- DIT: Ashely Hicks
- Key Grip: Wolf Wasserman
- Rigger: Pat Daley
- Video Playback: John Joe O’Driscoll
- Boom Op: Patrick Calvert
- Gaffer: Ben Manwaring
- Electrician: Jamie Chatz, Dimitris Mavrogianns, Jazz Balla
- Production Designer: Oliver Hogan
- Art Department Assistant: James Early, Tom Gullum
- Props Transport: Leo Topalov
- Costume Design: Kate Forbes
- Wardrobe Assistant: John Revell
- HMU: Anna Wild
- HMU Assistant: Ruthie Mannion-Palmer
- Medic: John Greenwood, Dave Ogden
- Covid Supervisor: Stephen McLaughin
- Mini Bus: Lee Righleato, Dean Levy
- Security: Wayne Green, Darren Rosiore, Steve Smith
- Facilities: Robert Sheldrake
- Camera Equipment: Panavision
- Lighting Equipment: Panalux
- Locations Equipment: Get Set Hire
- Location Catering: Honey & Thyme, Luluz Catering
- Editing Company (offline): Metal House Edit
- Edit Producer: Hannah Clark
- Editor: Matt Knee
- Post Production: Electric Theatre Collective
- ETC Creative Director: James Sindle
- Senior Post Producer: Antonia Vlasto
- 3D Lead: Tobin Brett
- 2D Lead: James Belch
- 3D Artists: Luis Fos, Tom Di Stasio, Nikolai Maderthoner, Julien Fradin, Gareth Bell, Robert Kolbeins, Robert Reinschedl, Jack Powell, James Waterhouse, Jordan Dunstall
- 2D Artists: Sarah Crux, Alberto Pizzocherro
- Head of Colour: Luke Morrison
