Gizelle Smith
Gizelle Smith - Dust
Sometimes concepts come from lyrics and sometimes its from the overall feeling of the track. With Gizelle’s ‘Dust’, there wasn’t a whole lot of lyric options to pull a narrative from, but the general vibe and pace gave us an immediate direction. Using the hook line of “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” we took the direction of a couple that rob diners, with a nod to ‘Reservoir Dogs’ characters Pumpkin and Honey Bunny.
To mix the storyline up, we begin at the end, with one of the villains lying dead in the back of their getaway car, a vintage pickup truck. Whilst we shot this all in our native Kent, we kept a strong Americana feeling, shooting in an American themed diner and Motel.
One of our issues, from both budgetary and the condoning of gun violence, was the weapons the gangsters would be using. To breakaway from the violence of the genre we’re referencing and move away from a Tarantino gore that you’d expect, the robbers used their hands as guns, in the same way kids might. The only difference is, the effects of them becomes very real, when a waitress gets the chance, she picks up her imaginary shotgun and blasts away in self defence. Our minds turned to classic films such as Hook, where imagination takes over the cast and hopefully sucks in the audience, to feeling that this make believe world, is all very real.
As always, we love to put in some Birdhouse Easter eggs, such as the trillion dollar notes that the robbers are seen taking, with Gizelle’s face printed on them and covered in The Birdhouse Studio scribbles.
Three locations, shot in one day, final delivery within two weeks. Quite the undertaking, but so worthwhile and enjoyable.
Behind The Scenes
Screengrabs
Credits (mostly for our Mothers to read)...
Producer/Director: Marcus Bird
Camera Operator: Alex Rice
1st AC: Benjamin Raymond
Head of Production: Helene Menardi
Producer: Amy Kewell Editor: Marcus Bird
Lead Actors: James Black, Gizelle Smith
Choreographer, Dancer: Rudzani Moleya
Dancer: Venette Farrell
Special Thanks (we love you)...
Thanks to: Nathan Alexander at Boda Skins, Rebecca Lennon at Glassup and Stoski, Dan Hack at Mark Lilly, Jenny Baxter at A21 Diner, Kevin Kilduff at The Trike Trader, David Mcanulty, Maria Knight.
Client Company: Jalapeno Records