This pop promo was made on the eye-watering budget of zero pounds. Even though it doesn’t look it now, in 2007 this was a fairly complicated video to make. Shot entirely on a Sony P170 in DVCAM, it was hand rotoscoped in After Effects on the living room floor of my flat in West London as I didn't own a desk. The rendering nearly made my antique Apple Mac melt. Trying to explain what a 10-hour render was to the band’s manager was like speaking in double-dutch and all I seem of remember him saying repeatedly was ‘it needs to be more brown.’
Needless to say the manager was a complete dick, but the band were a great bunch of lads and they had talent. Their music reminded me of early Stone Roses tracks. Another great plus for me was that video itself was also filmed at the legendary rehearsal rooms in Stourbridge where my childhood heroes, The Wonder Stuff once practiced. Not only that but the same room was used to film ‘Who Wants To Be The Disco King’ pop promo some 18 years earlier. By the time I got to the venue it was in a rather sorry state and was about to be demolished, but it was fun to film in the same spot as the Wonder Stuff and other Stourbrige legends Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and Pop Will Eat Itself once rehearsed.
Looking back at this now, It just goes to show how luck still plays a great part in anyone’s career: the band did secure some success in Japan under the new name of the Subkicks but with a dodgy manager and his water-tight contract, unfortunately any chance of them hitting the big time faded as quickly as his promise to me of me making more pop promos for EMI…
*The promo actually cost me £20 because I felt so sorry for the impoverished band (who were still hadn't be paid and were claiming the dole), I actually took them to lunch at the local pub during filming.
