Artist Terry Paul’s ‘Sound-Colour Synaesthesia’
London-based artist and the Banquet director and photographer Terry Paul is many things - director, post-production editor and photographer, working with the same rigour across music, commercial, fashion and documentary.
Creativity has run through Terry’s veins ever since he can remember, with both of his parents being in the field. “My mother was an actress in Jamaican theatre plays and my father was a musician and DJ,” he says. So naturally, music was always playing in Terry’s childhood home and him and his sister were constantly exploring the depths of the music video world.
MTV at the time was king, and Terry quickly developed an obsession with videos an began seeing film as an extension to song and lyrics, or a way they can beautifully come to life. After dabbling in creating music himself for a bit, he quickly realised how much more he loved capturing the creativity of his friends, putting “[his] own personal touch on it”. This is where his pursuit of filmmaking truly began.
Today, Terry’s creative voice is powerful and distinctive, artfully balancing his signature style with bold colours, stylistic environments, dynamic motion and “a sense of illumination.” Nike, Topshop, Depop, UGG, Flannels, Bianca Saunders, Warner Music, Black Butter and Island Records are only a handful of the companies and brands that have collaborated with Terry.
“Whether it’s within one frame or many,” Terry says, “I want people to connect beyond the surface and understand the heart of the story being told.”
LBB’s Zoe Antonov sat down with Terry to find out more about his life and career.
LBB> Terry, what were the first steps you took towards pursuing directing/photography professionally? Which of the two came first and how did it lead to the second?
Terry> My first steps towards directing came from my passion for editing, when I realised some of the earlier videos I edited almost felt like I was directing them within the edit, if that makes sense. Directing came first and I feel other people also saw this within my edits and gave me the opportunity to direct projects for them. I learned very quickly how my role fits into the whole project beyond being on set and always working with great teams around me.
I was always interested in photography more as a hobby, but started to see the beauty and stories in a single frame from what I was creating, and wanted to expand on that by bringing my style into one frame, ultimately becoming an extension of my film work. I’d say I was also inspired by music cover art as I used to design some in the past, but seeing how the image from them brought the music to life.
LBB> You now also do lots of post-production editing, how does this fit into your blend of talents, and how does it change your perspective when directing/shooting?
Terry> I think it fits in effortlessly as when I’m on set or working on a treatment, I view it almost like a timeline, knowing the structure of the video/film from very early on. I feel it also makes me more decisive and clinical on set, seeing each take and knowing exactly where I would use them in an edit. I find ‘that moment’ for the edit much easier knowing I’ve thought about it already and where it fits in the overall video. It makes me think about the overall project and what I'm able to do with the footage beyond just the final edit also.
Above: Terry Paul for Squarespace and OKCOOL
LBB> You work across music, fashion, documentary and commercial - do you have a favourite niche or one you feel most comfortable working within and why?
Terry> I think my favourite niche will always be music, just as I am a music lover first and love the expression of film through a music video I see most music videos as short films at times.
I love marrying my love of fashion within music videos too, paying close attention to the styling and art direction and how these things contribute to the feeling of the final film too. I feel I have a deep understanding of music creation from being around artists and producers like my younger brother, seeing how the visuals become an extension through musicality and always have felt comfortable with that when it comes to the post production especially.
LBB> How has your creative vision developed over the years?
Terry> I would say my vision has broadened beyond what I’m currently creating, as well as finding inspiration from life experiences, conversations, travelling and finding myself in unexpected circumstances. I’ve become more open to other genres, camera and editing techniques and feel that I think more about how the final film from a project can expand beyond just that.
I think it’s great having a distinctive style but I never want to get put into a box, so I try my best to stay open to new ideas and perspectives. This has led me to wanting to broaden my catalogue into documentaries and short films in the very near future.
Above: Mnelia 'Sensless' music video
LBB> What are your main inspirations right now, and has that changed much overtime? What were they before?
Terry> I find myself taking inspiration lately from immersive exhibitions and theatre plays as I want my work to feel experiential to the viewer. At first It was from other legendary directors such as Hype Williams, Spike Jonze and Gaspar Noe as well as the overall aesthetic of the ‘90s and ‘00s. I wanted to make sure I developed my own style from this mix of inspirations and not fall into the trap of emulating too much, coming back to what I mentioned about boxing yourself in.
LBB> What role does colour play in your creative process and why is it so important to you?
Terry> Colour plays such an important role, there's a term I resonate with so well which is ‘sound-colour synesthesia’ as I feel I really do see colour in sounds and try to bring that to life with my work. I see colour as a form of expression and tend to be very specific when picking palettes for certain projects. e.g. I stylised Mnelia’s ‘Senseless’ this video with different complementary colours as the song to me felt like these colours merged, almost like different flavours of bubble gum and candy.
This fits in with the grade also as I see that process as bringing the footage to life from what we shoot on set, and always love sitting in on grading sessions to see how this comes to life.
Above: Era Istreefi ft. Buta music video for 'ID'
LBB> What does the 'sense of illumination' mean when it comes to your creative work? How do you achieve it?
Terry> Illumination to me is bringing the subject to the forefront, keeping the focus on them and showing their light through the expression of performance. I feel I achieve it by discussing the concept/track with the artist, hearing what they feel from it emotionally and getting them to that place when performing to camera. To me they are the light in that scene through how they perform.
LBB> If you had to describe your filmmaking style in three words, what would they be and why?
Terry> My three words would be dynamic, expressive and vivid. I feel all three of these words sum up the way I see the world and try to inject each of these aspects into my work.
For projects I love the concept, camera work and post production to be dynamic, the artists and performers to be expressive and the overall look to feel vivid.
LBB> Do you believe your style as a photographer differs much to that as a director and if so, how?
Terry> I would say it doesn’t if I'm honest, as I take the same approach when shooting photos as I do with film, and let the emotion of the subject lead first. I have the same perspective whether it's one frame or 25.
Above: Terry Paul for UGG
LBB> Tell me about a recent project that you loved creating and why.
Terry> I would say the project I created with Squarespace and OKCOOL was a favourite, as I loved the concept of bringing together two different creatives from completely different backgrounds and disciplines together to create a product which could be sold through the platform. It was pure creativity on set and it was interesting to hear from each individual about what inspired them to do what they do, which in turn also inspired me. I also had a great time working with OKCOOL as I feel we had the same thought processes on how the campaign lives beyond just the campaign film.
LBB> What are you most excited for when you look at the near future?
Terry> I’m most excited to expand my style into new genres as I feel I'm at the stage where I want to explore beyond the surface of film.
I’m especially excited to be injecting more of my background (being Jamaican) into my work to give people more of a sense of what makes my work the way it is. For the near future I'm looking to do this through documentaries and short films as I feel I've been drawn more towards these genres lately, another way to express emotion through stories which is always important to me. I’m an open book right now and just excited to be experiencing that with great people working around me having the same values.
Paying it forward is something I’m always passionate about and I'm excited to continue doing this through tutoring film/post and allowing younger generations to shadow me on projects.
