Niall Trask on Grief, Absurdity, and His Surreal Alabaster DePlume Collaboration
For Riff Raff director Niall Trask, balancing the tightrope between tragedy and comedy, between the absurd and the emotional, between dreams and real life, is a daily task reflected in his work.
”Every morning when I look in the mirror, I see a face that navigates just that,” he says. “All comedy is tragedy, really. It’s someone not getting what they want.”
This sentiment was the undercurrent that swayed the creative direction of his latest music video for his friend Alabaster DePlume’s ‘Invincibility’. Surreal, yet tender, a meditation on grief, the film follows a mother and daughter rushing their injured dog to the vet. Except, the dog in question is Alabaster himself, singing through the pain of facing his inevitable end.
A perfect blend between sweet heartbreak and deadpan humour, Niall has infused this project with a level of sincerity that has become synonymous with his work. Do you laugh, do you cry? This is precisely the question Niall wants you to ponder when you watch ‘Invincibility’.
Niall took full creative control over the project, selecting ‘Invincibility’ from the three available tracks and immediately latching onto the first idea that came to mind – the singer embodying a dying family pet. With a near impossible budget and a single shoot day, Niall and his team crafted a film that is both visually unforgettable and emotional.
LBB’s Zoe Antonov speaks to Niall to hear more about his connection with Alabaster DePlume dating back to his early London days, his own inspirations and the challenges of working within tight constraints.
LBB> You mentioned Alabaster DePlume was one of the first people you met when you moved to London. How did that initial connection shape your approach to working together on ‘Invincibility’?
Niall> I came down to London in 2013 when my illegal Cambridge punting tour operation was finally foiled by the High Court. I started doing live visuals for a band called Flamingods and they rehearsed at the Total Refreshment Centre where Gus (Alabaster) was based. We’ve crossed paths many times over the years at festivals and gigs, and he often joins Dan (Comet is Coming) and me at the pub to watch Arsenal games.
I would say we share an enthusiasm for making stuff with one of us being extremely lovely, open and pure sunshine, and the other being surly, awkward and dark. I always thought these two sets of characteristics might combine well, so here we are, hey!
LBB> The video has a surreal quality, with Alabaster embodying the wounded dog. What drew you to this metaphor, and how did you approach balancing the absurd with the emotional?
Niall> I think I listened to the track once or twice and had the idea there and then. The starting block was purely “What if the singer was a family pet that is being put down, that would be great.” Nothing philosophical or anything! I thought it could hit the right note in terms of being tender, earnest, absurd and funny. I also felt tired of making things that were sophomoric and wanted to try something different.
I was tired of seeing people roll their eyes when I show them a video I’ve made!
LBB> Alabaster gave you total freedom to write on one of three tracks. What was it about ‘Invincibility’ that made you choose it for this particular story?
Niall> I don’t want to direct performance videos. I will always do something somewhat cinematic or narrative based and that song felt the most suited to a narrative, something in the rhythm of it, I would say. I wanted to make a little short film.
LBB> The film explores grief and inevitability, but with an undercurrent of humour. How do you navigate the fine line between tragedy and comedy in your work?
Niall> Every morning when I look in the mirror, I see a face that navigates just that!
I like taking a ridiculous idea, something really silly, and then taking it as seriously as possible, both technically and creatively. The actors needn’t know there’s anything remotely funny about it. And neither should the crew for the most part. I wanted people to not know whether to laugh or cry. We can all identify with that, I think.
All comedy is tragedy, really. It’s someone not getting what they want.
LBB> The visuals shift between everyday realism and something more dreamlike. How did you develop the aesthetic and tone for this?
Niall> Obviously, a lot of thought went into the tone in terms of pacing, the stillness, the costume, etc. But more interestingly, a lot of the aesthetic and tone was dictated by our constraints. We shot this for £5k. And had limited 16mm film (kindly donated for free by Adric). Also, we had to cater for VFX. So, in the end I think we shot about 27 shots and only scrapped two of them. The camera was always very rigid both for mood, and VFX.
LBB> The moment in the sterile room is particularly striking. What was the process of filming that scene, and what emotions were you trying to capture?
Niall> It was a cat shelter near Walthamstow, which I found last minute! Initially, I wanted something bigger with a window adjoining the surgery room for the girl to look through. What we ended up with was something much smaller and not quite there with the dressing. Harry the production designer came in and just made it realistic and bleak.
LBB> The city plays an important role in the film. How did you use the environment to heighten the themes of the story?
Niall> We needed a free location, so my uncle very generously lent us his house in Walthamstow! The shot of the car driving was filmed on the costume fitting day, a few days before filming. That shot was important, I always wanted it to feel like that line he sings, echoes down the road before they arrive at the vet. Adric suggested the bridge, which is near Hackney.
LBB> You mention that the treatment was ambitious. Were there any particular challenges during the shoot, either logistically or emotionally?
Niall> The budget was like £5k and came in at six times that initially. So, we relied on favours and, ultimately, people’s time. And we had to pack a lot into one day. Everyone knew what they were doing on the day because we’d planned really well.
The actors were great too. I think that was Aggie’s first time on a film set and she was a pro! I wasn’t stressed on the day because the crew and cast knew what they were doing. I felt very able to focus on the performances.
I’ve definitely bitten off way more than I can chew in the past and it often leaves you working with much broader strokes and making something crap. Saying that, chance mutations can be great sometimes, but this video was always very rigid and more disciplined, especially for me.
LBB> What was the role of your team in helping you to see this project through and bring your vision to life?
Niall> Milo comes from a film development background and understands narrative really well. So does Precious. They helped me with the story and I really trust their opinions, and ultimately they gave me a lot of confidence.
We jigged things around together as parts were moving in pre-production. Same with Adric, he also definitely jazzed up what was admittedly quite a boring shot-list in places, in hindsight! Marnie put the cherry on the cake with the Undertaker WWF T-shirt. Genius.
LBB> Looking back on the project now, what stands out to you the most about the experience of making ‘Invincibility’?
Niall> I wanted to get the shot of Gus’ head out of the car window like a dog, but was told we had no time, so… When we moved location over lunch from the house to the vet that was our opportunity. The van took the crew, while Marnie drove the little red car, with Adric in the front filming backwards out the window, Gus (with his lunch on his lap) had his head out the back window barking out into Epping Forest. I was sitting next to him, giggling like a child, blasting out ‘Born Free’ by Matt Munro on the car stereo. I definitely haven’t come that far from filming sketches for fun around Suffolk as a kid and that’s not a bad thing in some ways.
