Tell No One’s Umbrella for Nowness
In light of April's persistent British spring showers Nowness has launched a short film that celebrates the month's ultimate accessory: the umbrella. The website, which serves as an editorial platform for the LVMH group, recruited directing duo Tell No One to bring a splash of creativity.
Reflecting on the one day shoot, Tell No One, said: "Time was a challenge particularly working to a tight schedule with a tiny budget but those pressures always drive you to be more creative."
With that they weren't wrong. A film to celebrate the humble umbrella? And one that manages to gracefully side-step the iconic Singin’ in the Rain scene that has become the stuff of cliché?
The Cannes Young Directors Award winners have created an explosive crescendo of flittering and fluttering. The umbrellas fizz with sparklers as they open and then gently patter to the ground, striking a balance between being energetic and quite beautifully mellow. Just think about the panic of a torrential summer rainstorm and the sudden, calming burst of calm that reappears with the sun.
The organised chaos that ensues within the film was the handy work of art director (and possible budding physicist?), Samuel Waters. "He had created a lot of wonderful mechanical umbrellas that spun, lit up from within or opened mid-flight. For them to open in the air he invented an electromagnetic gizmo hooked up to a switch," the duo explained.
But all of this wizardry came at a price for the unsuspecting producer, Adam Smith. He almost lost his finger in the process of opening a seemingly innocent umbrella for one of the shots. "But he soldiered on, bless him," Tell No One sympathised.
Credits
Production Company: Good Egg
Director: Tell No One
Producer: Adam Smith
Cinematography: Ben Fordesman
Camera Equipment: Arri Media
Lighting: Panalux
Location: Truman Brewery, London
Art Director: Samuel Waters
Composer: Matt Abeysekera
Grade: Vic @ Primefocus
