Why Keith Schofield Put Himself in His Latest Music Promo
Caviar director Keith Schofield is no stranger to outlandish and visual music promos. He is, though, a stranger to being in front of the camera instead of behind it. In a bid to make his recent film for Stylo G and Jacob Plant’s ‘Bike Engine’ more personal, that’s exactly where he is. The film begins with a group of leg-less men lusting over a torso-less pair of female legs, before things turn and the camera reveals Schofield sat on set with Stylo G and Jacob Plant, who look a tad concerned by his side. After heading home and knocking up a bowl of microwave ramen, he checks out the online reaction to his film - which turns out to be pretty cut-throat.
LBB’s Addison Capper asked the director about what inspired him to put himself in one of his videos.
LBB> What inspired you to put yourself in the film?
KS> I’ve found myself thinking about how I’ve done all of these high concept music videos, but rarely is anything personal. I tend to hide behind gimmicks and spoofs with ironic detachment. And so I was drawn to the idea of putting myself into the video. Of course, because I think in gimmicks, I came to the conclusion to literally put myself in the video and show all of my insecurities on screen.
LBB> How did you find the act of directing yourself?
KS> Not fun. I was too fidgety. If I was directing, I would have told myself to relax.
LBB> Would you say that you played ‘yourself’ in the film or a stylised character?
KS> It’s pretty accurate. Although there’s a dash of hyperbole in there.
LBB> In order for your part to work, the first half of the promo had to be quite controversial - content that could have the potential for debate online. How was it for you to think like that? Did you have to work differently to usual?
KS> Actually, that was the first part I thought about. Torso-less asses and half-bros. But then, I kept thinking about how I’d sort of already done this video before, and what would people think - and it just took off from there.
LBB> Do you like to check online opinions of your work? Why?
KS> Yeah definitely. You spend a month working on something; you’re eager to hear if people get it; if they think it’s funny, etc. Unless I’ve made a terrible video. In that case I don’t read anything.
LBB> What has the reaction been like to Bike Engine?
KS> Pretty good! People seem to get it. And any negative reviews I just attribute to the audience playing along with the characters in the video.
LBB> What were the trickiest components and how did you overcome them?
KS> We struggled trying to figure out the dancing scene. We finally came upon a solution involving a crewmember dressed completely in green holding the actor by his waist and then allowing him to fall off. Although it was better in rehearsal.
LBB> And how about the most memorable?
KS> The aforementioned green screen guy wasn’t wearing a proper green screen suit, but rather a disturbing mishmash of leftover green cloth. On set we called him Green Ku Klux Klansman. He is the stuff of nightmares.
