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A WWII RAF pilot is shot down over the British coastline by a german fighter plane.
“A WWII RAF pilot is shot down over the British coastline by a german fighter plane. We stay close with him in his final moments, remembering his nearest and dearest as he gracefully accepts his fate. Franklin & Marchetta take on a different approach to love and loss in this emotive period narrative, fully embracing the heartfelt sentiment behind Nick Wilsons latest single, 'Enough to know you'.”
Lens/Camera Information
Lens series: Anamorphic/i SF 2x
Focus length: 50mm
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Camera: Arri Alexa Mini with HBM 1/4 Filter
Format: Digital
Rental Company: Emmyland https://www.emmyland.com/
DOP Information
Directors of Photography: Johnny Marchetta & Bjorn Franklin http://franklinandmarchetta.com/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/johnnymarchetta
Production Information
Production: Nick Wilson – Enough to know you
Producer: Gina Burns
Directors: Bjorn Franklin & Johnny Marchetta
Colourist: Johnny Marchetta
Production & Post Production Company:
Awards:
UKMVA Best Pop Video (Newcomer) Nomination 2020
Co DOP Johnny Marchetta on their camera, lens and production choices
“Hugely influenced by the likes of Dunkirk and 1917, we wanted to bring a similar big screen feel to this emotive but short narrative promo. The 2x SF 50mm lens paired with an Alexa mini felt like the perfect choice and provided us with that cinematic big picture look that we were aiming for. We were able to get close enough to capture those intimate moments and delicate subtleties on Wills face but then wide enough with the anamorphic aspect to see the beautiful expanse of a deserted desolate coastline.
As with all one shot style videos, you need to hold the viewers attention, build suspense and make it clear that your leading to something significant, that’s why a large and expansive location was key here.
Climping beach, on the south coast ticked all boxes on that front. It’s historical accuracy to the narrative was also extremely important and the coastal RAF base during WWII played a significant part in defending the British Isles against the Luftwaffe. Our historical advisor and wardrobe team also insisted that we used a British Army green RAF uniform as opposed to the more widely recognised navy RAF uniform. This was again significant to that time, apparently the navy RAF uniforms were often mistaken for a German foot soldier and therefore would be subject to “friendly fire” (thats if they survived the plane crash in the first instance!) So as a precaution the RAF pilots started wearing British green whilst in flight.
Secondly, the location was key from the position of the sun to the length of the beach in which we were to track back on. We always envisioned shooting this as close to sunset as possible as we really wanted to see depth and colour in a fading sky and to catch shimmers of those bold, beautiful flares, (but not to overpower too much). The sun, setting just to the right of frame over the horizon presented us a very small window of opportunity to get the take we needed. The lens flare which we enhanced to a deeper red in post production tied in nicely with the colour palette matching the blood red in the final scene.
The incredible people at Emmyland provided all kit and also supported key roles (Emily as First) & (Max as Second AC). We joked beforehand during rehearsals about how challenging this could be from a focus perspective with having to shoot in such a small window (light wise) and with it being the first shoot out of lockdown after not working that muscle for almost 4 months. We never doubted Emily for a second, she knuckled down and kept the focus locked superbly. It took just 3 whole takes in which we used the 2nd. The same went for James Poole our steady-cam op. This was also his first shoot out of lockdown and he held and guided the camera beautifully, all walking with speed down an uneven beach backwards.
On that note, it’s worth mentioning that the pandemic shaped this idea significantly. We aimed for a concept that adhered to social distancing, was exterior based and largely a single character study. It’s certainly a different spin on the classic break up song but the sentiment of the song felt amplified by our soldier who finds comfort in his dying moments. Massive credit to our lead actor Will Fletcher who brought more than we could have ever asked for to the role. He watched 1917 everyday for a week in preparation for the role and immersed himself into the song.
A lot of moving parts came together here and had to work in constant harmony for us to get the result we wanted. We are all over the moon with the final video!”
