Video Spotlight: Adele - Chasing Pavements

February 12, 2008

Familiarize yourself with this name: Mathew Cullen. You may not know who he is but there's no doubt that you've come across one of his projects and stopped dead in your tracks.

Remember that HP commercial where Pharrell uses his hands to perform visual magic tricks? Yes, that commercial alone spawned knock-offs from some of the biggest artists in the biz (Please see Fergie's Clumsy and Talib Kwelli f. will.i.am's Hot Thing/In The Mood. And most recently Excel used Cullen's collapsible folding concept from Beck's Girl video to sell their long-lasting gum. Ripoffs aside, it's quite obvious that Mathew Cullen's work is not going unnoticed. Hell, plagiarism is the best form of flattery. So tell me again why you don't know who he is?

Well, my friends, you're about to find out.

Mathew is one of the co-founding members of the film studio Motion Theory. What initially started off as something small has evolved into something much bigger. Motion Theory is now a successful and renowned creative studio that brings together directors, animators, writers and visual effects artists to create innovative and unique projects. Their latest project is the Mathew Cullen directed video Chasing Pavements by Britain's chart-topping artist Adele.

Watch The Video: Chasing Pavements

Hands down, this video has to be the Best Video of 2008. A scene of a car accident becomes the stage for an injured couple's breathtaking dance set entirely against the ground. As the story unfolds we watch the couple fall in and out of love. Matched in tune with their dance are the movements of the surrounding passersby, as seen through the black silhouettes. These carefully choreographed movements heighten the raw emotions felt by the two lovers.

Cullen, once again, uses his visual wizardry to bring to life this 2-D video. Unlike, his previous works, the special effects are captured using just the camera (pretty wicked, eh?). Instead the illusions of the silhouettes are carefully brought to screen by precise choreography and lighting. It's so rare to see a video that's not only beautifully shot, choreographed but that also has a strong narrative story. This video will surely toy with your emotions as you watch this heart-breakingly sensual story unfold.

And that's not all.

We were fortunate enough to interview Mathew Cullen about this video. Here it is:

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer questions about the video. It has been a while since I've been touched by a music video. The visual story that unfolds is breathtaking.

Thank you!

Anyways, I'd love to hear about how the collaboration between you and Adele came to be?

She was a fan of videos we've done in the past and I was a fan of her songwriting and incredible voice.

What was your creative inspiration behind this particular video?

The song's themes were the main inspiration - following after someone you love even though it will never work out. The unconscious couple coming to life to retell their relationship was a perfect storytelling device for the song.

Do you think it's important for music videos to have a narrative story?

The most memorable videos often involve story.

The choreography in this video is absolutely beautiful, how long did it take the actors to nail down the scenes?

It took about 2 weeks to develop the choreography. Marguerite Derricks (the choreographer) and I talked about using movements that could only be done on the ground. The interesting thing is that in developing the dance the couple needed to use each other to create the illusion of defying gravity. It actually worked as a great tie into the themes of the video.

What truly is amazing about this video is the fact that there were no special effects involved in this video. Why was it important for you to keep it simple?

I love using special effects but only when it's appropriate. Because of the subject matter it was important to keep everything as real as possible. We wanted them to feel like they were defying physics but also still grounded in reality.

You've directed some pretty innovative videos in the past and so has your team, how do you feel when you see other directors copying your ideas?

We are all inspired by each other. We just expect them to do it better or bring something new to it.

Lastly, who and what do you turn to for inspiration? (could be musically, through film or anything else)

There isn't a single place really. The important thing is to record your ideas when you have them. People have short memories.

Links:
Official Site: Adele
Videography: Mathew Cullen

Posted by Jen at 12:13 PM | Comments (2)