ANDY KEYS CLARK - 'SHE'S SO SPECTOR-ESQUE', 4min., UK
Directed by Ignatius Rake
An animated tribute to legendary singer and 60s icon Ronnie Spector (1943-2022), this epic music video for UK soul and ska stalwart Andy Keys Clark (AKC) blasts Space-Race rocketry out to the furthest corners of the cosmos to help a lovestruck astronaut reconnect with his enigmatic lover.

https://www.ninjinart.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I had worked with Andy Keys Clark before on a couple of video projects, including a short musical film about the COVID-19 lockdowns, or 'bang-ups', in our hometown in Cornwall, UK. He was looking for a video for his song 'She's So Spector-Esque' and I jumped at the chance when he asked me.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

All in all, it took about four weeks, give or take. Animation takes a long time, so I worked pretty much around the clock. I've always kept odd hours and don't sleep very much, so that's not a problem for me. The hardest bit is getting the first rough edit. Then, after that, it's all good fun, adding effects and tweaking it so it all fits the music.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Interstellar love.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest obstacle was simply animating stuff. It's a lot of fun and I really enjoy it but it is very time consuming. You can spend 10 hours doing something and then realise it equates to only a few seconds of screen time, so you can feel quite daunted when there's still a load more left to do. That's not a gripe, though. I love the whole process, so it's not a problem. Quite the opposite: it's a joy. Albeit one that takes a lot of time and concentration!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was delighted! To be honest, I was quite nervous about pressing play but the reactions were all very positive and I'm over the moon everyone seemed to enjoy it and get what I was driving at visually.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

When I was 17, BBC2 ran a series of French New Wave films from the 1950s and 60s and the guerrilla approach to film making really clicked with me. I grew up on punk music, so I really loved the DIY ethos, the feeling than anyone can do this as long as they have the vision and desire.

Then, after I graduated from UCL, I did a video editing course that was a real laugh. It dawned on me how I could marry my love of music and art and produce something that was more than just the sum of its parts. Plus I just really loved doing it. That was back in the days of VHS and S-VHS, so when digital editing came in, my horizons just widened. There was so much I could do as long as I had the hard drives and CPU.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

'Repo Man' (Alex Cox, 1984)! I love this film. In a nutshell, it's about a disparate bunch of punks, desperadoes and lowlifes all trying to repossess a beat-up old car being driven out of New Mexico by a deranged scientist unaware that the reason for its unusually high bounty is the fact that it's got four dead aliens stashed away in its boot/trunk. Trust me, it's flippin' ace!

When I was a student, I had a summer job in a supermarket (much like the main protagonist Otto Maddox at the start of the film). Every day, I worked 12-to-14-hour shifts to get some cash for university. As a result I had no social life as all the pubs would be closed by the time I clocked off shelf stacking. Instead, I would come home and watch 'Repo Man' until I fell asleep. I calculated that I must have watched that film 74 times that summer and each time I saw or heard something new. Such great dialogue and what a soundtrack! "The life of a repo man is always intense!"

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Good question. I wish more film festivals did what you do. The feedback videos are a real boon because otherwise you submit some work and even if you land top laurels, you still have no idea what people really thought of it or what bits worked or didn't. Moreover, the whole Q&A and podcast opportunity is excellent. I just wish more festivals around the world would follow suit.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

FilmFreeway is excellent. I'm based in rural Cornwall, which, while beautiful, is a cultural desert. Apart from the Tate St Ives, there is nothing around arts-wise for miles and absolutely nowhere to show films, so to be able to access festivals across the world via my desktop is a Godsend! I'd be stuck without it.

10. What is your favourite meal?

Well, coming from Cornwall, it has to be a Cornish pasty (https://cornishpastyassociation.co.uk/about-the-pasty/make-your-own-genuine-cornish-pasty/) but I also love Canadian poutine. I used to write about competitive eating and in 2013 Major League Eating invited me to compete in the World Poutine Eating Championships in Dundas Square, Toronto. I came a glorious last but it was great fun and Toronto rules! I flippin' love Canada.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

More poutine hopefully! Right now, I'm working on a short animation for a friend in Japan and then after that it's a new music video for Andy Keys Clark again. This time, it's an upbeat ska tune about space exploration, so I reckon it's right up my street. The moment I heard it my imagination ran wild, so I'm pretty sure it should be fun to animate. If it all goes well, I'll submit it for the next Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival!

Good luck with the Festival and many thanks for the opportunity to answer your questions. It really is very much appreciated indeed!