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Blood Orange 'Charcoal Baby' by Crack Stevens

Promonews - 1st Aug 2018

This wonderful video for Blood Orange (aka Dev Hynes) by Crack Stevens (aka Akinola Davies) is, in effect, two videos played alongside one another. They are at the same time very similar and widely different, and their juxtaposition serves to send a message about the diversity of the black experience in London.

In both cases, we're witnessing the different stages of a family celebration, of two different communities, taking place in the same social club, where Hynes is the performer. And what is the so appealing about it is the level of detail and the beautiful portraiture so that documentary merges seamlessly with the music video form.

It's a celebration of similarities - the bringing of the food, the socialising, the dancing - and the differences - and most of all, the fact that it is real - which makes every frame (and split-frame) fascinating.

CRACK STEVENS:

"I wanted to make something for black people to be able to celebrate our complexly embodied lived experiences in the face of all the sensationalised violence and recycled stereotypical images perpetrated about us.

"Making the video was a lot of work but when an artists like Dev treats the director equally as an artist it makes it a real collaboration - I can safely say I’ve never worked as hard or learnt as much on a project before."

Promonews - 1st Aug 2018

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Crack Stevens
Producer
Nick Hayes
Production Company
Nuuksio Films
Production Manager
Martha McGuirk
1st AD
Bryony James

Camera

Director of Photography
Nicolai Niermann
Focus Puller
Mike Hannides
2nd AC
Josh Bloomer

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Peter Bishop

Art

Art Director
Studio Augmenta

Casting

Lead actor
Chloe Rosolek

Editorial

Editor
Kit Wells
Editing company
Final Cut

Grading

Colourist
Jason Wallis
Colour grade company
Etc La

VFX

Post production company
Etc La
Post Producer
Sara Gbadamosi / Chris Lewis

Commission

Commissioner
Johanna Mcmanus
Label
Domino Recording Co

Misc

Other credits

DIRECTORS ASSISTANT

MOYA DE YOUNG

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

ISLAY LEEFE-GRIFFITHS

2nd ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

OLIVER WATERS

RUNNER

PIER NOBLE-BERRY

RUNNER

ARCHIE TRUEGER

RUNNER

ALEX TAWNEY

SPARK

LEON PYSZORA

SPARK

RAMZEY SABBAGH

GRIP

CARL "LUMP" DUNN

PLAYBACK

NATHAN VALENTE

PRODUCTION DESIGN

STUDIO AUGMENTA

ART DIRECTOR

STEPHANIE KEVERS

ART ASSIST

YLAN LUCAS

STYLING ASSIST

MELANIE CHATELET-ADJO

HAIR ASSIST

ISSAC POLEON

MU ASSIST

MANDANA MIRZALI

LOCATION SCOUT

ANDREW GILLMAN

CASTING DIRECTOR

CHLOE ROSOLEK

OFFLINE PRODUCER

NIKKI PORTER @ FINAL CUT

SOUND DESIGNER

FRED PEARSON @ MACHINE SOUND

AUDIO PRODUCER

LAURA PEARSON @ MACHINE SOUND

Promonews - 1st Aug 2018

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