Moses Boyd 'Stranger Than Fiction' by In/Out

Directing duo In/Out experiment with light and movement on their long-awaited return to music video for UK jazz drummer Moses Boyd.

The pair utilize a series of techniques here to create extraordinary ranges of photographic exposure - Boyd and his fellow musicians become white-hot bright figures in their warehouse surroundings, intercut with ghostlike motion-blurred figures.

The overall effect is an otherwordly yet incisive aesthetic, creating exactly the right mood for Stranger Than Fiction, a stand-out moment of modern British jazz. 

IN/OUT:

We pushed the in-camera capabilities of film to visually sculpt the music, etching out the track’s propulsive production wherever possible.

"The brief spoke of ‘hyper-musicality’. Outside of the obvious, this got us thinking about how might a sound ‘look’? What are our instruments, as filmmakers?

"First though, we had to set the mood and feel of the piece. Moses wanted something ‘sinister and mystic’ and in line with the album’s themes we anonymised the performers in a shroud of light. The use of a reflective spray and a singular spotlight achieved this look; haloing the band in this intense glow. All captured in-camera.

"Playing off this visual hook we then set about composing our own rhythm. The looping trajectories, the projected shapes and the strobing light source were all used to achieve that desired ‘musicality’. Plus, by tethering all the action to the track and dolly, we established a perpetual motion; mapping out the music as much as the space.

"Under the guidance of DP Spike Morris we pushed the in-camera capabilities of film to visually sculpt the music, etching out the track’s propulsive production wherever possible. The materiality of film meant we could really hack the medium to bend and manipulate the images around the music. Having the necessary ingredients in the edit was important to build an arc that does justice to the track, whilst also being true to the in-camera imagery captured on the day.

"We’d like to thank all our crew and a special mention to our producer Louisa Plumstead who did so much with so little."