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Loop 'Halo' by Ben Unwin

David Knight - 20th Dec 2021

Director and editor Ben Unwin returns to music videos with a real eye-bleeder for Robert Hampson's cult psych-rock outfit Loop...

The visual is for Halo - from the first album by Loop for several decades - channels the halcyon days of psychedelia and acid house with a barrage of imagery, organised by Unwin with relentless intensity. The complex layering of stock footage and old school vision mixing FX never wavers and achieves a mesmerizing quality, which works wonderfully with Loop's droney dance-rock.

This sees Unwin returning to his roots: he started his career making visuals for Loop's live performances. What with the image-flashing it may take a certain amount of adjustment before you enter that zone familiar to several generations of serious ravers. But just go for it - unless you suffer from photo-sensitive epilepsy, in which case avoid at all costs.    

Working with Loop after all these years allowed me to release my inner 70’s acid-head vision mixer.

"I made my first ever visuals for Robert Hampson so when he got in touch to make a video for Loop's first album and single in 32 years, I was more than excited," says Unwin. "Robert said: 'You know what I like. I want it to be insane and almost impossible to watch.' 

"Obviously the phase 'Impossible to watch' is the brief that all directors want to hear. And knowing that the band had no desire to appear in the video I started trawling through free stock footage sites and some visual elements that I made for the live shows that Loop performed at the Meltdown and Roadburn festivals.

"I went back to old school keying and layering, imagining that I was a disillusioned 1960’s acid head working for Top Of The Pops in 1978, whilst pretending my computer was a Grass Valley 100 mixer. After months working on some very corporate pieces to earn money it was hugely refreshing to just delve into experimentation and spend time pressing random buttons to see what effects could be created.

"The band and their fans seem very happy with the final result and working with Loop again after all these years allowed me to release my inner 1970’s vision mixer. Life sometimes does go full circle."
 

David Knight - 20th Dec 2021

Tags

  • Director's notes
  • VFX
  • Dance
  • Rave
  • Vision mixing

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David Knight - 20th Dec 2021

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