Atlas music video shot by Charlie Speeckaert
Pommelien Thijs’ Atlas music video was released earlier this year, with the song reaching number one in the Belgian charts. The song is also featured on the Gedoe album, released on the 3rd of October. Charlie Speeckaert reunited with Pommelien to capture the music video, marking their fourth collaboration.
‘I’m very lucky that this was my fourth music video I’ve shot with with Pommelien,” begins Speeckaert. “Our previous videos were with a female director and they were very fun. It was her first time directing. I think she hasn’t directed before, but it felt so natural. She’s always very close to the project creativity. She does the styling herself and is very talented. Her videos are not only about the songs, but also the writing and her performance, costumes and the styling.”
When approached to shoot the project, Speeckaert really liked what Pommelien had in mind. When Speeckaert read the script she wrote, she realised a lot of this vision would not be possible with another director. “She had a very good script and she already had her own vision in mind for the video,” says Speeckaert. “She was totally right to decide to direct it because she’s very visual. Because I’d shot the three previous ones, I was asked to work on this one too.”
Initially Speeckaert thought about shooting the project in black-and-white. “I was thinking about how we could embrace the space and about doing it in black and white in winter time, but I’m so happy that Pommelien said although it was a good idea, it wasn’t the right approach. I always love conversations with directors and most of the directors I give ideas and 99% of the time they will say no, but the 1% they will say it’s a good idea. For me, it’s a learning process and it’s helpful to know.”
For Atlas, there was only one shooting day. “We also shot an extra scene if we had extra time, which didn’t make it into the final music video,” says Speeckaert. “We didn’t put as much prep into that scene as the others. Some songs are quite long, but this song wasn’t super long. A three minute long video compared to say four minutes makes a big difference when shooting. It was a lot for us to have to capture in one day because everything had to be on point. It was possible because of preparation and knowing you only have one day, you look for a location that you don’t have to move.”
Speeckaert explains that each music video she shoots involves a different approach. “On Atlas, I loved the collaboration with the choreographer Sarah Hadadia and Pommelien. They also work very closely together and a lot of this was about the choreography. Sometimes shooting the videos doesn’t involve as many dancers, but it was essential to be one with the camera and dancers on this project. It was important for us to do a longer piece in one shot, so I was thinking about how I could be closer to the dancers and move freely with them.”
Working this way isn’t always straight forward and the choreography can change depending on the location. “You have to make sure to prepare with the director and the crew,” says Speeckaert. “With the choreographer, you have to go and see all of the logistics and work out how you are going to get from point A to B. We make sure we know all the movements and how many metres we need to move, for example. Then, once the dancers are rehearsing in the studio, it gives us a chance to practice and to see exactly what it will look like, so you can visualise exactly how many metres the distances will be. Of course, on the shooting day, things can ultimately change. We might make it compacter, but it’s usually so well prepared by the choreographer, dancers and director. With the camera, I visit rehearsals as well, so I can prepare.”
Speeckaert opted to shoot the video with the Alexa Mini, accompanied with the Super Speeds Mk3s and the Angenieux hr 25-250mm focal length range. “I also used a Steadicam, as it dances well with the movements and the smoothness really helps. I don’t have my own gear. Sometimes I really miss it when it is low budget as it’s handy to have something at home and knowing you can still do the project and help and sponsor it. I’m also very happy because then for every project, I can freely decide or look and see what the possibilities are and make the puzzle myself. With Pommelien, it’s the third video I shot with the same set-up. I feel very comfortable with it for now and I think it works.”
Speeckaert loves working with moodboards and was grateful for Pommelien’s approach. “Not every director uses them and every project is different,” she says. “Pommelien, however does and she has lots of moodboards around styling, lighting, movement and décor. So, that’s already the basics and then of course you have a conversation around it. There is a reason that if a good moodboard is prepared, then as a DOP you believe in it and follow it.”
During pre-production, Speeckaert was initially hesitant about the weather. “We were very lucky. It was February and when we were scouting it was very cold and rainy and there weren’t any leaves on the trees. I was very scared that when we would shoot it would be grey and raining as Belgium can be very grey. That can be beautiful, but the fields we were shooting in would have been very muddy if it had been raining for weeks. So, with the Steadicam and dancing it wouldn’t have been ideal.”
Due to budget constraints, Speeckaert also relied on using natural light for the outdoor sequences. “With the big dancing sequences, we didn’t have the budget to put huge lights up and light it all the way out, so there wasn’t really a lot of possibility to push some contrast in if we really wanted it on a grey day, so I was happy that the sun shone and so we could naturally have some contrast. I was thinking to use VARI colour filters which belong to my father, Glynn Speeckaert ASC AFC SBC, though I didn’t use them. Benoît Debie also used them for a Miley Cyrus music video, I think. I didn’t really need them because we were lucky with the weather.”
Exterior lights were however used for the portraits during the school photos sequence. “The art direction was huge on this project,” notes Speeckaert. ‘We also had two electricians. The camera team was pretty big, although we didn’t have a grip. I asked somebody to help move the Steadicam as the field wasn’t very level. It was doable, but in the end we shot at quite a high tempo because we had many people knowing what they needed to do.”
“I really enjoy when I learn things on projects and when it’s a healthy safe space,” concludes Speeckaert. “Pommelien creates such a good energy. I’ve been to her concerts and they are some of the best I’ve been to. She brings that good energy as a director and everything is possible. Sometimes you can dream big when working with her and I love that. It’s also fun seeing everything put together with a choreographer and seeing how it all unfolds in the end.”
By Oliver Webb
Stills by Eline Cooman