“So it was one of those kind of family affairs where everyone was mucking in.” -Dawn Shadforth, 2015.

This week’s reading was a transcript of an interview between Promonewstv.com and director of the music video for Hurts’ Lights; Dawn Shadforth. Shadforth has been making unique and memorable British pop music videos for nearly two decades, and this interview provided some insight on the process of creating and collaborating on Lights. Personally, I love the music video. Everything from the costume design to the cinematography looks absolutely gorgeous, and the song itself is super catchy.

Throughout the interview, Shadforth frequently references the process as being a wholly collaborative one. Both the cast and crew contributed ideas to what became the final product, the leading lady even wrote the dialogue.

 

I have never made a music video before, but I have worked as part of a crew on many different film and television projects and I am sure the collaborative lesson is the same: when everyone puts the effort in, the product can be truly astounding. Unfortunately, I have often been in groups with disinterested peers, and it feels like 98% of the time I am working with a group, I end up doing all the work. I really hope that making this music video will be a fun task that we can all be proud of, but for that to happen, everyone must be on board. It is very hard to wrangle a cast and crew that aren’t as enthusiastic about something as you are. Luckily, the majority of my group members seem eager to work as hard as possible. The first thing we made as a group was a collaborative contract, which was a good place to start. It is a busy time of year for all of us, but I truly hope that everyone can at least try their best. I am personally friends with the drummer of the band we are working with, and I would be very ashamed to disappoint them with a product they can’t feel proud of. I have been known to go above and beyond when it comes to group projects, and I always try my best not to take over, however sometimes it simply comes down to this; if I don’t do it, it won’t get done. I am sincerely hoping that will not be the case this time!