Pulse's Simon Cahn Talks Joy, Pain & Promo Vision

Simon Cahn's recent promo, for Brighton-based DJ/producer Fono, tells a distorted tale of love between two young female protagonists and throws up themes of cliche, contradiction and surprise in a brash and bold way.

Taking the viewer on an aggressive but entertaining ride throughout, the video sees the characters exhange bitter blows to express their fatal attraction and the unnerving footage dovetails with the catchy chaotic sounds of track, Real Joy.

The Pulse director relished the challenge of creating the first music promo for the upcoming dance music act and the video continues to notch online views (over 100,000 at the time of writing). In the interview below, Cahn tells shots about his concept for the piece, including what he wanted to achieve with the story and how it all came together in the English countryside.

Tell us about your treatment for the music video for Fono’s Real Joy and how you got involved? Why did the job appeal?

The track came with a relatively open brief attached to it, which was great. I like to work with first track artists, because it’s like drawing on a blank piece of paper. Their creative direction is yet to be decided on, leaving you with the freedom to try new things. I like this a lot. I wanted to give people an unexpected concept - lulling the audience into a safe, clichéd world and then changing things dramatically.

How long after hearing the track did you come up with your concept?

Normally I have to listen to the track millions of times before finding the right idea, but weirdly on this one, it came quite fast. The track is cool… I liked the pace and energy it had that in turn allowed for bold visuals.

Did the artist take to it straight away?

I thought it would be quite hard to convince them of the concept. I wrote it thinking they would either refuse it outright or tone it down. But surprisingly, they didn't.

Where was the video shot and how long did it take?

The shoot took a day and a half in a small country house near Ashford, Kent.

What were the criteria when casting for the characters?

The casting was very important and we did it in close collaboration with a great fight choreographer. We were looking for girls who were able to act and fight safely and convincingly without them looking like stunts.

Rehearsal was key to ensuring the project’s success. We ran through these fights and emotions numerous times. Actresses Madeleine [Lesay] and Abigail [Poulton] were fantastic, especially because it was quite an intense shoot. It was cold, and very physical. For the end shot, Abigail had to plunge her whole body in the freezing cold sea for quite some time.

You say you used a choreographer; how did you decide on the action shots and aggressive behaviour? It’s quite graphic.

I wanted the fights to look real and visceral. I watched a lot of movie scenes featuring female fight action like Kill Bill, Heavenly Creatures, etc. We then worked with Lyndall Grant, a great fight choreographer, to create the moves.

Tell us about the themes you wanted to explore… contradiction and clichés… How did it all marry with the lyrics?

I really wanted to explore the contradiction in the way these girls react to fighting. Firstly, they are not supposed to fight, and secondly, they are not supposed to enjoy fighting. I really wanted to play with the small nuances of their attitudes. We never know if they are totally having fun or if they’re actually in pain. And of course, to trick the audience, I led with the full cliché of the intro. You start out thinking: “Oh, not again! Not another Terrence Malick wannabe music video.” But when it changes, the effect really works.

It’s an unexpected story, as you explain. What reaction did you want to gain from the viewer and how impactful did you intend the video to be?

I wanted the viewer to be surprised and at the same time moved by what happens. I didn’t want this video to just be two girls fighting in the mud. I wanted to bring a real sense of emotion to it.

Do you think it succeeds?

I’m very happy with the end result as were the label and artist.

Tell us about your shooting technique for the film; a lot seems to be handheld and unnerving. Was that the idea?

I really wanted to approach this music video like an early 90s independent feature film - very low budget, no technical effects, no steadycam, etc. I wanted to produce something that felt very raw.

Even if some parts of the narration and style are clichéd, I didn’t want to shoot them in a cliché way. I wanted to stay away from the classic steadycam shot - moving around a girl in nature, lit by shafts of light...

How important do you think a good promo is to a song and how much further can a video take a track, do you think?

I think it’s really important, I love the challenge of bringing a track to life and creating something new and different for the artist.