Craft
Ethan Tobman Is In Love With Life
After designing sets for the likes of OK GO and Beyonce, not to mention numerous feature films, unsigned filmmaker Ethan Tobman makes his colourful debut as a music video director.
Prev
Post
Next
Post
Set-designer turned debut director Ethan Tobman's list of clients and past projects reads like a tick-box of who you want on your creative CV. Having worked on feature films, in print and even on the Super Bowl, the sets he's designed for the likes of Beyonce, OK Go, Eminem, Lady Gaga and many more have gone on to win awards and nominations across the board. It's no wonder that his debut music video for the band Phases - 'I'm in Love with my Life' - should be such an incredibly ambitious feat of design and execution!
For this video Ethan employs a complicated mixture of sets, stunts, cranes, car crashes and confetti blasts that are already enough to leave the technically-bent mind reeling. On top of this, however, is Ethan's bold choice to shoot the entire video in reverse, one which someone with weaker will and less optimism would have abandoned long before the shoot started. The video speaks for Ethan's extensive experience as both a set-designer and problem-solver and brilliantly conveys the energy and positivity of the song itself.
It caught our eyes at SourceEcreative from the get-go so we couldn't help featuring it on our Scout section for unsigned directors straight away. We also decided to catch up with Ethan to learn a little more about lip-syncing in reverse and hear just how tense watching paint dry can be!
Can you tell us about where the idea for this video came from? Was it one you’ve had for a while or was it inspired by the song?
I had a chance to listen to the song for about a week on nearly constant replay while I was working on other jobs. That kind of stress-free incubation period is rare and allowed me to dream and free associate for a few nights. The result was I had a chance to respond to it emotionally first. The song made me feel so optimistic in such an unselfconscious way; It really changed my mood and my approach to my day. The idea came from wanting to present visuals that made people feel that same way.
Why did you decide to shoot it in reverse?
Since the song made me feel that unique optimism I wanted a method to present pedestrian things- or sometimes catastrophic ones- in humorously pleasing ways. Basically I wanted to invert complex action and bring joy, all while the band walks nonchalantly through the landscape. So the impetus was an emotional one and the execution, however daunting, came secondary.
I had a chance to listen to the song for about a week on nearly constant replay while I was working on other jobs. That kind of stress-free incubation period is rare and allowed me to dream and free associate for a few nights. The result was I had a chance to respond to it emotionally first. The song made me feel so optimistic in such an unselfconscious way; It really changed my mood and my approach to my day. The idea came from wanting to present visuals that made people feel that same way.
Why did you decide to shoot it in reverse?
Since the song made me feel that unique optimism I wanted a method to present pedestrian things- or sometimes catastrophic ones- in humorously pleasing ways. Basically I wanted to invert complex action and bring joy, all while the band walks nonchalantly through the landscape. So the impetus was an emotional one and the execution, however daunting, came secondary.
How did you manage to coordinate the timings despite shooting everything backwards? We imagine there must have been a lot of rehearsals beforehand!
In 12 years of production designing some of the most difficult projects in music videos and commercials, from OK Go, Madonna and Beyonce videos to Superbowl shows, I have never attempted anything so intricately counter-intuitive.
I started with a detailed previz. This helps me to figure out timing, lensing and composition. It also helped me figure out precise allotments of time.
We started by doing video tests of simple things like letting go of a balloon, throwing off a jacket and walking backwards. Then we broke down the song and learned the lyrics phonetically in reverse, which is no easy task and sounded a lot like my Russian ancestors. We danced and videod small sections at a time and pieced them together to figure out how to segue from one to the next. For example, when you want someone to jump up, what you really need them to do is fall down. The hardest thing was figuring out how to guide people through extraordinarily unforgiving cues. There’s no music landmarks when you hear a song in reverse, so we had to create a guide track counting down each command. Like, “3, 2, 1, PAINT, 3, 2, 1, FALL.” We only introduced the band into the rehearsal process once we’d worked out most of the kinks. My experience is not to overwhelm artists and to remind them to always have fun, smile, look relaxed. If they hit all their marks but don’t look easy-going and sexy, we haven’t done our job preparing them.
In 12 years of production designing some of the most difficult projects in music videos and commercials, from OK Go, Madonna and Beyonce videos to Superbowl shows, I have never attempted anything so intricately counter-intuitive.
I started with a detailed previz. This helps me to figure out timing, lensing and composition. It also helped me figure out precise allotments of time.
We started by doing video tests of simple things like letting go of a balloon, throwing off a jacket and walking backwards. Then we broke down the song and learned the lyrics phonetically in reverse, which is no easy task and sounded a lot like my Russian ancestors. We danced and videod small sections at a time and pieced them together to figure out how to segue from one to the next. For example, when you want someone to jump up, what you really need them to do is fall down. The hardest thing was figuring out how to guide people through extraordinarily unforgiving cues. There’s no music landmarks when you hear a song in reverse, so we had to create a guide track counting down each command. Like, “3, 2, 1, PAINT, 3, 2, 1, FALL.” We only introduced the band into the rehearsal process once we’d worked out most of the kinks. My experience is not to overwhelm artists and to remind them to always have fun, smile, look relaxed. If they hit all their marks but don’t look easy-going and sexy, we haven’t done our job preparing them.
How many takes did you guys do?
Actually not that many. On these kinds of jobs it’s all about previz , rehearsal, rehearsal. We only shot the mirror and paint room sections maybe 4 times each; The band had it down so cold by the time of the shoot day they just killed it every time. And we only had the budget for 9 confetti canons to blast 3 times each, so that section was only 3 takes. And the one we ended up using was the very first take.
How long did the whole shoot end up being?
Two days. One day on stage in the paint / mirror room, and one day to night outside in a desert road in Santa Clarita.
Did the band have much creative input in the video, or were they happy to let you get on with it?
In terms of the concept, the mechanics were fairly complex and they really let me run with it. The previz is virtually the video. However along the way I greatly encourage their individual personalities and humour to come through. For example, Z Berg is so flexible she kept introducing jaw-dropping choreography in the paint room. And Jason had the terrific idea of Z applying lipstick while mayhem and the car crash happen behind her. Those are the moments that make this specific to this band and their energy and that make intricate ideas tenable. I never want to overshadow a band by a concept.
Actually not that many. On these kinds of jobs it’s all about previz , rehearsal, rehearsal. We only shot the mirror and paint room sections maybe 4 times each; The band had it down so cold by the time of the shoot day they just killed it every time. And we only had the budget for 9 confetti canons to blast 3 times each, so that section was only 3 takes. And the one we ended up using was the very first take.
How long did the whole shoot end up being?
Two days. One day on stage in the paint / mirror room, and one day to night outside in a desert road in Santa Clarita.
Did the band have much creative input in the video, or were they happy to let you get on with it?
In terms of the concept, the mechanics were fairly complex and they really let me run with it. The previz is virtually the video. However along the way I greatly encourage their individual personalities and humour to come through. For example, Z Berg is so flexible she kept introducing jaw-dropping choreography in the paint room. And Jason had the terrific idea of Z applying lipstick while mayhem and the car crash happen behind her. Those are the moments that make this specific to this band and their energy and that make intricate ideas tenable. I never want to overshadow a band by a concept.
How did the shoot go in the end? It looks like you guys had loads of fun but we’re guessing it got pretty complicated in parts! (We’d love to hear any good anecdotes you might have too!)
The first day started as a breeze. The band had the choreography down and we were contained on the same set we had rehearsed on. It was complicated to light, but once that was done we were off to the races. We shot for maybe 30 minutes before we moved on to the exploding paint, which likewise went off without a hitch.
The nightmare came when, despite multiple fans and heaters, the paint would NOT dry. It just wouldn’t dry! Our production designer Hannah Alpert found this genius product that solidified the surface instantly, but beneath it was just oozing liquid. What’s worse, we couldn’t touch it- we had to preserve the floor or it wouldn’t appear as one continuous shot! Hannah had a terrific idea of using ceran wrap, given that the top was solid, and the band was game to dance on top of it. You can’t tell at all in the final video. But for a while I thought we were screwed.
The second day was much more ambitious and less rehears-able. Problems started immediately. The crane couldn’t descend safely fast enough for the steadicam operator to catch up with the cars. The confetti wasn’t exploding on cue because SFX couldn’t figure out where the cues WERE- the timing we worked out for the reverse music had a different timecode than what was on his system. Playback didn’t have a wire that could extend far enough to follow the band. All these little things- you can anticipate and plan as much as you like, but ultimately my job is to solve problems and not allow them to destroy the creative intent. In the end, the sun was descending, we had minutes to grab the opening shot, and we just went for it. And it worked. The light was stunning, we got that magic hour flare we never thought we’d have time for. Everything always works out in the end, somehow. And you can’t anticipate everything that will go wrong no matter what you do. What matters is how you react to them.
The first day started as a breeze. The band had the choreography down and we were contained on the same set we had rehearsed on. It was complicated to light, but once that was done we were off to the races. We shot for maybe 30 minutes before we moved on to the exploding paint, which likewise went off without a hitch.
The nightmare came when, despite multiple fans and heaters, the paint would NOT dry. It just wouldn’t dry! Our production designer Hannah Alpert found this genius product that solidified the surface instantly, but beneath it was just oozing liquid. What’s worse, we couldn’t touch it- we had to preserve the floor or it wouldn’t appear as one continuous shot! Hannah had a terrific idea of using ceran wrap, given that the top was solid, and the band was game to dance on top of it. You can’t tell at all in the final video. But for a while I thought we were screwed.
The second day was much more ambitious and less rehears-able. Problems started immediately. The crane couldn’t descend safely fast enough for the steadicam operator to catch up with the cars. The confetti wasn’t exploding on cue because SFX couldn’t figure out where the cues WERE- the timing we worked out for the reverse music had a different timecode than what was on his system. Playback didn’t have a wire that could extend far enough to follow the band. All these little things- you can anticipate and plan as much as you like, but ultimately my job is to solve problems and not allow them to destroy the creative intent. In the end, the sun was descending, we had minutes to grab the opening shot, and we just went for it. And it worked. The light was stunning, we got that magic hour flare we never thought we’d have time for. Everything always works out in the end, somehow. And you can’t anticipate everything that will go wrong no matter what you do. What matters is how you react to them.
The set itself is a complicated and crucial part of the video. Did your background as a set designer influence this spot?
Yes, absolutely. By doing a previz and designing and building sets digitally while conceiving the concept, I was completely aware of the physical and budgetary pushes and pulls and I wrote them into my initial treatment. Warner Brother’s Records Inc commented along the way they’d never done a video that stayed so true to it’s pitch. Something like this is essentially a giant conceptual art piece; this one just happens to be inverted. I think it would have been very difficult for a director to approach this particular project without some kind of design background and the trouble-shooting dexterity that come with it. One of the reasons I wanted to direct it was that I didn’t know anyone who could see what I was seeing. But I also think my years of working with conceptually driven artists, like Ok Go and Madonna, Beyonce, Kanye and Lady Gaga prepared me for that level of complexity.
We noticed from the credits that you weren’t actually the set designer for this piece though, were you at all tempted to or did you want to focus on the directing?
I did design the sets in prep, but I couldn’t execute them. Hannah Alpert was a production assistant on a movie I designed last year called Franny and she had so much innate intelligence and creativity that I brought her on to Ok Go’s The Writing’s On The Wall as my art director. That job was so complex we had to develop our own language. By the time we wrapped that we were finishing each other’s sentences. I have enormous respect for her. When this video came up, I knew she would help not just execute my vision but also figure out the reverse lyrics phonetically, the cues, help keep logistical and budget restrictions from muting our ideas. She really killed it. I was so busy trying to keep the timing and choreography and camera in check I had not time to design and I’m grateful she did.
Yes, absolutely. By doing a previz and designing and building sets digitally while conceiving the concept, I was completely aware of the physical and budgetary pushes and pulls and I wrote them into my initial treatment. Warner Brother’s Records Inc commented along the way they’d never done a video that stayed so true to it’s pitch. Something like this is essentially a giant conceptual art piece; this one just happens to be inverted. I think it would have been very difficult for a director to approach this particular project without some kind of design background and the trouble-shooting dexterity that come with it. One of the reasons I wanted to direct it was that I didn’t know anyone who could see what I was seeing. But I also think my years of working with conceptually driven artists, like Ok Go and Madonna, Beyonce, Kanye and Lady Gaga prepared me for that level of complexity.
We noticed from the credits that you weren’t actually the set designer for this piece though, were you at all tempted to or did you want to focus on the directing?
I did design the sets in prep, but I couldn’t execute them. Hannah Alpert was a production assistant on a movie I designed last year called Franny and she had so much innate intelligence and creativity that I brought her on to Ok Go’s The Writing’s On The Wall as my art director. That job was so complex we had to develop our own language. By the time we wrapped that we were finishing each other’s sentences. I have enormous respect for her. When this video came up, I knew she would help not just execute my vision but also figure out the reverse lyrics phonetically, the cues, help keep logistical and budget restrictions from muting our ideas. She really killed it. I was so busy trying to keep the timing and choreography and camera in check I had not time to design and I’m grateful she did.
Did working on such a large number of music videos, commercials and feature films prior to this influence you to become a director yourself?
I honestly hadn’t considered it for several years. When I was in film school I directed a clever little short that went to the Cannes Film Festival and got a screenplay I wrote some studio traction, but unfortunately the timing was off: It concerned a girl who traveled to India and got involved in a terrorist circuit, and I submitted the draft to the studios on August 30th, 2001, eleven days before September 11th. I took that as a sign and I had always loved designing and drawing, and I love what I do as a production designer: Extrapolating director’s visions and dimensionalizing their worlds. That being said, I certainly worked on many projects where I did not feel the director achieved their goals, either by not doing sufficient prep or not conceiving of an idea that translated visually, and I was determined to avoid those mistakes.
Are you intending to move more into directing from now on?
Yes- but I also intend to continue designing. If an idea as a director comes to me that I think warrants execution, I intend to pursue it. I have a million music videos, commercials and a few features I would love to see someone make, and if I’m the right person to make them happen, I will. But I also look forward to designing for directors as well. There are too many talented directors and not enough slots. There aren’t enough production designers out there that I think really have that special ability to seeing a director’s vision and taking it to another level. I love being a part of that process and being a director only helps me to service them, and vice versa.
I honestly hadn’t considered it for several years. When I was in film school I directed a clever little short that went to the Cannes Film Festival and got a screenplay I wrote some studio traction, but unfortunately the timing was off: It concerned a girl who traveled to India and got involved in a terrorist circuit, and I submitted the draft to the studios on August 30th, 2001, eleven days before September 11th. I took that as a sign and I had always loved designing and drawing, and I love what I do as a production designer: Extrapolating director’s visions and dimensionalizing their worlds. That being said, I certainly worked on many projects where I did not feel the director achieved their goals, either by not doing sufficient prep or not conceiving of an idea that translated visually, and I was determined to avoid those mistakes.
Are you intending to move more into directing from now on?
Yes- but I also intend to continue designing. If an idea as a director comes to me that I think warrants execution, I intend to pursue it. I have a million music videos, commercials and a few features I would love to see someone make, and if I’m the right person to make them happen, I will. But I also look forward to designing for directors as well. There are too many talented directors and not enough slots. There aren’t enough production designers out there that I think really have that special ability to seeing a director’s vision and taking it to another level. I love being a part of that process and being a director only helps me to service them, and vice versa.
Silly question, but we have to ask – have you played this video in reverse yet?
I have. My mother actually insisted on sending it to her that way, so I did watch it. It’s funny how familiar it felt while being so entirely different. Watching it was like experiencing someone else’s memory of something.
Finally, what’s next for you? Do you have any more directing jobs coming up or exciting sets to work on?
I recently finished designing the feature film Room, based on the best-selling book, with Brie Larson, Joan Allen and William H Macy- I think it’s going to be an amazing film- and the pilot The Grinder with Rob Lowe and Fred Savage for Fox that just got picked up for series. But right now I’m gearing up to design Wilson for Fox Searchlight with Woody Harrelson based on Dan Clowe’s graphic novel. I’m incredibly excited about that project! There are 85 locations and we’re going for a very distinctive world. Once that project’s done I’d love to continue directing intelligent things that move people in visually unexpected ways. I think people are really supportive of me moving in that direction given the way I work and how much I love to tell stories.
I have. My mother actually insisted on sending it to her that way, so I did watch it. It’s funny how familiar it felt while being so entirely different. Watching it was like experiencing someone else’s memory of something.
Finally, what’s next for you? Do you have any more directing jobs coming up or exciting sets to work on?
I recently finished designing the feature film Room, based on the best-selling book, with Brie Larson, Joan Allen and William H Macy- I think it’s going to be an amazing film- and the pilot The Grinder with Rob Lowe and Fred Savage for Fox that just got picked up for series. But right now I’m gearing up to design Wilson for Fox Searchlight with Woody Harrelson based on Dan Clowe’s graphic novel. I’m incredibly excited about that project! There are 85 locations and we’re going for a very distinctive world. Once that project’s done I’d love to continue directing intelligent things that move people in visually unexpected ways. I think people are really supportive of me moving in that direction given the way I work and how much I love to tell stories.
Membership
