Interview
Consenses Interview with Sally Taylor:
I absolutely love the video that you created.
Thank you, I’m really glad you like it. It has been challenging to find a visual way to express the idea without actually illustrating the lyrics literally, so I came up with the idea of a man floating helpless and hopeless, and a girl with the power -but not the will- to save him.
So she sent him out in the water, you feel?
No, he’s probably there because he feels that way for whatever reason, but most likely “whatever reason” hurt her so she chooses not to save him. It is open to interpretation.
Wow, And so were you the character? Do you think that you modeled the puppet, after you?
I don’t know. I would say “no”, but I guess there is something of me in him. Sometimes it happens, that my characters become me in a non-conscious level.
What were the first things you saw when you started hearing the music and what was the sort of first image you had. And then how did that snowball into the larger video?
Well actually the first image I had after listening to the song for the first time, was a little bit different from this. It was just a guy with the image of ocean projected over him. But then I thought it would be much more intense if I would show a reason why he’s surrounded by water. Not only to add a story to the image but also to make it easier for the next artist on the chain!
So, tell me. The puppet you used in this piece, did you make it?
Yes I did.
And so the character floating, who’s eyes are they?
A friend of mine’s. He has very expressive eyes and I think they suited the mood of the song just perfectly.
What was the technical part like?
Complicated! Water and puppets do not go well together. If in addition to that you consider that you use lights that emanate heat, then it becomes even harder, as most waterproof materials will melt. So it took a lot of testing and a lot of trial-and-error to come up with the perfect combination and the perfect materials. Or better said, materials that would take a second shot if needed!
For how long have you been doing film and what’s your background there? Many years. Becoming a filmmaker felt like the obvious step after combining my love for drawing and my love for telling stories. I started when I was very young and I worked in every kind of format possible: advertisement, short and feature films, music videos… you name it. It took me a long time and a lot of effort to be where I am today, but I can say I’ve been lucky enough as to never needing to work on other things but this. I started working mostly in live action but slowly moved into the animation world and stayed there for a while, as it offered a much broader horizon to explore.
Well, I just want to thank you so much. You didn’t know me from the hole in the wall, and that you trusted me enough to take on this project and to do it so with so much effort and so much beauty is really, very touching to me. So, thank you.
Thank you for your trust in my work and for inviting me to be a part of such a cool project!