Ed Morris on Massive Attack's Latest Promo

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English trip hop icons Massive Attack return with this haunting promo for their latest release, Come Near Me, featuring Ghostpoet.

Produced by Rattling Stick and helmed by Ed Morris the film was shot in one day on location in Hove and stars Arta Dobroshi and Jonathan Aris.

To find out more about the promo, shots caught up with Morris to discuss his inspiration and the challenges faced in directing a music video for such a well-known act.

What was the inspiration behind the video?

The brief and inspiration was the music. Of course there’s the band, the history, the tone, the body of work in its entirety, which is a help and of course a challenge.

How did the idea evolve?

The idea of an emotional standoff came fairly early on. The song has a very singular driving beat and theme and I wanted the visual to merge with that. It’s a very simple visual. A guy takes a step towards a girl, she takes a step back.

For a while I was thinking of it as him following her with her walking away, then in my head I turned her round to face him. It made a leap then, it became something odd, through the streets like that.

How did your approach to this job differ from previous promos?

There is never any set approach although I like interest to be driven by an idea, plot and story as opposed to spectacle. For me too many promos resort to an approach that’s based on an ever-ascending presentation of even crazier stuff. It’s the equivalent of talking louder and louder to be heard.

What was the casting process like and why do you feel the actors were right for the roles?

I’ve been a big fan of Arta’s [Dobroshi] for a while, I’m a big fan of anything by the Dardene brothers. I knew we were going to be in close a lot, I wanted a combination of beauty and brutality. The strength she conveys, her defiance, I thought was perfect. In our first conversation she jumped on that, she got it immediately.

And Jonathan Aris was a lucky find and a great match, such a nice warm guy, and you put the camera on him and it’s like: 'bam!' He just transmits so much, so strong.

How long did the shoot take?

Literally …from about 1pm to about 10pm. Nine hours.  Perceptually about 20 minutes. It all goes so quick.

What was the biggest challenge in filming?

The limit of my own intelligence. Always is. There’s so much to think about. I came out thinking shit, I should have got this shot or that shot, 50 frames, gone in closer, wider, more movement or put it on sticks. But you can’t think of everything, you can’t do it all. Shooting for me is process verses time to think.

Massive Attack are a huge act known for their iconic videos, was there a certain pressure to deliver to this standard, and how did you overcome this?

Yeah just a little bit. You don’t think about that though; you just give yourself to the task. Enjoy it, go at it. What’s the worst that can happen? If the band don’t like it, if it’s not good enough they won’t run it. I did write a few things that I knew weren’t right. That’s the hard bit, being objective about your own work.

How do you hope people will interpret the video?

I hope they just like it. I suppose it does make you think. I think there has always been a certain intelligence to Massive Attack's work. D and G’s [Grant 'Daddy G' Marshall, Massive Attack] feedback when they saw the final cut was bang on. That’s what’s got them this far right, they’re a good judge. Very good.

How do you feel your past experience in adland has affected your directing style, if at all?

Well, I know I have a very honed focus on outake. I think of myself as directing or shaping outtake not content. Having an effect, making people feel something. I work towards or sometimes back from response. Otherwise what are you doing? Colouring in? Painting by numbers?

And finally, how cold was the sea?

Fucking cold, and, get this, we had a break scheduled for 15 minutes at the water’s edge to get Arta changed, put a wetsuit under her clothes. It was tense, we were up against it for light. Without missing a beat, she cocked her head and said “no, I’m going in like this” in she went, without a blink. In and under, hold it for 4 seconds. And cut.