YDA Gold Winner on his Magical Promo, Medicine

Medicine has made the rounds this summer - featuring at Saatchi & Saatchi's New Director's Showcase and scoring a Gold music video award at the YDA show. Not only is it a beautiful piece of work, but director Salomon Ligthelm reveals it was a real heartfelt job as the storyline was inspired by true events that happened to the actors - a real life couple, living with a visual impairment between them. Finding out about the secrets behind the spot will only make it more intriguing. 

Why did you get into directing?

I was originally interested in music, which is why I studied sound engineering at SAE in Dubai. I immediately got a job as a creative, tackling sound design and live sound work, but I quickly got bored. This was around 2010, just as the DSLR-movement was taking off. I decided to buy a 7D and devoted all my free time to learning and making experimental short films. Although I initially didn’t know much about stories, strong concepts were important to me, so while many young DSLR shooters were shooting lens tests or camera tests, I was trying to shoot simple ideas that had a creative through line. Looking back now, I think that’s what separated people like Scandi director Gustav Johansson and me from the DSLR noise.

How did the idea for Medicine come about?

The DP on the project, Khalid Mohtaseb, met Terry and Becky when they were extras on another film he was working on. He dug a bit further into their story and sent me an interview he’d done with them. And I became mesmerised by their love for each other. We didn’t know what format this story could take; we initially considered a short doc but eventually settled on a music video as it gave us more creative liberty. Becky is actually blind and almost every scene in the film is based on extracts from their interview and from real events in their lives.

How did you approach directing a real-life couple?

We just tried to get them to do what they normally would. We essentially started by capturing part of their everyday routine and slowly but surely gave them direction to build up towards a larger piece. I wanted it to be rooted in reality.

The track fits the spot perfectly. Tell us how you came to find the music.

We had two tracks in mind and we actually built the edit using the other piece of music. I replaced the other track with Medicine at the last minute and it resonated much more with me. I adjusted a couple of frames here and there, but essentially the emotional beats landed a lot stronger with Medicine, so it stuck.

What was it like directing someone who is actually visually impaired?

Honestly, that was the easiest part of the shoot. Becky wasn’t self-conscious about what she looked like. Technically, of course, directing a blind person is challenging, but emotionally it’s really liberating. Often with talent, you have to shed the veneer of the “actor”. However, Becky didn’t have that, so her performance was quite natural.

How long did it take to shoot and what was the most challenging aspect of the project?

We shot in Lone Pine, California for two days. We had a small crew of between six and eight people who believed in what we wanted to do. We certainly had some challenges – the most notable of which was getting Becky, who cannot see, to drive a pick-up. We had to build a rig so that she could be pulled by another vehicle, while we got shots from the front and in profile, using a body double for behind shots. Shooting this film was also very emotionally taxing for the crew and also on our subjects, as they had to relive some pretty sensitive moments from their past. Often, we had to cut shooting time short to allow for emotional recovery.

What did you learn during the process of making the film?

I learned that I’m drawn to real people and their stories. I find a lot of truth in their performances. When I walked away from the scene of Becky trying to look at herself in the mirror, I remember thinking that these are the sorts of moments that move me – the real, unadorned, fragile yet beautiful moments within another person’s life that sober me up and make me thankful for my life.

“When I walked away from the scene, I remember thinking these are the moments that move me, the real, unadorned, fragile yet beautiful moments in another person’s life that sober me.”

You entered three films into this year’s YDA. Two won Silver and Medicine scooped Gold. What does the YDA mean to you?

It’s always a tremendous honour to be recognised by your peers and getting the YDA recognition has been amazing. I think more young talent look to the YDA as a benchmark, and work hard towards getting the jury’s attention.

What are your directing ambitions?

I’m focussing the next couple of months on sport/fashion/lifestyle jobs and then I’ll also delve deeper into music videos. On top of this, I’m in the early stages of developing a feature. But it’s a long road so I’m in no hurry.

Representation France: gangfilms.com

Rest of world: stinkfilms.com