House and disco label Glitterbox has been running for over 5 years, uniting people through the power of music. Talented music artists and dancers alike, no matter their background, would be welcome to find their place in the ranks of Glitterbox, many with incredible stories to tell. With this premise, about two years ago, the brand and Defected Records approached Clockwise with their challenge: to find a way to tell all the amazing stories of their artists, celebrating the power of music to unite people.
Of course Covid happened in the middle of production, and Clockwise was faced with a number of challenges to the process, which – judging by the final result – they solved rather brilliantly. The documentary is a tribute to diversity and inclusion, a beautiful piece of work booming with colours and unique identities.
Today we are getting Behind the Idea following a chat with Senior Creative Christ Light and his team at Clockwise, to learn more about how they brought this beautiful documentary to life.
What was the brief?
Glitterbox had been running for 5 years and achieved some incredible things. The label had grown very quickly during that time. They knew they had a story to tell, or many stories. There was almost too much to say and they needed some documentary storytellers to package this up.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
There were a series of conversations and meetings in order to determine the narrative. It was very much a collaborative process between the director, label and production company. Everyone was aligned from the beginning and it was an exciting place to be, simply because there was so much to play with.
Tell us more about the concept. How did it come to life, and why was it the right choice?
There were many voices in this film, including huge global music talent. As we got into the development process it was clear that the most interesting stories came from the dancers, and we wanted to shine a light on them.
What was the production process like? What was the biggest challenge?
We have made numerous feature length documentaries in the music industry and this project started life like most of the others, engaging with the contributors, refining the key themes and pinpointing the crucial moments in the narrative. However as we all know in March 2020 things took a unexpected turn and production ground to a halt. This gave us a decision to make. Do we include the story of the pandemic in the narrative of the film? Until this stage the characters had been the focus so to now shift attention onto a global situation felt somewhat disjointed. However it is hard to ignore so we gave it a go in CUT1. This ended up being left out of the final edit but might make a come back in a longer format for cinema, watch this space.
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during the production of the campaign?
I’m not sure if this is funny but when filming in Paris we were threatened with a gun, I say that, we never actually saw a gun but a local who took offense to us filming near his house told us to get out of there otherwise he would get his gun. Needless to say we obliged.
What’s the main message of the campaign and why does it matter?
A simple message but a complicated journey. Accept people for who they are and feel comfortable to express yourself no matter what.
What is one unique aspect of the campaign?
In a time when the travel and music industry are on their knees it’s a unique opportunity to showcase footage of packed clubs from across the globe. Scenes that we used to take for granted now seem a distant memory. There does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel but helpfully this film has helped fill some of the void left by the pandemic.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
It was about two years in total from the first meeting to the release of the film, but there was a long pause in the middle.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
This is the first documentary for the brand and we hope the first of many. We hope this opens the label up to a new audience, in order to educate a wider spectrum of people on the issues raised in the film. We hope the message goes far and wide, reaching as many people as possible. We hope this film entertains and educates people on matters that are aligned with the brand ethos.
Credit list for the campaign?
Director: Ed Williams
Producer: Ollie Prince
DOP: Adam Beasley / Maik Diederen
Edit: Dan Higginson / Maik Diederen
Exec Producers: Simon Dawson / Simon Dunmore
Production company: clockwise.film
Client: Glitterbox and Defected
