Way back on Saturday the 13th [Better late... -Ed.] I attended the video shoot for the Thermals’ latest video, “Returning to the Fold.” Billed to begin at 2 pm, those on the set (in this case, “set” denotes an alley way off Burnside) didn’t hit their stride until around 3 pm. Up until then the afternoon consisted of sitting on tables and waiting for things to begin.

Soon the band were behind their instruments with director Whitey and a handful of crew filming them perform. It was all very DIY. The crew did take after take of singer/guitarist Hutch Harris singing the same lines, using a CD—the stereo balanced on an overturned shopping cart—to cue each take.

Now it was nearly time to film the scene that was the reason so many extras were gathered around. A few takes of the band stopping mid-lyric to run from the crowd were committed to celluloid. Every time the Thermals went to run, a crew member’s Boston Terrier would go dutifully chasing after them.

Then, after a few close-up shots of the Thermals’ (scripted) realization that they were about to be chased, we were all instructed to line up at the inlet of the alley. Ahead of us stood the band and ahead of them was the majority of the crew, packed inside a vehicle that would drive ahead of us to film from that perspective.

Ready, set, go! Actually, not so fast since the band was to take off on a different cue than us. Upon a slightly disordered first take, the staff got a command system in place, which consisted of them yelling “Band!” for the band to start running and then “Crowd!” for the crowd to run. Each time drummer Lorin Coleman would push a shopping cart—and while it may look spur of the moment, that element was so exact that a crew member had the thankless job of prepping the cart i.e. assembling various debris inside of it to spill over. Soon the element of everyone holding a single arm in the air (as if to signify a cavalry charge) was added to the takes.

We chased the band down the alley way about seven times in all, then we moved around the corner to “chase them down the street.” This time they just filmed us (and not the band) running. The Thermals’ part was to be shot in front of a green-screen. Only one take of that, once again by the crew from inside of a gray van driving ahead of us.

Three minutes to four and it was a wrap.

Links:
The Thermals
Whitey McConnaughy videography

Photos by Nilina