TD 1
We know exactly what we want, we storyboard it to
within an inch of its life... Kojaque and Luka Palm’s Airbnb Sam McGrath Kojaque, Luka Palm, Le Galaxie Sam McGrath seems more than a little bemused with the mesh of porcelain and silver that comprises the set-up for his posh cup of tea. I think he expected a regular cuppa, bag and mug. He tinkers with some of the moving parts before setting it down on the table and relaxing into the conversation. McGrath studied BESS in Trinity. Finding the lifestyle associated with the degree unbearable, he decided to tinker with film, enrolling in a two-week film course in the London School Of Film. He had a natural knack for it too, coincidentally falling in with an emerging Irish MC and visual artist by the name of Kojaque. Moving parts seems like a succinct introduction to McGrath’s work as a director. Anyone who’s watched his work, perhaps most notably with Softboy Records and Kojaque (Bubby’s Cream, Date Night, Airbnb to name a few) has scratched their chins wondering how a low-budget shoot could be visually stacked. The obvious answer is hard work, time and graft. Speaking on the process behind shooting with Soft Boy Records, McGrath says “We’re so rigid with our approach... The style of those [the videos] is that there are no accidents. We will be looking for a ten-second clip, we know exactly what we want, we storyboard it to within an inch of its life... I think the average take count on ‘Date Night’ was 100 takes per ten-second clip. It’s not very reactive, it’s very proactive.” This raw footage approach also requires a fair deal of artistic sensibility in the preparation for the shoot, a detailed understanding of the source material. McGrath approaches each shoot with zero ideas, wanting the video to be “a natural companion.” 26 That understanding is open-ended. I was interested to find out how much McGrath relies on the lyrics in his source material and his response seemed torn. “As a music video director, you want to kind of interpret the song. Input it, process it in your own head and that leads to whatever output you come up with. If the lyrics have had this profound effect on you and if you can think of an image that maybe complements or contradicts that, then go for it. But I don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all if you have lyrics about one thing and a video about something completely different.” McGrath seems to have fallen in with a like-minded creative crowd in Soft Boy Records. He seems like a genuinely collaborative soul. “To me it’s all collaboration, it’s the most important thing I think there’s this myth of the director as this pointing, shouting, single authoritarian. F**k that. Things become better when you involve more people.” That being said, he is open to working with artists outside the label. He informs me toward the end of our chat that he’s gradually getting better at saying no to pitches. McGrath spends most of his time doing a film masters in London. I get the sense that directing music videos is a cathartic process for him. A release from the formal adherence which good drama demands. “Music videos are a lot more fun on the surface, cause it’s just a lot of, “Oh shit that’s class… Unreal. Go, go, go. More more more.” I notice once we’ve finished our chat that his tea remains undisturbed on the table beside us, tepid and in a state of stew - not everything has to be complicated. IG: @sadmcgrath