Storyboard, smorgasbord

Desperation is "in the can" as some would say. One friend said upon my return to Dublin that he thought I was in Helsinki making a porno.

"No", I said, and neither was it a promo. I was flattered all the same.

I'm relieved and stirred at having it done and ready to share with folk.
It had always been a toss up between "Rooms" and Desperation", for ever since the album's release last year, the one song that people kept coming back to was "Desperation", closely followed by the former, and now since the opportunity had presented itself to make a video, Desperation was quickly decided upon.


It was rather easy in the end, well, that is if you don't include the preparation and storyboard challenges. Several weeks before the shoot, I informed Chuc of my intentions and the brainstorming session began. Chuc came back to me in a flash with a very developed and elaborate storyboard, all mapped out on pdf. Chuc tends not to half do things.


Enthused, I forwarded it on to the Finnish director. Thinking he'd love it and really hoping he would, we sat back and waited. The prompt reply came:


"I would like to make this video someday, but as it stands, it will cost an extra €10,000". Guess that was a no then.


We tried! A new learning experience had begun. I got back to Chuc and told him the news. We sighed together and moved on.

I eventually got my head round a stripped down, slightly less ambitious (realistic), but nonetheless, quite impressive (as it turned out) storyboard. Tweak here, tweak there, logger head here, there, we were on.



Location location: Helsinki

The song "Desperation" was written one end of a summer; beginning of an Autumn evening, in my then flat, in Helsinki. My girlfriend at the time, J, was sitting reading on the bed behind me as I began to put the chords together. My songwriting turned a corner on this one and I could feel it happening as I meandered my way through piecing it together. J, who was quite demure and rarely forthcoming with feedback regarding my songs, offered, "I think you have something there".

Fitting perhaps, as the song was in part inspired by her and our situation, and to a large degree reflected where we were at that time in our lives. We were falling for one another and those fears which should be kept at bay, that niggle and attempt to dampen down the joyful bliss, were thick in the air that night. I'm happy I got it down. I would be leaving Helsinki one day and was reluctant to get involved as I was mentally preparing myself for departure.

So, Desperation was written and recorded. It first appeared on "Sole", a 5 track EP, then, with strings added, on the debut, "Steafán Hanvey and The HoneyMoon Junkies".


As the song was written up in Helsinki and the memory still continuing to occupy a place in my mind, I decided to go back to the scene of the crime as it were, to shoot the video. The result will be shared with you all very soon. My first music video has been made and it was quite a pleasurable experience.

Goodnight.

Steafán


~Photo by Tuomas Valtanen~