Filming WU LYF at the Manchester Albert Hall

I recently directed the filming of the WU LYF show at The Manchester Albert Hall.

What I find funny about this shoot is that I used to go and watch WU LYF at An Outlet in Manchester a good 15 years or so ago. They’re a really bloody good band. I’d never have imagined back then that I’d be sat writing a blog post about how I directed a shoot of seven cameras at a gig of theirs at the Manchester Albert Hall.

I worked out a coverage plan for the venue based on one I’d used a few weeks prior then put together a crew consisting of Georgiana, Tom, Christina and myself.

The final setup ended up being seven Sony cameras spread around Albert Hall. Two FX6s, two FX3s, two FX30s and an A7 IV covering everything from tight close-ups to wide safety angles and a reverse shot from behind the stage.

Like most live music productions, the plan changed slightly on the day. Some camera positions looked great on paper but less great once a thousand-plus people started filling the room. A few adjustments later and we were good to go.

Being brand specific on shoots is often questioned. One reason I work like this is for consistency. The lighting moved between near darkness, strobes and bright white hits throughout the night and Sony’s low light capability really helped. Having FX6s, FX3s, FX30s and A7 IVs that all play nicely together makes life considerably easier once you get into the edit.

There were a few moments where the original plan largely stopped mattering anyway. The performance was, I want to say erratic at points and the reason I chose the cam ops I did was I knew they’d be able to go off script and make decisions that I could trust.

At one point Ellery launched himself off the Albert Hall stage and into the crowd. Somehow he got back up again with a gracefull like effort. Then later on he did it again?! Seeing how each op reacted to it, I was glad I chose the people I did. A fairly healthy mosh pit had developed by that point too.

Amongst a fair few, one familiar face in the room was long term pal Duncan, who some people might recognise from Stop Making Sense Live where he takes on the role of David Byrne in a recreation of the classic music film. Long before that we were both going to WU LYF gigs in Manchester. It's interesting how often things like this come full circle.

Standing at the back of Albert Hall looking across seven cameras, I couldn't help thinking back to those early WU LYF gigs. At the time I was just there to watch the band.

I never imagined I'd end up directing the filming of one of their hometown shows.