HERE WITH ME - Behind The Scenes
Running Time: 5:04
Released: 2013


SYNOPSISWith camera in hand, Derek provides a unique and intimate look inside the making of the HERE WITH ME music video for The Killers. Featuring Tim Burton, Craig Roberts and Winona Ryder.


CREDITSBehind the Scenes filmed by Derek Frey. Featuring Tim Burton, Craig Roberts, Winona Ryder and The Killers.

INTERVIEW WITH DEREK FREY - LITTLE BLACK BOOK ONLINE

TIM BURTON & THE KILLERS
Producers Derek Frey and Hannah Cooper on working with the master of modern gothic

Blackpool, a faded seaside town affectionately known to Brits as ‘the Vegas of the North’, is the unlikely location of the new Tim Burton-directed music video for The Killers. LBB’s Laura Swinton caught up with producers of the promo, Hannah Cooper and Derek Frey, to find out about working with Burton to bring his waxy, wonky love story to life.

LBB> Why was Blackpool the perfect location for the video?

DF> Tim selected Blackpool because it is a place very personal to his association with The Killers. He first saw the band perform live at the Blackpool Winter Garden in 2006. During that same visit he stopped by Louis Tussaud's Waxworks where he saw a wax figure of Winona Ryder. When the band approached him about ‘Here With Me’ it was an obvious choice of setting.

LBB> The British seaside vibe seems quite removed from Tim’s typical ‘American Gothic’ flavour and also the source of inspiration, 1935 horror movie ‘Mad Love’ – how did you go about making Blackpool fit Tim’s world?

DF> Blackpool actually has many traits that typify Tim's aesthetic. Most of his projects over the last ten years have been filmed in the UK, including Alice in Wonderland and Sweeney Todd, both of which are set in the UK and include seaside locations. Blackpool has a very non-descript, yet haunted feel. Filming in November provided a very desolate feel which heightened the emotional impact of the video.

LBB> Who did you work with to design and create the wax models?

DF> Tim's office turned to Legacy Effects (formerly the Stan Winston Studios) who provided a foam head of Winona created for the film Edward Scissorhands. The foam head was handed over to Krystan Mallet, who served as Prosthetics Makeup Supervisor on Dark Shadows. Time was very limited but Krystan and his team were able to create the highly detailed wax head and place it onto a mannequin body over a few days.

LBB> Why was rising British actor Craig Roberts perfect for the role and what did he bring to the final project?

DF> Tim reviewed available talent with his long-time casting director Susie Figgis. Although Tim was not familiar with Craig's work, his photo made an instant impression. Originally Tim considered the male lead to be an older character. As soon as Craig came into the picture, it was clear that working with someone younger was the way to go. Craig portrays the quintessential Tim Burton loner with ease and perfection.

LBB> A night shot in the ‘Vegas of the North’ must have been pretty tricky – what was the most challenging aspect of the production?

DF> The majority of night shooting was contained to the Blackpool Pleasure Beach which had closed for the season just a week prior to filming. This made the filming process relatively easy. The most challenging aspect of the production was the preparation time for the shoot. Things came together extremely quickly in the days leading up to the shoot and the limited time allotted to film made for a long couple of days and nights.

HC> I agree with Derek, the biggest challenge was the short prep time. However the teams at The Pleasure Beach and Blackpool Tower were really helpful, as were those at Marketing Blackpool. I think we all appreciated what a great production this was to work on, and the whole team worked together to make it happen.

Credits:

HERE WITH ME
DIRECTED BY TIM BURTON
MUSIC BY THE KILLERS
FEATURING: WINONA RYDER, CRAIG ROBERTS & THE KILLERS
WITH AIKO HORIUCHI, GLEN MEXTED, SABRINA LECORDIER, VALERY NUTTALL, GINA DEUTERS
PRODUCED BY DEREK FREY & HANNAH COOPER
CINEMATOGRAPHER: TOM TOWNEND
ART DIRECTION: HOLLY KEMPF
COSTUME DESIGN: COLLEEN ATWOOD
EDITED BY CHRIS LEBENZON, JC BOND & DEREK FREY
PRODUCTION MANAGER: ALEX BEDFORD
PROPERTY MASTER: DAVID BALFOUR
PROP HAND: GREGOR TELFER
ASSISTANT PROPERTY MASTER: JOSH ROTH
DIRECTOR'S CONSULTANT: KATTERLI FRAUENFELDER
PROSTHETICS SUPERVISOR: KRISTYAN MALLETT
UNIT STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER: LEAH GALLO
SPECIAL EFFECTS CONSULTANT: JOSS WILLIAMS
STUNT COORDINATOR: EUNICE HUTHART
PRODUCTION COMPANY: th2ng and TIM BURTON PRODUCTIONS