|
Post by Sto on Jul 10, 2003 13:45:30 GMT
I got "The Whole Story" VHS today and saw the "Experiment IV" video for the very first time.
It's quite a disturbing video actually, more so than I expected! I especially liked the end where the "Prohibited" sign is put up - the government are covering up the mess that's been made. Kate's little "sshh" sign at the end almost brightens up the mood, but in an ironic sort of way.
I think the most distressing part is the man in the asylum, as they're recording his screaming and the woman is crying in the corner. As Kate directed the video, it really shows that she isn't afraid to confront the taboos and distrurbing parts of our lives.
|
|
|
Post by Xanadu on Jul 10, 2003 19:08:48 GMT
How exciting! I love that video! I think I'm going to watch it again tonight so I can discuss it with you. I really love the part where Kate turns into the demon from the angel!
I have some pics in a book of Kate in that costume, fooling around in the studio, that are pretty amusing! I also have a story about the men who worked on the makeup with her. I'll get the story tongiht and copy it here tomorrow, if you'd like! ;D
|
|
|
Post by Sto on Jul 14, 2003 10:30:18 GMT
You're lucky to have those pics Zan! How did you get hold of them? That devil face actually is frightening stuff, you don't expect it to stem out of Kate! I'd love to hear the story if you have the time to copy it up!
|
|
|
Post by Xanadu on Jul 14, 2003 19:07:33 GMT
Sure, I've got it here with me, but it may take me a while to get it posted. I'll try to give it some time later this afternoon. Maybe I can ask Lori to post the pic on her site.
|
|
|
Post by Sto on Jul 14, 2003 21:54:35 GMT
Oh as I said, if it'll take too long, don't worry about it! Is your computer at work? I don't want you to lose your job And yeah I'm sure Lori would like some exclusive pics?
|
|
|
Post by Xanadu on Jul 14, 2003 22:45:14 GMT
Hey, don't worry about my job. I'm the boss. But I do have to get some work done sometime! ;D ;D I'll get to it today or tomorrow, I just have to set aside a little while for it.
|
|
|
Post by Xanadu on Jul 14, 2003 22:46:34 GMT
And thanks for the concern though, Sto!
|
|
|
Post by Sto on Jul 17, 2003 18:17:52 GMT
Ooh OK that's fine then Then again, you could have made all the headlines: "How Kate Bush Lost Me My Job" ;D
|
|
|
Post by Xanadu on Jul 18, 2003 21:10:45 GMT
Ok Sto' here it is, and I appologize in advance for it's length and if some of you have read it before - just skip it then. But I really enjoyed reading it... ;D
This is a description of the making of The Whole Story video collection (assume this is quoted, and I have abridged for length, and I will use actual quotes when needed):
Kate had similar worries about the video compilation but worked hard to rush through the EX4 film so there would be something new.
The cast includes Dawn French (of French and Saunders fame), Hugh Laurie, Richard Vernon, Peter Vaughn (of Brazil), Del in the dentist's chair, Paddy in the straitjacket, and Jay behind the desk when the Professor enters the building.
The monster was created by Image Animation who produced the devils for the film Hellraiser. Director Bob Keen found a message from Kate an his machine asking him to get in touch. She described what she wanted over the phone, "It's a sound demon so it must have a large mouth to look as if it's screaming." Bob Keen, Geoff Portass, and Roy Puddefoot took their sketches and designs to East Wickham farm. They knocked on a big gate (Beware of Dog). They are all tall and when the gate opened they were surprised by the tiny figure who peered around it - Kate herself.
She didn't take them to the house but led them to a rickety old barn. Behind the rough wooden door was a heavy steel sound-proof door. The stepped from a farm into a high-tech studio. She led the way through to a dinette sitting area with a smal kitchen that was unpretentious with rough blue plaster. She sat them down and made them tea and took great interest in their work saying she wished she had got their job, it must be so fascinating.
She loved their designs and didn't want anything changed. "She knew what she wanted, but once she explained something she never interfered. It was the same with everyone - in every department, she got the best people in and then trusted them to do their best. Maybe if she hadn't liked something she would have said, but she always seemed happy." She was however, less than happy about having the life cast made. "She made us tea and we covered her face in seaweed!" They covered her entire face, and part of her ears with Alginate and she had to remain immobile for 20 minutes. She could only breathe through her nose and it was Roy's job to help people breathe - he sits between their legs and keeps their nostrils clear. He threw Del out of the room because he was messing about and making her laugh: “Wey! You’re going under now!”
There were a few problems. Because of the pressure of time the teeth were made out of “bakeable” modelling clay, and it was hard to get a smooth surface, so they tried spirals like unicorn horns. “Kate liked them, the whole project was very flukey like that.” “Kate was knackered by this time, She was always up until 2am and starting at 6am the next day.”<br> The set was an old military hospital near Blackheath which was actually deisgned by Florence Nightingale. Charles Knode did the costume design, and he also worked on the film Legend. In the final Kate only appears as the siren in close-up and not as the demon. It was decided, due to time and exhaustion, that even with the little holes for her eyes, she could barely see let alone direct and the make-up took far to long to put on. Despite her exhaustion, she was very alert when directing. Here again she trusted the actors to do their best. She would describe the situation then let them get on with it. They never saw her act something out for anyone. She was always present but she took very much a background role, almost diffident.
“She was the nicest popstar anyone could want to meet!” EX4 was made as a B-movie, not as a promo video. It looks best on the big screen, and was shown with “Heartburn” and later “Castaway”(the film which Kate does the song “Be Kind to My Mistakes. Maybe some of Kate’s fans were disappointed that her appearance onscreen was so brief, but it is an important piece of her work and a new area she was keen to explore. “Visually I see a shift from being inspired by dance to filmic imagery. I find the combination of film and music very exciting and it’s rare for people to concentrate on both with equal concern. But when it works, it’s so powerful.”<br> Sorry again for the length, but I love to have information like this, and very much enjoy sharing it with anyone who's interested. ;D
|
|
|
Post by Sto on Jul 18, 2003 21:24:12 GMT
Zan, thank you so much for posting that, it must have taken yonks. An extremely enjoyable read! We all knew Kate worked hard, but going to bed at 2am and starting work again at 6am? I can imagine her just describing what she wanted from the actors and then letting them get on with it. She wouldn't have wanted to interfere with their creativity or step on their toes, possibly because she sympathised, not having had complete control of "TKI" and "Lionheart" and berating this fact in later interviews? Again, thanks for posting it Zan and I certainly hope others will read it!
|
|
|
Post by Al Truest on Jul 18, 2003 22:59:28 GMT
Again, thanks for posting it Zan and I certainly hope others will read it! Likewise Zan, I did read your contribution and enjoyed it thoroughly.
|
|
|
Post by Xanadu on Jul 19, 2003 23:10:07 GMT
No problem, if you're patient. Actually, I typed the whole thing out in a layout program, so I could type here and there and save. Then I just copied it here. I'm happy to oblige and search for anything else I've got that anyone's interested in. I keep everything!!
|
|
|
Post by brillo69 on Feb 12, 2004 2:33:21 GMT
currently, The Whole Story VHS is excempt from classification in the UK. but had it been submitted for a rating,it would have gotten a '15' rating due to the fact that experiment IV was originally given the '15' certificate back in 1986.
just something I've been meaning to post since I first joined.
|
|
|
Post by Lori on Feb 14, 2004 0:29:48 GMT
experiment IV was originally given the '15' certificate back in 1986 Really? Why is that?
|
|
|
Post by brillo69 on Feb 14, 2004 5:08:14 GMT
I'm not really sure why it was given the 15 certificate. Although back in those days the board was quite fussy about certain things and they probably thought that parts of the clip were too much for kids. The only version classified was a version that played in the cinemas,probably with some film. In my opinion,if the video was to be resubmitted,i reckon it would get away with the PG rating. Visit www.bbfc.co.uk than select search titles,type in kate bush in the any word anywhere option and experiment iv comes up as well as cloudbusting which was passed as U.and something that was called Kate Bush:Clips which is listedas a film,meaning that it was played in the cinemas and not released as a video.Anything listed as film means just that,it was played at the cinemas.
|
|