Prime Focus London

Duffy "Warwick Avenue"

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Prime Focus London has a long-standing relationship with the award-winning creative team behind the promos for Duffy’s singles “Warwick Avenue” and “Mercy”. Director Daniel Wolf now works almost exclusively with PFL colourist Simon Bourne, who has graded sixteen of his promos, and PFL also recently worked with DOP Tom Townend on the amazingly shot promo for Babyshambles’ “Delivery”. “Mercy” and “Warwick Avenue” are the second and third singles respectively from Duffy’s best selling debut album “Rockferry”. The emphasis of the “Warwick Avenue” promo is on realism, as we travel with Duffy on a literal and metaphorical journey starting at Warwick Avenue tube station. The whole promo was shot on location rather than green screen in a studio, which adds to the realism and the intimate feel of the piece. The focus on Duffy was maintained throughout the promo, drawing in and engaging the viewer to establish a heartfelt connection between the storyteller and her audience - indeed, Duffy looks genuinely moved during the performance. This emphasis on the emotion behind the lyrics, and the simplicity of the set-up for the promo, meant that the grade became of paramount importance in achieving the desired feel. Duffy’s features, and especially her eyes, became the focal point from which Simon Bourne took his cue, as his grading expertise was called upon to experiment with colder “earthy tones”. Focusing on Duffy’s soft skin and marrying it perfectly with the colder, more sombre feel which Daniel wanted to achieve was arguably the most challenging aspect of the grade. By contrast, the promo for “Mercy” was designed to capture the 60’s nostalgia which defines Duffy’s sound. Again the focus was on reality rather than visual effects; the dancers were actually set alight for the live action shots, with Dan Lorenzini using Flame to add sparks as a precursor to the flames and cleaning up background shots to remove any distractions. Once again, the promo was beautifully shot by Tom, and Simon’s grade was cool and classic - the challenge being to maintain Duffy as the focal point whilst allowing the dancers and the background action to also shine.

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