Tomas Leach sings the praises of Daniel Wolfe's Chase & Status masterpiece

Date
21 July 2014
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Tomas Leach is a longtime friend of It’s Nice That, a terrifically-talented director and a man who’s brimming with interesting ideas. But it’s funny how much more you learn about someone when you hear them talk about the work that inspired them to do what they love. So it is with Tomas’ choice, Daniel Wolfe’s Blind Faith for Chase & Status. It’s a video that’s always worth revisiting, but particularly so after you’ve read why Tomas thinks it’s a “period masterpiece.”

Tomas Leach: Chase & Status – Blind Faith directed by Daniel Wolfe

I didn’t want to be the nine millionth director to bring up the Directors Label guys who made the 90s so amazing for music videos, so I tried to chose something more recent (even though Rabbit in Your Headlights made me want to be Jonathan Glazer).

This video for Chase & Status is brilliant. There is so much precise attention to detail that it feels really authentic and natural; it manages to be a great rave video without being gimmicky or fake. It’s done with so much care and love and that really comes across in every frame.

The styling is perfect and the way it’s shot is just great; it’s on VHS but VHS done with really style and intimacy. That takes a real craft and discipline; usually people just shake the camera around and zoom all the time. But people who shot on VHS tried to make it look good at the time, which is just what they get right here. It’s like you are there with them.

Daniel Wolfe, the director, is so good at casting it’s almost unfair. There are tonnes of people in this video and every single face tells a story. Not one of them feels out of place or time and all of them bring a depth and subtlety to it. It feels like he really let the performances flow too. He seems to set the parameters for a scene and then trusts his cast to be themselves in front of camera. It makes it all so rich and engaging – there’s a camaraderie between the cast that is really palpable.

It’s a period masterpiece and the fact that it feels like a real group of friends and ravers is testament to how good he is. His first feature played at Cannes earlier this year – I hope it’s as good as this.

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Daniel Wolfe: Chase & Status – Blind Faith (still)

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Daniel Wolfe: Chase & Status – Blind Faith (still)

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Daniel Wolfe: Chase & Status – Blind Faith (still)

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Daniel Wolfe: Chase & Status – Blind Faith (still)

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

Rob joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in July 2011 before becoming Editor-in-Chief and working across all editorial projects including itsnicethat.com, Printed Pages, Here and Nicer Tuesdays. Rob left It’s Nice That in June 2015.

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