Richard Heslop
Encyclopedia
Richard Heslop is a British
director of music video
s and films. He has produced videos for artists including Queen
, The Cure
, and New Order
, as well as programs on Channel 4
and the BBC
. He is also a cameraman, writer, editor and artist, often shooting and editing his own work.
in 1979 and took part in The Final Academy multi-projection performance with 23 Skidoo, William Burroughs and friends
In 1981 he documented the Brixton riots
and began a foundation course at the London College of Printing. There, he released his 7 Songs video (1983) with the music of 23 skidoo. . He graduated in 1984 from St. Martins school of art and design film dept with a BA honours in film/fine art. He released his graduation film " The child and the saw" as a boxed vhs tape ( made in collaboration with Daniel Landin) . In the film, a nine year old girl receives a giant bandsaw for her birthday and plays innocently and gleefully as it twists around her bedroom, it leads her on a dark and surreal journey of discovery. The film won first prize at the Huesca
short film festival in Spain and was shown at Edinburgh Film Festival and ICA "Synchronization of the Senses Festival."
Heslop became known for his manipulation of film speeds that gave his images an alternative edge and unique feel and an alternate perspective of reality.
In 1984, he was camera operator for Derek Jarman
's experimental film
Imagining October, filmed on super 8 mm. Two years later he directed his first music video The Queen is Dead by The Smiths
and modelled in a Paris
fashion show for Yohji Yamamoto
and travelled to India to make documentary about the "Kumba Mela."
In 1986 he made the film Procar (16 mm, black and white, 19 mins.) in collaboration with Daniel Landin and Herbert Verhey with his Car Ensemble of the Netherlands
("Nederlands Auto Ensemble") for live performances in Amsterdam during the Romantic Aesthetics Festival. For this project, a two-day drive-in cinema
was built in the centre of the city. The film was shown later that year at the Berlin Film Festival and released as part of a compilation of British short films 1984-1987 called FAT OF THE LAND which also included an early Tilda Swinton short "The Sluggard" by Joy Perino and work by Cerith Wyn Evens.
That year (also with Daniel Landin) he filmed the performance of Laibach
and Michael Clark
in London
: No Fire Escape In Hell (1986) and shot the music video for Laibach's Life is Life (16 mm, released in 1987) on location in Slovenia
.
In the late nineteen-eighties he started to create photo-montage
s that were exhibited in The London Gallery. He also continued his career as director of music videos, including clips for New Order
, Happy Mondays
("wrote for luck" "24 hour party people" and "Hallelujah"), Pop Will Eat Itself
and The Mighty Lemon Drops
(A certain ratio)(sugar cubes). During the same period he started Trigger Happy Films (that would produce many videos including Unbelievable by EMF
) and apart from beginning to document the rave
scene in England he became cameraman on Derek Jarman's arthouse feature film The Garden (1990) and " The last of England". For Channel 4, he directed in 1991 Floating, a 39 min. movie about a Docklands bus driver on the verge of a nervous breakdown, starting to have visions of a second "Great Flood", who finally destroys his house in order to build an ark in his living room. This film was awarded 'Best Short Film' in the Semaine de la Critique at the Cannes Film Festival
in 1992.
The same year, Richard Heslop joined Oil Factory Films - a London-based production company for music videos and commercials. Amongst the many legendary Heslop videos are The Shamen 'Ebenezer Goode' 'Boss Drum' 'Phorever People',The Cure 'Mint Car', Leila K 'Ca Plane Pour Moi', Cooper Temple Clause "lets kill music", Erasure, Electronic, Ace of Base, Paul McCartney, Curve, East 17, Sinead O'Connor, Die Krupps, Suede, Londonbeat,and many more.
In 1996 he was commissioned by Queen to direct an original film for the track "I Was Born to Love You
" on the 'Queen-Made In Heaven' compilation which was co-produced by the British Film Institute and Janine Marmot at Hot Property Films. Nine short films accompany tracks from Queen's uplifting final album, "Made in Heaven" which was completed shortly after the passing of Freddie Mercury. All the films were originally screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival and then released on DVD.
After having directed dozens of music videos, he left Oil Factory Films and began to produce commercials and direct films for the BBC and Channel 4, including the TV series Residents, an 8 x 30min black comedy in (2000) and began shooting a feature film State of the Party, a contemporary drama adapted from Irvine Welsh 'Disco Biscuits' and set in and about the dance culture scene. This project sadly did not complete.
Richard has since been writing and developing feature film scripts as well as progressing his work in photography, illustration, video installation work and his collection of unique conceptual art pieces.
2010: Richard made a music video for DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP "Get better"
In 2010 Richard also set up I Like Films, Me ltd with producers Ciska Faulkner and Philip Shotton to produce feature film 'FRANK'. The film was shot in the north of England, editing is in progress throughout the rest of 2010 and into April 2011.
http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk/csm_alumni_who_16493.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEitrZU-nCw
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
director of music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s and films. He has produced videos for artists including Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, and New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, as well as programs on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. He is also a cameraman, writer, editor and artist, often shooting and editing his own work.
Biography
Richard bought his first super 8mm camera aged 10 before becoming a director, Heslop operated a live multi-projection for 23 Skidoo on their travels through EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1979 and took part in The Final Academy multi-projection performance with 23 Skidoo, William Burroughs and friends
In 1981 he documented the Brixton riots
Brixton Riots
Brixton riots may refer to:* 1981 Brixton riot – 11 April 1981* 1985 Brixton riot – 28 September 1985* 1995 Brixton riot – 13 December 1995* 2011 Brixton riot – 7 August 2011; see 2011 London riots...
and began a foundation course at the London College of Printing. There, he released his 7 Songs video (1983) with the music of 23 skidoo. . He graduated in 1984 from St. Martins school of art and design film dept with a BA honours in film/fine art. He released his graduation film " The child and the saw" as a boxed vhs tape ( made in collaboration with Daniel Landin) . In the film, a nine year old girl receives a giant bandsaw for her birthday and plays innocently and gleefully as it twists around her bedroom, it leads her on a dark and surreal journey of discovery. The film won first prize at the Huesca
Huesca
Huesca is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
short film festival in Spain and was shown at Edinburgh Film Festival and ICA "Synchronization of the Senses Festival."
Heslop became known for his manipulation of film speeds that gave his images an alternative edge and unique feel and an alternate perspective of reality.
In 1984, he was camera operator for Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
's experimental film
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
Imagining October, filmed on super 8 mm. Two years later he directed his first music video The Queen is Dead by The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and modelled in a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
fashion show for Yohji Yamamoto
Yohji Yamamoto
Yōji Yamamoto , is an award winning Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. Yohji is considered to be among the master tailors whose work is thought to be of fashion genius and he has been described by Julie Gilhart, fashion director for Barney's New York as probably the only designer...
and travelled to India to make documentary about the "Kumba Mela."
In 1986 he made the film Procar (16 mm, black and white, 19 mins.) in collaboration with Daniel Landin and Herbert Verhey with his Car Ensemble of the Netherlands
Car Ensemble of the Netherlands
The Car Ensemble of the Netherlands was a Dutch orchestra with a line-up of both cars and instruments and gave a number of performances in the Netherlands and Germany from 1984 until 1987....
("Nederlands Auto Ensemble") for live performances in Amsterdam during the Romantic Aesthetics Festival. For this project, a two-day drive-in cinema
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
was built in the centre of the city. The film was shown later that year at the Berlin Film Festival and released as part of a compilation of British short films 1984-1987 called FAT OF THE LAND which also included an early Tilda Swinton short "The Sluggard" by Joy Perino and work by Cerith Wyn Evens.
That year (also with Daniel Landin) he filmed the performance of Laibach
Laibach (band)
Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
and Michael Clark
Michael Clark
Michael Clark may refer to:*Michael Clark *Michael Clark , Member of Parliament, 1908–1921*Michael Clark , British post-punk ballet dancer...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
: No Fire Escape In Hell (1986) and shot the music video for Laibach's Life is Life (16 mm, released in 1987) on location in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
.
In the late nineteen-eighties he started to create photo-montage
Photomontage
Photomontage is the process and result of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture was sometimes photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print. A similar method, although one that does not...
s that were exhibited in The London Gallery. He also continued his career as director of music videos, including clips for New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
("wrote for luck" "24 hour party people" and "Hallelujah"), Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band, originally formed in Stourbridge in 1986, with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a Grebo act, their style changed to incorporate sample driven indie and industrial rock...
and The Mighty Lemon Drops
The Mighty Lemon Drops
The Mighty Lemon Drops were an English rock group active from 1985 to 1992.-Biography:Originally called the Sherbet Monsters, the quartet first formed in the spring of 1985 in Wolverhampton, in The Black Country...
(A certain ratio)(sugar cubes). During the same period he started Trigger Happy Films (that would produce many videos including Unbelievable by EMF
EMF
- Music :* EMF , a British band** "EMF", a bonus track on EMF's album Schubert Dip* E.M.F. , a 1983 album by GG Allin* English Music Festival, a British music festival- Organizations :...
) and apart from beginning to document the rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
scene in England he became cameraman on Derek Jarman's arthouse feature film The Garden (1990) and " The last of England". For Channel 4, he directed in 1991 Floating, a 39 min. movie about a Docklands bus driver on the verge of a nervous breakdown, starting to have visions of a second "Great Flood", who finally destroys his house in order to build an ark in his living room. This film was awarded 'Best Short Film' in the Semaine de la Critique at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 1992.
The same year, Richard Heslop joined Oil Factory Films - a London-based production company for music videos and commercials. Amongst the many legendary Heslop videos are The Shamen 'Ebenezer Goode' 'Boss Drum' 'Phorever People',The Cure 'Mint Car', Leila K 'Ca Plane Pour Moi', Cooper Temple Clause "lets kill music", Erasure, Electronic, Ace of Base, Paul McCartney, Curve, East 17, Sinead O'Connor, Die Krupps, Suede, Londonbeat,and many more.
In 1996 he was commissioned by Queen to direct an original film for the track "I Was Born to Love You
I Was Born to Love You (song)
"I Was Born to Love You" is a 1985 song by Freddie Mercury, and was released as a single and on the Mr. Bad Guy album. After Mercury's death, Queen remixed this song for their album Made in Heaven in 1995, by having the other members play their instrumental parts over the original track.The song...
" on the 'Queen-Made In Heaven' compilation which was co-produced by the British Film Institute and Janine Marmot at Hot Property Films. Nine short films accompany tracks from Queen's uplifting final album, "Made in Heaven" which was completed shortly after the passing of Freddie Mercury. All the films were originally screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival and then released on DVD.
After having directed dozens of music videos, he left Oil Factory Films and began to produce commercials and direct films for the BBC and Channel 4, including the TV series Residents, an 8 x 30min black comedy in (2000) and began shooting a feature film State of the Party, a contemporary drama adapted from Irvine Welsh 'Disco Biscuits' and set in and about the dance culture scene. This project sadly did not complete.
Richard has since been writing and developing feature film scripts as well as progressing his work in photography, illustration, video installation work and his collection of unique conceptual art pieces.
2010: Richard made a music video for DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP "Get better"
In 2010 Richard also set up I Like Films, Me ltd with producers Ciska Faulkner and Philip Shotton to produce feature film 'FRANK'. The film was shot in the north of England, editing is in progress throughout the rest of 2010 and into April 2011.
External links
- http://www.richardheslopfilms.com/
http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk/csm_alumni_who_16493.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEitrZU-nCw