Arcadia – Missing – Painting with the language of light

This video by Arcadia (Duran Duran) of their song ‘Missing’ from 1986 is lovely to watch – it’s a stop-frame animation and beautifully lit. I know Duran Duran might be fun to ridicule to some, but this song is a beauty. And I only found out today that apparently David Gilmour of Pink Floyd played guitar on the audio track.

Dean Chamberlain directed it, and you can see how each frame has been layered with light to give a strange, ethereal painting effect. It’s haunting, it’s dream-like. It’s also rich and gorgeous. What happens is that each shot is a long exposure and the photographer moves into the frame and paints the scene with a portable light to achieve the shimmering effects. I think he said the visual idea was of a woman who had stayed alone in the same room for 400 years. And isn’t it sad how it all turns to snow at the end?

You can see more examples of the photographer’s work at www.deanchamberlain.com.

As you watch this beautiful video, the word ‘yearning’ comes to mind, in all its fullness.

‘Whispering your love song in my ear
How can you touch me
When you’re not really there…?’

~ by Paul Badger on 22 April, 2008.