The first part of 'Night City' can be viewed here

PLAYLIST

How did you settle upon the idea of your theme?
I’ve always loved night sequences in film and been totally frustrated in any attempt I have made in shooting video at night. I thought the mixtape was a way of me getting a vicarious thrill from editing together all these beautifully shot images. There is also something intrinsically cinematic about the night, the way light comes at you from out of the dark. I thought that by using some of my favourite films as a resource I could come close to capturing some of the enigmatic quality that cities hold for me after dark. There is a kind of still spookiness to walking around closed down areas of a city at night. The fascination probably developed as a teenager upon missing the last night bus home to the suburbs and walking around London until morning, hanging around the west end, loitering by the river.

How did you go about piecing together your mixtape?
I decided that the theme was so large that I could get lost if I sought out every great night city image. So I restricted myself to films I had on DVD at home. This was useful as if meant that the mix was in no way a definitive cinematic history of the metropolis at night but simply a personal one. I ripped sequences from DVDs that had stuck in my memory and scoured others looking for half-remembered shots. I then researched and rented a few DVDs that I knew could fill a few blanks in the mix. For example, I’m not a big fan of ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ but it did provide some perfect cityscapes that helped set the tone.

Did the time-consuming element of going through the films effect the final content of your mixtape?
My initial vision of the mixtape was one where a dozen two minute sequences filled the 24 minutes. As I looked further and became more exited by the possibilities of using sound and visual elements independently in the mix,  days were added to the edit. In meeting the original screening deadline I ditched about thirty films. Since it was shown at the Cine City festival I’ve probably spent a further three days working on a more complex  soundtrack and adding a few images that I didn’t have time to include initially. ‘Night City’ is now made up of images and sounds from 50 films.

Was the setting of a 24 minute running time constricting or useful?
For this mix it was extremely useful. The mix could have lasted anything from 1 minute to 1 day. 24 minutes is enough time to go on a journey, for the viewer to immerse themselves but, hopefully, not get bored and start thinking about tea and biscuits. It allowed me time to edit in stages to the piece, to build a narrative that might be a little more resonant than a few minutes of nice images or an hour of diminishing returns.

How did you think the mixtape went down with its viewers? What responses have you had?
I had some positive comments about the mix and also the mixtapes 2006 event. I think that the main element that excites viewers is the possibility of it, the awareness that we all have this internal archive of treasured moments that could, time and technology permitting, be screened for an audience. People quickly used the 2006 mixes as a springboard for the own ideas about themes. I’ve heard mixtape theme ideas ranging from ‘fighting and f*cking’, ‘dancing’, ‘looking through windows’, ‘dressing/undressing’, ‘24 minutes of screaming’ that would probably shred an audience’s nerves, and another comedic one that had alternating shots of people kissing and vomiting. Viewers seem to have little trouble in coming up with ideas. It would be great if we could get them made.

If you were to make another mixtape what would you do?
I plan to make a personal mixtape without a theme. Based upon the premise that if I were stuck in solitary confinement for 10 years what images from film, tv, video, photographs would play clearly in my mind. There will be some pretty disparate things in there. It interests me because, in theory, if you avoid pandering to current tastes and trends and select your sequences truthfully you should end up with some form of moving image fingerprint that will give you some sort of insight into the mixer’s mind.

Also, I’m thinking about a companion mixtape to ‘Night City’ called ‘Country Day’. or ‘Outlands’ - lots of landscapes, weather, beaches, ruminations and folk music. The challenge would be giving it some momentum. I toyed with the idea of making a mixtape made up of anonymous shots from the most famous films in the word. Second unit shots from ‘Citizen Kane’ to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’. Shots without stars or identity from films we all know.

What festivals have you sent your mixtape to?
In 13 years of making films I’ve never sent a film to a festival. When post-production is complete I never get round to doing anything to promote the film more than screening it at a Junk TV event. Obviously there is the copyright issue with this. I plan to send it around to others who might use it as a spur to begin thinking about their own mixtape.