So, this weekend we worked on the video of 'Karma Is A Bitch' with the guys from Thirskploitation Films. We wanted the video to have the same kind of kinetic energy that's in the track, so I thought immediately of a horror video, with a slasher style. Maybe people being chased and having limbs hacked off shouting "she's gonna getcha!" So we got in touch with Paul Shrimpton whose work I was familiar with from his work with our mates The Autopsy Boys but also the great British horror film 'Inbred' that was filmed in Thirsk. Paul agreed that a horror vid would work great, but he came back with the suggestion of reflecting the 'Karma' theme with a Kung-Fu pastiche video. Being a big fan of Jackie Chan, Sonny Chiba and the Lone Wolf series of films, I could see right away in the synopsis that this was gonna work perfectly. Firstly, it would have the energy to rock alongside the music, and secondly it's a style that, with the right amount of effort and passion, could be brought in on a budget. All the old Kung-Fu films had to employ many techniques to work under time and money constraints so we just had to work cleverly enough that any limitations in our time and money end up looking like the tributes to the style of cinema that they are. And so, we spent three days filming our opus, with full make-up, special effects and stunt doubles. My double was an amazing martial artist, but that's not to say I'm not picking out the splinters from my arms and elbows today! I can't wait for you guys to see it. And, just to re-iterate from a concerned Facebook post, the vid is in no way meant to make fun of Hare Krishnas or have a religious axe to grind. One of our central points of reference was the film 'Mafia vs Ninja' and we simply represent the Hare Krishnas as a bad-ass gang that were all peace and love until they are crossed, and then they stop at nothing to get their revenge! It's done with tongue firmly in cheek, and I'm sure that everyone's going to see the cool intentions behind it. Seeing Laila's role in the video should be enough to make anyone laugh...
Cheers
Barney x
