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“Do you mind if i practice my guitar in the meeting room?” said our receptionist at work. “Ummm yeah, go for it, but only if you play us a song at the end of lunch”.

And that was the first time I ever heard Lorna Rose sing.

We all knew that she was only our receptionist to pass the time before going to university. And we knew that she was a singer on the side, but we hadn’t known her well enough to head down to a gig and wave from the back like supportive parents. However, I had no idea Lorna was that good, and by the time she’d finished her rendition of Flightless Bird, American Mouth, I had already decided we were going to make her a video.

By 4pm that day we’d chatted and Lorna said she was really up for it, and was looking forward to having her first music video. By 5pm my cameraman friend Dave White, an old friend I’ve shot with many videos with in the past, was on board, and by the end of the day I’d explained it all to Chellington and she was confirmed as our stylist. We were ready to roll a week later.

On Location at Kenrick Place with Lorna Rose

That first performance in the office influenced the look and feel of the video. It was a special, intimate and came out of nowhere, with Lorna barely making eye contact with the handful of people present. In the video we begin by busy Baker Street Tube Station with the sound of sirens and cars going by, before moving to a little oasis of calm a couple of blocks in Kenrick Place, of the many quiet cobbled mews streets in the area. There’s little eye contact with the camera, just a few glances, and the shots are often purposely too close, giving that feeling of intimacy that you only get from being allowed inside someone’s personal space. We also went handheld for much of it, to give a feeling of uncertainty that I think the song is all about. The words “Have I lost you…” somehow feel right when the camera is unsure of itself, so credit to Dave White for his incredible skill.

Dave White films Lorna Rose on the Canon 7D

Chellington did a great job with the styling, working with Lorna’s personal taste to create the look. The sparkles caught the light perfectly and even the lack of the right skirt wasn’t a problem. Chelle was wearing a black vest which she took off, folded over, and low and behold it became the skirt we needed. Talk about resourceful.

Michelle Brennan discussing Lorna's look

Dave and I did try messing about with lights, but in the end it wasn’t needed. The big victorian lantern that sits in one end of Kenrick Place did the hard work for us, and when a car drove by and dazzled the lens over Lorna’s shoulder it looked great. We recorded the sound live on the first take, taking the in sound of the street to make it feel raw and reel. We even entertained a couple of neighbours, with the man who lived underneath coming out to watch Lorna sing while he smoke a couple of cigarettes. Oh, and a doddery posh old chap came back from a boozy night out wearing a tuxedo… That’s Marylebone for you.

Kenrick Place near Baker Street was a perfect setting

So that’s the story of how this latest video was made. If you like Lorna’s fantastic music check out her MySpace for more tracks and information about upcoming gigs.

And if the song sounds familiar that’s because it was originally sung by Iron and Wine in the prom scene in first Twilight film, so if you know a Twilight fan do pass it on…