MARK CRANE
Director
ABOUT
THE FALL CHORUS
A superb brief from the band Elephant Tree looking for a folk horror story concerning a boy.
Over a Covid zoom chat I shared my vision of Isaac the boy (whose name derives from the biblical story of the Binding of Isaac.) and his passage to the abyss.
A lot of my research and inspiration came through the exploration of dark magic and sacrifice across history and the world. From Tlaloc an Aztec God, Capacocha, Tanakh, Leviticus, Gehenna and Tophet, The Ver-Sacrum, Phoenica and Carthage, Pre-Islamic Arabia and pre-modern Europe, modern South Africa and Uganda.
Isaac dreams of pigs encircling. He departs the security of his home town and voyages beyond the realms of dreams to an underbelly of stone magic, rogues, pirates, sea monsters, storms and the occult.
stale and ailing
trails are fading
grey stone engraving
sky is caving
so say we all now...
Additional puppeteering and construction by Sheelagh Frew Crane [https://www.sheelaghfrewcrane.com/] Snow Overlay provided by Videezy [https://www.videezy.com/]
ABOUT
FALL APART
Nervus describes the song FALL APART as a cry against how we continue to test the limits of our planets ability to cope with pollution and capitalism destroying our resources and way of life whilst governments and corporations seem unwilling to address the situation.
Theatre On Wax's video takes its lead from just four paragraphs of the 1st Century poem Metamorphoses from Roman poet Ovid. Daedalus and Icarus.
Perhaps we have become Daedalus, able to create almost anything but trapped in an environmental labyrinth of our own making.
FALL APART was selected in over 10 festivals and was nominated for best music video at MEDFF, Semi-Finalist at Indie Best Film Festival, Finalist at Seemor Film Fest UK, Winner of Best Music Video at Moody Crab Film Festival in India and Best of Festival at the Reel Puppetry Film Festival in USA.
ABOUT
JOHN BARLEYCORN
This stunning cover of 'John Barleycorn' by Minnie Birch and Cian Davis (Molly & the Beekeepers) was produced and recorded by Lauren Deakin Davies (NMG producer of the year). Mark had previously worked with Minnie on a previous Theatre On Wax night in 2015 and asked her to cover the song.
The song features in the award winning film Heaven's Rage.
"John Barleycorn" is a British folk song and is represented as suffering indignities, attacks and death that correspond to the various stages of barley cultivation, such as reaping and malting.
Minnie Birch Buzzfeed's 'one to watch' and nominated as Fatea song of the year with 'Sangatte'.
She creates achingly honest and beautiful music about love, loss, life and fairy tales and was the perfect fit to reinterpret this classic folk song.
ABOUT
SHIVER
My car broke down and I was left stranded. Thankful for social media and mobile phones I sent out a cry for help. Tony Pigram of the band 'Corolla' was my rescue.
Over a grateful cup of tea and a fortuitous coincidence of the band looking for a music video a proposal was made.
This tragic DH Lawrence inspired relationship between a Victorian penguin and a polar bear was born in the wilds of Radlett.
Shiver was a selected for festivals in UTAH, USA and in the Beer Town Festival UK.
ABOUT
FATE
A lion and a panther who escape the wilds of the jungle with a crocodile in pursuit. The unique sound of Mikado Soul (Panther & Lion) set about bringing the joy of their music to the people of London.
A couple disappear into FATE nightclub and fall in love.
The crocodile hasn't give up...
Sadly Mikado Soul disbanded and FATE was unable to be shown for over 12 months. It was eventually released and premiered at The African Smartphone International Film Festival and The Super 9 Mobile Film Festival in Portugal where it won BEST MUSIC VIDEO and nominated for Best Music Video at The Reel Puppetry Film Festival.
ABOUT
THE MAN WHO GOT NO SIGN
VIVID (Centre for Media Arts) is based in the jewellery quarter of Birmingham. Labculture was a residency/scholarship offered to artists from a wide range of disciplines with the opportunity to develop new work and enhance skills.
Mark was selected out of hundreds of applicants to develop a music-video project based on the Shel Silverstein song from the album 'Freakin' at the Freakers Ball released in 1972.
The film is a developing idea featuring Mark playing every character. It was shown at the Birmingham Film & TV Festival.
