The Kiffness ft Tawanna Shaunte - You Say You Love Me

Quinton Lavery

Director(s):

Nominated for Video of the Year 2017 - South African Music Awards

Special Mention Award - India Music Video Awards 2017

Semi-Finalist - Caribbean Film Festival & Market 2017

Official Selection - Creative Alliance Rainbow Fest 2017

Official Selection - Art All Night Festival 2017

Official Selection - Sunlight International Film Festival 2017

Official Selection - Drunken Film Fest 2017

Funky electronic act The Kiffness approached us to do something a little different for their new music video. We pitched them the idea of celebrating the LGBTI community by having drag performers lip syncing and dancing in the video. The Kiffness loved this idea and let us run with it. By approaching Manila Von Teez and her team we really found something special for the video. The video was designed to be one long take of Manila dancing down a street in De Waterkant (the LGBTI hub of Cape Town) with her backup dancers as she lip syncs to the song. We felt the video still needed something more to help in stand out and be a bit more innovative, so we added in the idea of Manila doing two wardrobe changes throughout the video, which would be highlighted by ramping up the frame rate of the camera so that those moments would be in slow-motion and therefore that much more impressive. Shining a light on a very specific community was always our goal, as we felt it was really important for them to be proud of themselves and who they are. That’s why the video starts with BE PROUD, PLAY LOUD and ends with BE KIFF. Unfortunately the day we filmed the video was also the day of the shocking shootings in Orlando, Florida. We felt it was only right to dedicate the video to the victims and hope that our message, one of positivity and change, would help to show others that everyone is special.

A Passing Trains Production

Starring: Manila Von Teez Dancers: MaxineWild Jayde Kay Johnson

Management - Barry Reid

Crew:

Director - Quinton Lavery

Producer/1st AD - Tash Montlake

Cinematographer - Darren Wertheim

1st Camera Assistant/DIT - Rudi Lotter

Wardrobe - Haus of Vjorn

Styling & Make-up - Manila Von Teez & Laylah Raja Novacek

Choreography - Junaide Abrahams

Editor - Joshua Borrill

Colourist - Joshua Borrill & Darren Wertheim

Stills Photographer - Seraj Pasha

Special Thanks: Passing Trains, Photo Hire, Popsicle Studios for the Ronin, CGM Brokers, Post Office Post Production, Juli Lotter, Barry Reid (without whom this video would not be possible), Rudi Lotter, Jono Jebus, Kaarel Sein, Divan van Tonder, Jute Scott, Seraj Pasha, Roberto from Zero21, City of Cape Town, Cape Town FilmOffice, Cape Town Traffic Department, The kind people of Loader Street and the wonderful community of De Waterkant, Cape Town.