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DAYS LIKE THIS
Kenny Lattimore
Director: Darren Grant
It's late afternoon as the camera floats weightlessly down a narrow road flanked by old buildings
on either side, the scorching streets are nearly empty. We cut to frozen moments of life amongst
the heat (shot in extreme slo-mo, like the Michael Jordan commercials); water dripping from a
faucet, sweat dripping down a woman's neck, old man shaving an ice block, and an old metal fan
that slowly rotates. We go back and fourth between these shots and the soaring camera during
the dreamy intro of the song. Our location is similar to the album cover of "Buena Vista Social
Club"...a place resembling Cuba or parts of Miami.
A close shot of the rotating fan dissolves to the rotating tire of an early model American car
(sharp and very classic); in another shot we see Kenny is at the wheel...his performance begins
here... "I've been here before..." The surroundings remind us of a period gone by: chipped
stucco buildings, damaged roads and older model cars (the environment is extremely rich in
culture and style). Kenny's look is loose and very sexy, maybe a button down short sleeve shirt
(Caribbean style), cool slacks and simple yet distinct sunglasses. His style is a reflection of the
environment with an old jazz twist. A small fan mounted to the dashboard creates a slight breeze
and on the visor above there's an old picture of a beautiful bronze skinned woman. As Kenny
continues to drive, we see his performance from that of an outsider looking in; he performs as if
the camera is not even there. The moment is very intimate.
We cut to an elderly woman that sits in a second story window above the street. In another angle
we see an old black and white film playing on a TV next to the window. In the old film we see a
shot of a man cruising in his early model car (his identity unknown), at this exact moment we see
Kenny's car cruise by in the background on the street below. The cars are very similar, and in
some abstract way the moment leaves us to question...has he been here before?
As Kenny continues his performance we cut to a tight shot of the gas gage -- it's nearly empty.
Kenny pulls to the curb and exits into the scorching heat, surveying the area in a super slow
motion. As he approaches the sidewalk a small flash of light blinds him momentarily, he catches
a glimpse of a woman on a balcony as she slips inside the doorway... Kenny follows. Amongst
a vacant space Kenny makes his way up a long flight of concrete stairs, at the top he finds a
broken piece of mirror and hears the sound of running water in the distance.
Streams of sunlight beam through holes where windows once were, the space is huge and
completely abandoned (weathered concrete floors and chipped stucco walls -- similar to the
vacant seaside hotel in the movie, "Wild Orchard."). He rounds the corner to see a beautiful
woman cooling off under a makeshift shower. Kenny watches her for a moment, then slowly
approaches (this is the woman from the picture), the two passionately embrace under the water as
her linen dress clings to her body. We see a sexy montage of the two together -- she even peels
his shirt off down to his white tank top. But in a flash of white light the magical moment ends
and we see only Kenny looking at the shower from a distance (now woman). Was it all a dream
or a flashback?
Back on the street some time passes as Kenny walks in the scorching heat;
searching...wandering, we now understand that he's looking for the woman in the picture. A
series of slow motion dissolves show the passage of time.
Kenny makes his way down a narrow back street that's completely empty. In the distance we see
a woman walking towards him, as she gets closer we see that it's our leading lady; they continue
to approach each other, getting closer and closer. But their embrace is cut short, and they now
stand face to face with some sort of division between them -- in closer shot we see that a huge
glass wall that goes from one side of the street to the other divides them. Their hands touch and
Kenny performs to her through the glass (in combination with slow motion cut-aways). This
only lasts a brief moment and she turns to walk away, looking back over her shoulder as she
disappears in the distance. This is at the climax of the song (bridge). The following section is
optional: In extreme slow-motion and at several angles we see the glass wall explode into a
thousand pieces (climax of song). Kenny walks across the broken glass in search of her, but
she's nowhere to be found...
Similar to the way the video opens, it comes to a close. Kenny pulls away in his ride and we see
the elderly woman in the window watching her black and white TV -- in the movie we see a car
exactly like Kenny's pulling away into the distance - "THE END" comes up on the TV. At this
exact same moment we see Kenny's car driving by in the background outside. Maybe Kenny
was here before. Was it all a dream, a flashback or something, even deja-vu? Closing shot: the
camera follows his car through the streets, slowly letting it disappear into the distance.
The approach to this clip will be new and different. The look of the piece will be similar to the
album cover, "Buena Vista Social Club" (slightly aged with highlights that pop). This can be
done through a combination of techniques that are as follows: low contrast print, bleach by-pass
and cross process. I think the recommended look fits well with Kenny's direction and the
concept. A combination of unique camera styles, such as hand-held, extreme close-ups/macros
and natural lighting will offer a refreshing look.
Kenny's look, style and overall approach will reflect the environment in which he's in, but with a
cool relaxed edge. I want to show the world everything about Kenny that they didn't learn the
first time; his attitude is very sexy and sensual. Different performance shots and set-ups will be
sprinkled throughout: car, street, glass wall and other intimate areas within our location. The
camera will explore Kenny's personality in great detail through macro close-ups of his eyes, lips
and other stolen moments that ultimately take him to new heights.
This video is a two day mostly exterior shoot. We can use a location that doubles for Cuba,
maybe Miami, or even parts of L.A. I'm open to any comments or suggestions you may have.
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