Nightporter - Japan

Tragic magic. This is a tribute to Japan. The song Nightporter was always a favourite of mine, and I've used AI and footage from the Ripley series to create the music video of my dreams.

I was surprised there was no decent video made for this classic song, and after watching Ripley on Netflix, I was struck by the noirish theme and evocative soundtrack which had more than a nod to Erik Satie and Nightporter. A spark of an idea formed. What if I made a video, as if I was directing the band on a big budget? After some research, I found the roots of the Japan song came from the film of the same name, and I set my film in an old theatre from Weimar Germany. I built the stage in Photoshop and superimposed pictures of the band, feeding them through AI to animate them. The plot centres on a lost soul, heartbroken and isolated in an old hotel, waiting for a visitor. But things go wrong, and tragedy unfolds as the final curtain falls in the most inelegant fashion.

I've tried to include all the members of the band, and I think the scenes of Steve Jansen playing the string bass are spectacular, which is no mean feat considering AI gave me ten twisted mutations for every serviceable clip. This project took 5 months to complete, which included remixing the track (the Tragic Magic mix) from its component parts, shortening the lengthy solo and allowing for a dramatic pause before the climax.

That David Sylvian and the band were so young when they wrote this song is a testament to real musical talent, and I've had to listen to it hundreds of times during the editing process... and I still love it.

RIPLEY CREDITS:
Showtime for Netflix
Director Steven Zaillian
Non AI original footage includes actors appearing in partial frame -
Andrew Scott
Dakota Fanning
Maurizio Lombardi
Cinematography Robert Elswit

Some stills from the film have been blended with images of the band and fed through AI to animate them.

JAPAN (BAND) CREDITS:
David Sylvian - Vocals, piano
Barry Guy - String bass (off screen)
Andrew Cauthery - Oboe (off screen)
Richard Barbieri - Piano, keyboards
Mick Karn - Ann Odell – String bass and oboe arrangement
Steve Jansen - Percussion

AI is hugely controversial, so let's look at the photographic artists whose work appears in this film.

David Sylvian by Anton Corbin 1:02
David Sylvian by Steve Rapport 1:13
David Sylvian by Steve Rapport 1:38
David Sylvian by Yuka Fujii 2:18
Steve Jansen by Steve jansen 2:40
David Sylvian by Simon Gargette 2:50
Richard Barbieri by Fin Costello 3:52
David Sylvian by Steve Jansen 4:07
David Sylvian by Yuka Fujii 4:13
David Sylvian by Yuka Fujii 4:36
Mick Karn by Steve Jansen 4:38
David Sylvian by Yoshi Ueda/Yasushi Handa 5:50

This film is a fan-made passion project and is not for sale. All images and music are credited here to the original copyright holders. No copyright issues intended. Made under creative commons licence.

My version of Nightporter is an abbreviated version of the official extended release, using AI generated stems to minimal effect. I think my original intention to completely rework the track was impractical - because the original song is perfect. There are also two tiny samples from Ghosts to add to the atmosphere.