ALIEN INVASION | AFTER MOVIE
When people talk about first bookings of the year, they usually imagine something planned out weeks in advance with loads of preparation behind it.
Mine wasn’t like that at all.
This one came together completely last minute. I got the opportunity to film the official aftermovie for Antimatter: Alien Invasion with basically a day to spare before the event. There wasn’t really time to overthink anything or build some massive production plan — it was more a case of getting everything charged, packing the camera gear and heading over to Leeds to see what happened.
The event took place at Beaver Works and ran all night from 8PM until 6AM, so straight away I knew it was going to be one of those jobs where pacing yourself matters. Ten hours sounds like a long time until you’re carrying gear, moving room to room and trying to make sure you don’t miss the moments people actually want to remember.
Walking into the venue, you could tell effort had gone into making the event feel like more than just another night out. The alien theme was everywhere but didn’t feel over the top. Between the lighting, visuals, performers and atmosphere across the different spaces, the place had its own identity from the start.
Because I was there filming rather than partying, you end up experiencing the night differently. You’re constantly watching people instead of the stage. Looking for reactions, moments, movement, things changing. One minute you’re getting crowd footage, then someone tells you something’s happening in another room and you’re moving again trying not to miss it.
That’s something people don’t always realise about aftermovies. You’re not just filming DJs or recording what happened. You’re trying to capture the feeling of the event so when people watch it back later they remember what it was actually like being there.
As the night went on, the energy kept building. Rooms filled out, people settled in and before long the hours disappeared. At some point I checked the time expecting it to be around midnight and realised the night had already flown past.
Those final few hours always have a different feeling as well. Everyone’s tired but nobody really wants it to end. You start getting those little moments you can’t plan for — people laughing, people still dancing at stupid o’clock in the morning, everyone making the most of the last part of the night before lights come up.
Then suddenly it’s over and you’re walking out into daylight wondering where the last ten hours went.
For something that only came together with a day’s notice, this turned out to be a proper way to start the year and I’m grateful I got the chance to be involved and capture it.
Massive thanks to the Antimatter team for trusting me with the aftermovie.
First booking of the year done.
Hopefully not the last spontaneous one.
