“MY DEAREST FRIENDS- Reid Anderson” by Dan Sloan
A mysterious cult known only by their ubiquitous symbol gathers for a celebration, but things soon turn sinister. This is the backdrop to the beautifully melodic "My Dearest Friends" by Reid Anderson, who plays the enigmatic leader.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
“Around the time I was talking to Reid about a potential video for his beautifully melodic “My Dearest Friends”, I was also writing a short film about a cult. I lost interest in the short but I then got excited about the idea of combining the two - which was a radical departure from Reid’s original intention.
The wholesome and sincere lyrics worked perversely very well from the imagined perspective of the deranged cult leader of this suicide cult! I was nervous that Reid wouldn’t go for it but he loved the juxtaposition. Plus he's also an excellent actor so I think he relished the chance of trying something a bit leftfield.
The enigmatic cult itself was entirely made up and based around the Chinese symbol of Shou, meaning “longevity” or “eternal life”. Myself and the production designer Gaby Nicholson had a lot of fun making it as ubiquitous as we could. It's on banners, t shirts, necklaces, temporary tattoos; even the cake they scoff down.
We also wanted to add in a feel of the iconography of cult documentaries like “Wild Wild Country” so we peppered in “VHS” footage (actually DV footage). The costume design also had more than a little inspiration from this!”
-Dan Sloan
Credits
CAST
Reid Anderson
Wendy Okoli
Anthony Proctor
Leanne Cooney
John Ball
Luke Jones
Rachel Pennington
Director/Editor// Dan Sloan
Cinematographer// Didzis Starastins
Production designer// Gaby Nicholson
Costume designer// Poppy Aindow
AD// Patrick Walsh
Gaffer// Fraser Oxlee
Focus puller// James France
3rd AC// Mike Donaghy
Runner// Tom Murphy
Choreographer// Wendy Akoli
Hair/make up// Amanda Borg
Colourist// Mike Donaghy
Sound designer// Nad Naols
Stills photographer// Rachael Francesca
Trainee// Ciara Polson
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