Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour at Château de Chantilly outside Paris. Photograph by Gavin Elder
Filmmaker Gavin Elder has created films for the likes David Lynch, Mark Ronson, Duran Duran, ACDC and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. Here, he speaks to Paige Nelson about his career highlights, the challenges of shooting in a Roman amphitheatre and capturing the atmosphere of live music on video
1. Did always want to work in the film industry"
I picked up my Dad?s Super 8 camera when I was ten years old. The unique Super 8 sound, and the tactile feel of film running through the camera lit something inside me.
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2. Who have been the most interesting people to work with so far"
Working with David Gilmour has been an absolute high point. I remember the very first day we started filming at Bray Studios, he was rehearsing with the other members of Pink Floyd [Rick Wright and Nick Mason], and someone shouted, ‘Let?s do C Numb!’ They launched into ‘Comfortably Numb’, and the hairs on the back of my neck jumped up. Fans at an ACDC concert in Buenos Aires. Photograph by Gavin Elder
3. How do you create the atmosphere of a concert in a film"
This varies from artist to artist, but I think the most important element is for the performer to be relaxed enough with the process of filming that they focus on the music and their performance. My role is to then select camera positions and capture the show without be...