Who is involved in Babysweet Sessions? 

Babysweet Sessions was originally a kind of fake production company. It was just a name to tag things with. I then thought it was easier to remember a directing credit as "by Babysweet Sessions" rather than "by Gregg Houston". When talking about it people would shorten it to "Babysweet". A couple of other people started calling themselves "_______ sessions" so I  decided to just call my stuff Babysweet. So in conclusion "Babysweet" is the name under which I direct and edit things. Babysweet Sessions is the website where my work is put online. 

You have just finished the new Cashier No.9 video and it looks stunning. Are you happy with the results?

Glad you like it. I was really happy when I first saw the projections and how I'd captured them. But I have literally watched the video about 100 times and so you start to get aggravated by things. There are a couple of little things that I feel I let myself down with but hopefully people who watch it won't care or notice. I am really happy to have had the pleasure of working with the band and I am happy with the video. It's one of the first times though that I have understood the habit of not watching your work once it is finished.  

You filmed and directed the video. Is it tough doing both?

I think it is quite tough as I am not a very accomplished editor (or camera operator). I also have a stupid habit of working night and day to get the first cut I am happy with and then being burnt out when changes have to be made and so the process starts to drag. I would love to have an editor I was comfortable to work with but I just haven't found her. I would definitely sit in on the edit and work on it when the person was away. Maybe I would like an "Online Editor" more - so they can tidy it up and get it in the required formats etc. It's more difficult producing the work I find. There is so much to be sorted before you even shoot and that is the real stress. A producer and an online editor would be marvelous.   I had gotten used to being a one-man crew and that is how I make a living. But on creative projects like this one it made me realise how much better stuff can be with a good crew. Most of the Kowalski gentlemen and numerous other friends helped on the shoot. Even people I had never met before came and helped and in one case saved the day. 

The concept behind the video is very unique. Did the band come to you with an idea or did you have complete control?

The bands manager got in touch with me as he and the band had liked some older videos I had made. The band originally wanted something to be shot on film stock like super 8 or super 16. I wrote a treatment for that and they liked it. It was about to go ahead but I felt it was too risky with time restraints and money. Danny, the singer, was the main member of the band I communicated with and he wanted something pretty psychedelic and lo-fi. I sent forward the idea and concept and the band liked the sound of it. I think it's quite unique and I’m yet to come across a video, which uses the same concept. 

There’s a very 70’s psychedelic feel to the song. Did that influence the feel of the video?

It didn't really. I found the song quite hard to imagine a video for. It's a great song and really weird. It sounds kind of evil and isn't upbeat or downbeat. It was a case of when I wrote the treatment I knew it fitted the song. In the video I think it definitely seems darker because of the music. It's the music that lets the opening shot work for example.  

How many days did it take to shoot?

Two. We filmed stuff on the Sunday that would be projected on the Monday and a couple of green screen things. We then filmed the projection stuff the next day. The majority of what we filmed wasn't really used. 

Was it a long and grueling editing process?

It was very intense over a short space of time. There was quite a quick turn around and so the management and band wanted to see an edit a week after we finished the shoot. I had a couple of other jobs to finish in between and so got the first edit done in about three days. I was really pleased with the cut and sent it over. The band then had a few suggestions and I set about trying to make us all happy. The toughest part was the Middle Eight section of the song. There were loads of different edits for that part. Some were completely mental and took the spinning heads to the extreme. A few hours before I handed the video over that section was changed quite significantly. 

How did you get the projections on the band to stand out so much?  I wasn't able to do any tests before the shoot so I basically spoke to a couple of legends at Third Source Media everyday about different scenarios for projections. We set aside as much of our budget as we could and got a 10,000 lumen projector for the day. They weren't sure if it was going to work as obviously they didn't know exactly how I wanted it to look - luckily it all came together. The band and instruments were completely bandaged up - then we had to work out where to place them in relation to their image. The drums were the hardest part. The gents in the crew worked out where to place Phil for that. I think he was about 10 feet away from his bass drum when we filmed that part. 

Did the band have to stand completely still in the shots?  They did indeed. There are a couple of things where we moved a rag in front of Danny and some members scratch their faces at points for ‘da craic’. 

Was there a green screen used in the full band shots?

Yeah. It was suggested to us by the owners of the studio that we film all the green screen stuff first, to avoid any smudging. They had put a fresh coat of paint on it for us, which was great. Usually my shot lists are written in a way, which I feel, will help me relax very early into the shoot. So I had the projection stuff to be done first and the green screen stuff last. This threw me off a little but it all went ok.  In the edit surprisingly, I was able to do a basic green screen edit at home. This was due to the high quality green screen we shot in front of. But to make it right for the final version my friend Zeb, who helped with the blue screen in the last Kowalski video - finished the job off in his studio. 

Did anything go horribly wrong in the shoot or did it run smoothly?

It was a slow start but once the ball got rolling we built up a good bit of momentum. After about three hours of shooting I checked to see how much space I had left on my card. I then accidentally formatted the card and let out a loud, sharp "Fook". It was all deleted.  I was in a bad place - kept a poker face and carried on. I was shaking a bit during the next couple of shots. Lewis Wilkinson who I only met the day previous spoke with Shannon McClean (Freekorps) on the phone and between those two and Paddy Conn - they got all the footage back for me. 

Was the band easy to work with?

The band were really easy to work with. I had never met them before and it was lovely to get to know them a little. They are incredibly laid back and would wonder off occasionally. James went for a sleep in the van for two hours. Ronan went home a couple of times to see his baby. The other guys dressed up in various outfits and sat about. It's hard making a video and trying to keep everyone’s attention when some members aren't required for an hour or two. But they were really cool with everything and showed a lot of faith in me on the day. I love them. 

As a filmmaker are you constantly looking for ideas to push the boundaries?

Not really. I tend to see videos I really like and wish I had made them. I then try to make a video that gives me the same feeling as the video I liked. I haven't really made too many music videos so I am still trying to find what I like. I think most of the videos I have made with the band performing are all quite different and so I am proud of that. It can be difficult to make a band performance interesting. In terms of pushing boundaries - I don't think I have that element of creativity in me, or the patience but maybe that will happen as I become more ambitious.  

You are up for a NIMA with your video for Kowalski – Outdoors. Do award nominations make it all feel worth it?  The NIMA nomination is really cool. I think it gives filmmakers a target. When I made my first video the first ever IMTV awards had just passed. I then had those awards as a target for the next year - the target being something to enter. It's a tangible and reachable goal. Getting funding for work is obviously a great incentive but those take a lot of other criteria's into account. With awards like these, it's all about the music video. I have never won anything other than a 25-meter swimming badge. I don't even think that’s a win. It's an award. 

Have you any other projects in the pipeline?

The next Babysweet project is a music video for a band in London. They are really good but we are having different opinions on the video's concept, which is an early hurdle. I would love to make another two music videos this year but that won't happen. I have a short documentary I am trying to get onto Channel 4. I wanted to enter it in festivals but there is just no time to fill out the mass of forms.  

Have you any secret information that no one else knows and you would be happy to tell us about?  Eoghan Kidney's video for "We cut Corners" track "The Leopard" is my favourite Irish video of the year. See it here.  In my opinion "Everybody's Stalking Records" is the label of the year.  All candidates should be put in the bin if it's true Kevin Keegan has thrown his hat into the ring for the vacant Northern Ireland Football Association Management position.