“It was a laborious process, finding related found footage to use, editing it all before inputting it so images naturally flowed without visible edits, shooting all the footage repeatedly in a variety of sizes, and then finding a way to capture it all from the screen.” As a happy mistake, such a process restricted the definition Trevor was able to capture footage at, corresponding further with KH’s lo-fi approach. Finally, Trevor collated everything using Apple Motion – a program Trevor says is super intuitive but “far from a go-to for most professionals”. “People I tell often laugh or don’t understand why I use [Apple Motion], but I’ve learnt to achieve some very satisfying results with it.”
To realise the aesthetic of “small LCD screens”, “old digital devices” and “random data”, Trevor turned to an old ASCII (text code) generator he discovered. It offered the perfect optical illusion for the single cover: an abstract decorative pattern when viewed as a large image; revealing hidden easter egg images from No More in smaller formats. An intricate concept, but things get even more complex when Trevor started layering programs for the music video. Faced with only ten days to complete the work, leaving no time to create custom software, Trevor found some vintage ASCII camera software that fit his requirements – but was incompatible with modern equipment, meaning he had to capture footage directly from his laptop screen.
Across the whole ten-day process, Trevor burnt through his 2016 MacBook Pro with colossal files and experienced “sleepless nights with my head full of ASCII”, although the director states he’s “very proud” of the result. We recommend watching the final video in different sized desktops for a “visceral optical trip”, and phones for a “somewhat more figurative” experience, Trevor surmises.