Elaine Constantine Is Ready For Her Close-Up
This Is One Personal
The famed photographer and award winning pop video director Elaine Constantine is about to embark on her debut feature film, titled ‘Northern Soul ’ The semi-autobiographical film pays homage to her Bury home-town, her love of Northern Soul music and dancing the night away at clubs like the Wigan Casino and The Twisted Wheel.
The Prime Minister has recently said that he wants to see ‘more commercial’, i.e. mainstream films being produced, but Elaine isn’t interested on the thoughts of Chairman Cameron. This one is personal. Elaine along with her lead producer Debbie Gray are working the phones, pressing palms and using innovative fundraising methods to ensure that they can make the kind of film that they want to make and one that shows this unheralded British youth culture in a positive light. If the masses ‘get it’ great, but it’s not a deal breaker. Elaine Constantine just wants to make a great film with a great soundtrack.
To date, the bar has been set low in regards to films based on the Northern Soul scene. The 2010 effort Soul Boy, jointly directed by Hawa Essuman, Shimmy Marcus was a poor effort. While Dean Chalkley’s black and white short was an odd little affair. Elaine isn’t worried by the past failures of others to get the scene ‘right’. She wants to make a film that is somewhere along the path of ‘The Commitments meets Saturday Night Fever’. That said, it won’t be all dancing and sunny smiles. The film will have its dark moments. British youth culture is like that. But it looks like we won’t get the miserable melancholy of Shane Meadows, simply because Elaine’s North ‘wasn’t quite that bad’. Back then, they had a laugh, they got their dancing shoes on come the weekend and danced their teenage feet off until sunrise. Copping off with guys, having a drink and a giggle and dancing to sweet soul music all night long. As they were fond of saying in that part of the world, ‘ain’t nowt wrong with that’.
Let’s Dance
So there they are at the famed 100 Club Oxford St, London. Elaine and her merry band of dancers, having their monthly dance class sessions. They’ve been at it since 2009, when Elaine finally completed the first draft of her script and set in motion the uphill task of finding a cast and crew. She placed adverts on-line and in trade newspapers and dancers came from as far a field as Wolverhampton, Bolton and the Lake District. They know it’s an indie film, i.e. they know they know they are going to get paid in pennies, but the deal was this: show up, learn the moves, commit to the project and you’ll have a part [big or small] in the film. Once a month they turn up for their three-hour dance class, and in return they are given bus/train fare, sandwiches and water. And they’re cool with it, because the music, the project and Elaine has got a hold of them. Sure, the vast majority of them want to be on film, and they want to get paid properly and they want to be famous. But having spent an afternoon with them at the 100 Club it’s clear there’s something else afoot. Elaine’s idea, Elaine’s passion, Elaine’s Northern charm has created a world that they want in on. She’s opened up their ears to some of the best music they’ll ever hear, and as wanky as this sounds, she’s opened up their hearts. Her every move, implores the young dancers to ‘Trust me. Trust this project. We’ll get there in the end. And when we do, it’s going be great’. And the assembled crew, don’t doubt her for a second.
Lights. Camera. Action.
And it’s not only the dancers who trust Elaine. The crew, the producers, the veterans on the Northern Soul scene are also trusting the 46-year old blonde from Bury to come good on this project. A girl who at 16 summers old hopped on a train to London, ran into some photographer chap named Nick Knight, became his assistant and never looked back. Now, after three decade of globetrotting, shooting adverts for major brands like Nike, Coca-Cola and Gap, Elaine is heading home. She’s had a baby boy and gone and got married. Now, it’s time for her moment in the sun. It’s showtime time folks. Pre-production begins in earnest late March and then it’s game on. Lights. Camera. Action. Elaine Constantine is now ready for her close up.
This blog piece is a prelude to a broadsheet newspaper feature I’m writing about Elaine and her Northern Soul film. For more information on the film, head over to: http://www.northernsoulthefilm.com/
