Y&P talks production with Luke Wooden on the set of Incubus’ music video

Posted on May 9, 2011 | By Teddi Curtis

The first thing Laura and I saw stepping onto the Incubus video shoot this past month was a whole lot of white. The white floor, white ceilings, and white backdrop created an extremely clean palette; the only color dotting the setup were the band’s members, casually poised at their instruments, gigantic shadows hovering behind them, Peter Pan like. It was clear that shadow play was going to be the interest of the video, a suspicion cemented by the array of large lights hanging, rolling, and swinging around the set. The second thing we noticed was the entirely impressive food table in the room’s back corner. We didn’t need to embarrass ourselves with a b-line, luckily, as a number of polite men with trays quickly supplied us with whip topped frappuccino and various finger foods: a delicious introduction to the world of high budget.

After our brain freezes had subsided we began scanning the set for the subject of our piece, producer Luke Wooden. He wasn’t hard to spot where he sat perched on the classic high folding chair, observing the glaringly white set as it appeared on the camera’s monitor. The director, Brantley Gutierrez, sat next to him, his eyes on the live action of Incubus’ members as they milled around the lit space. Luke’s greeting was enthusiastic and speedy, which proved to be the talented producer’s general bearing. “We’re all relaxed right now, taking it easy. If the job’s been done correctly, shoot day is really just sitting back and watching it all come together.” From our perspective it looks like the job was done correctly; everyone on the set is calm and genial and Laura and I have met the guys of Incubus, the crew, and the whole Y Gary team before the first set of takes are completed.

Y Gary, comprised of Luke, Brantley and producer Ryan Adams, is a bi-coastal production team recently founded by its three members. Visit the website and both their production chops and high profile jobs are immediately revealed in an expertly mixed video featuring clips from the team’s time with Paul McCartney, Metric, U2, Incubus, and Arcade Fire (the band’s song, Sprawl II, plays throughout the colorful introduction), to name a few. Between takes – and snacks – we ask Luke about the formation of Y Gary and his initial interest in production. Luke has wanted to produce “since [I] was conscious,” and is quickly on the way to earning his position amongst an exclusive set in this long-term ambition. He began messing around with video cameras at age 7, and spent much of his time during his teenage years shooting skateboarding videos in his home state, Oregon. He met Ryan in film school where he helped him film an early project. The two continued working together, met Brantley not long afterwards, and the Y Gary trinity was complete.

Various people at the Incubus shoot tell us that most can’t fathom the amount of work that goes into these projects before hand. Luke confirms this, though clearly he’s a man who kept up on his homework, as he watches the work of past weeks come together seamlessly. His comfort in his position is palpable, as is the closeness and easy workability of the team. The song begins again, Laura and I singing along by this point: “Out of siiiiiight, out of mind” – the man who’s had the grueling job of manual light work all day resumes his running, back and forth, swiveling the large bulb. Luke, Brantley, and Ryan are all sitting side by side now; each time a light swings their way, confident smiles are illuminated. “One of the coolest things is that it was a vision, it was just your vision, and now it’s happening. And everyone’s going to see it.” Brandon thrashes and wails, Chris swings his waist length dreadlocks, and the Young & Pretty team understands just how cool that must be.

Between shots, Y&P slowed down and got Luke’s take on the exciting world of production.

[Y&P] Producing is… [Luke Wooden] All planning and sitting back on the day of [the shoot]. If you’re running around on the day of the video, you’re in trouble.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Being around such talented people. Both the artists and the people behind the scenes. It’s also nice to get to a point where you can help people, like hooking up my little brother with a job.

You’re also a photographer. Does this passion inform your work as a producer in any way? Being a photographer seems to really help me produce. I know how to work with different people, and creatively a lot of the concepts of filmmaking and photography are very similar. I think the idea of looking at problems creatively is a great help when trying to put a production together. Also the fact that I’m not just looking at how to logistically put the elements of a production together, but create something I feel has merit and creative integrity.

What advice would you offer young producers? The best advice I could give someone wanting to produce is go out and produce something, anything. Produce a photo shoot for a friend, or find a director and help him with a project he is developing. You learn so much just going through the process. Try and find other producers and pick their brains. There is always something more to learn, and in many ways, your own unique and custom approach will be what helps you the most.