It’s that time of year again: Trafalgar Square in London becomes a sea of candles, comedy and choirs. Originally held in remembrance of Ian Baynham, a man who was kicked to death for holding his boyfriend’s hand in public, the Vigil is growing in prominence and has backing from celebrities, police and the Prime Minister. It’s the most uplifting and life-affirming experience, and if you’re in London, please go down and show your support. Thousands go each year, but the more people who attend, the more the world will listen. This is hugely important in the week that rabid right-winger Nick Griffin calls for homophobia to be decriminalised.
I made this short clip in 2009 and it shows you just how magical the Vigil can be. The soundtrack is an exclusive remix of a poignant Flaming Lips track, The Stars Are So Big, I Am So Small…Do I Stand a Chance? (It Overtakes Me) which I produced specially for the clip. I’m especially proud that this video was used to help secure funding and charitable status for the 17-24-30 No To Hate Crime organisation who campaign tirelessly for justice, human rights and equality.
the vibes 
That is a very moving film, Mark.
Thanks Sue. I’m very proud of it, despite it being quite sad. The song I used was very stark so I had to soften it up a lot with echoing backing vocals, acoustic guitar and me on electric flute! I hope it continues to inspire people.
This made me well up. You are very good at making movies. You really changed that tune as well- loads better than the original!
I wanted to create something powerful that couldn’t be ignored. The song lyrics seemed to fit the subject perfectly so I added a few layers to increase the impact.
no way is that flute electric. it sounds real 😀
Ha ha, it does. It’s just the flute setting in GarageBand, which is standard music software on a Mac.
Beautifully put together Mark.
Cheers, Ziggy! I hope someone somewhere watches it and realises that violence and persecution achieve nothing 🙂
Reblogged this on belindainspiration49.
Thanks for the reblog! 😀
So beautiful and so sad – it’s good to see so many people out there lighting up the darkness. Thank you for doing that with this film.
Thanks, Sheila. It was really satisfying to know that I was working on a clip which actually meant something, and maybe had the potential to make people think. To stand in Trafalgar Square and be surrounded by the net result of violence and loss is something burnt into my memory. The film and music are designed to get an emotional response, equal and opposite to the anger which causes so much harm.