Face to Face with… Dean Chalkley

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Essex boy Dean Chalkley has made his name photographing musicians such as Amy Winehouse, The White Stripes and Marilyn Manson among many others, and has more recently dabbled with moving images. In 2010 he unveiled The New Faces exhibition, a photographic study of eight young mods.

Two years later he’s returned with The New Faces: A Short Film, which tells the subjects’ stories in a unique documentary style. It will be screened exclusively at The Book Club, London, on 8 March, followed by a party with a DJ line-up including two of the mods featured in the film (Jamie Parr and Tomas McGrath) and Chalkley himself.

Here the photographer/filmmaker talks to shots about getting advice from Paul Weller, his preferred model of scooter, and surprise genital piercings.

When did your fascination with Mod culture begin and how much impact did it have on you? Are you still a Mod now?

My interest in mod culture began around 1979. I had just joined Fairfax High School for boys [Westcliff, Essex, England], a tough but great school, that was a Petri dish of sub-cultural tribes; skinheads, greasers, rockabillies, punks and of course mods. The film Quadrophenia had just been released and it really did have a big effect on us fledgling mods. I really got into the mod state of mind, found the dress sense very appealing as well as the exploration into music, dancing and ultimately scooters. It proved to be great stimulation; heightening my awareness and appreciation of design, social 'code' and a sort of etiquette, a ‘way of life’ as the old cliché proclaims.

Am I a mod now? I certainly have many of the traits and I do like to dress in sharp suits and still collect records. My tastes are quite broad though having embraced many different things along the way so I would say I have a mod state of mind.

How have Mods stayed cool for so long?

Mod culture is not a static form, and it is multifaceted. Over the past decades it has evolved and incorporated change, keeping its integrity, embracing the 'now' as well as its strong heritage. This is no mean feat in a world that eats up and spits out trends. You know what they say; style never goes out of fashion.

What made you decide to make this film and why did you decide to shoot it the way you did?

Initially I decided to create a series of photographs. I wanted to show that young people were still into the culture and to celebrate the sense of it all, basically to draw it to the attention of other young people too, like saying, ‘look here, there is an alternative to wearing skater clothes’ etc. As I developed the project I realised that it was a perfect opportunity to make a film as well so I decided to shoot moving images and conduct interviews to explore the views and perspectives of some of the subjects.

I really wanted to make a piece that was a document rather than a documentary, the film is not a crash-bang-wallop romper stomper, it’s a hypnotic explanation of how people feel. Natalie Strachan edited the film, (we’ve been working together for two years now) and we worked very closely to get the pace and mood right. The images correlate at times with the narration and at other times act as a backdrop to the conversation. It’s odd, I suppose.

As an aside I should also mention that Paul Weller came up with the idea for the title of the photographic project, when I showed him a preliminary edit of the photographs.

Did the people featured feel embarrassed to dance in front of the camera? How did you get them to loosen up?

After the initial ""hello” and settle-in period they all became very relaxed. There was a small crew on the shoot so it wasn't like they were in a fishbowl. I'd set up record decks and invited my friend and Black Cat [Chalkley’s club night] DJ partner Si Cheeba to come and spin some tunes. I’d also asked some of the subjects to bring records. In a very short while it became a 'hang out’. I’d brought along some beers and a bit of food and that was it.

I did the interviews at the end of the day which was a bit of a surprise to the people as I hadn't mentioned it before, but I thought their spontaneous answers and characters came through really well. It might have freaked them out a bit if I had mentioned it before. We all had a very nice day and I think that the results reflect this.

What do you like about film that you can’t get out of photography, and vice versa?

I think that photography and film have different emotional responses. It’s clear that the boundaries are blurring nowadays and in many ways we are in a pioneering period. The obvious things still generally apply to photographs; ‘decisive moment’ (thanks Cartier Bresson) - the ability of a photograph to be a definitive moment and [whether it’s displayed] on screen, in a book/publication, or on a wall also bring different feelings towards the same image. Film’s appeal to me is its ability to carry the linkage of an idea, although I watch a lot of films and am aware of general stuff that’s out there I am coming at it from a naive perspective, which I actually think can be an advantage, a 'why not?' attitude.

Of all the people you’ve photographed, who surprised you the most?

The Bagpipe Man [a notorious kilt-wearing motorcyclist from Southend, Essex]. He had his penis pierced 18 times. That was a surprising revelation.

And who was the most difficult?

To be honest most people are fine. I am aware that some people don't particularly like having their photograph taken or being filmed. This could stem back to bad experiences in the past so I think if you approach people on a human level and explain what you want to do it really makes a difference. It sounds a bit odd, but if a subject has a reputation for being a bit tricky then it’s good to engage with them.

Vespa or Lambretta?

Vespa 180 GS to be precise. I’ve had six scooters in the past but at the moment I don’t have one, so if anyone out there has a nice little machine with my name on, give me a shout.

London or Brighton?

Southend! You can take the man out of Essex…

But I love the action of London, it really is exciting. Soho was the area where the whole mod thing started so I really love walking round there.

Recently I’ve been down in Brighton a lot. The atmosphere is great, especially on the August Bank Holiday Weekender, (The Hotel Pelirocco actually has my Young Souls photographic exhibition on at the moment.)

Martin Scorsese or David Bailey?

Martin Bailey... or David Scorsese. I like ‘em both.

What’s next for you? Any more film projects on the horizon?

I've got a few little 'clip films' coming out soon. They’re atmospheric things, probes if you like. I do have two other larger projects in development, but these are still small by the standards of most people. At the moment I self-fund these projects but I am seriously looking to make a structure that can support more creativity in the future. This might mean working alongside a production company or making one myself. I do tend to get wrapped up in projects and before you know it I’m doing them, so this support system for endeavors will be a thing I will be tuning up in the future.