Interview by Abbey Braden

If the great D.A. Pennebaker pioneered the ‘fly-on-the-wall’ perspective in rockumentary filmmaking, then Ceri Levy has certainly mastered a new oeuvre for the 21st century with the release of Bananaz. We here at ‘Sup have decided to call it the ‘friend-in-the-bathroom-that-will-hold-your-hair-back-whilst-you-spill-your-guts-(both literally and figuratively)-and-completely-forget-that-the-camera-is-still-rolling’ method. The film follows the 6 year trajectory of virtual music project Gorillaz with footage of everything in between- and we mean everything. From Jamie Hewlett doodling to Damon Albarn’s pre-show “jitters,” multiple moonings and creative arguments, nothing was off limits for Levy. The result is organic and frankly fucking amazing. Now tackling the subject matter of a post modern anti-band (and the sisyphusian task of editing) seems totally nutters to begin with, so we sat down with Ceri to see just how he ended up in that situation. Bananaz indeed.

One of the elements that makes Bananaz so fresh is that the subjects seem genuinely pleased that you’re there to capture the madness. As a result the audience gets a type of all inclusive experience. What was your relationship with Damon and Jamie at the start of the project?
I had worked with Damon on several projects in the past. From producing a film about Blur called Starshaped to making a documentary about him working with musicians in Mali called Mali Music. Jamie I had also known for some time. When they first told me about their idea for Gorillaz I said it would be great to document the process from the start and they agreed. And the rest is history! I think our friendship gives the film a certain personal feel. The audience feels that it is their camera and their POV and therefore I think the viewer really feels a part of the film.

How did Bananaz kick off?
I think everything started in Jamie’s studio with Jamie showing me the first drawings he had done, which is in the film. I remember the excitement as he revealed this amazing collection of characters he had created, complete with stories. His enthusiasm was boundless and infectious. I remember really wanting it to be a success for him. And then I went down to Damon’s studio, as we all had studios in the same building at that time, and he was working on tracks and the picture really fell into 3-D place as to what they were creating. And I knew that it was a good idea to document the process, irrespective of success or failure.

Did you have a specific length of time you were initially planning on filming them?
I had no intention of duration at all. I think that is what makes Bananaz unique… I just kept on going with the Gorillaz flow! I think if I had approached anyone with the idea of continuous filming and asked to be funded people would have thought I was mad! But this sort of thing happens once in a lifetime and it was fun to be with my friends watching their adventure. I never knew when it was going to be time to call it a day. It was only the last day of the Harlem Apollo gigs that I realised it was definitely time to move to a new phase.

So six years, one camera. May we ask which model/ type of film you used? How many hours of footage before you lost count?
Wow, you’re the first person to ask me a technical question!! I used a Sony PC 100E camcorder but with a Sennheiser 316 microphone in the back of it! So a small domestic camera basically with a professional mike. And then we spent a lot of time in post production working on the pictures! Just shows what you can do as I think we have created a pretty unique look to the movie. Let’s hope everyone agrees! I lost count after 300 hours….

There are times when the camera just keeps rolling- like Damon vomiting from pre-show nerves, or arguing with Jamie over staying in character for interviews. Did you ever sneak footage, like say… filming from the waist with a sweatshirt over your camera (not that we would *cough* know anything about such matters)? Were there instances where they said ‘Enough!’ and asked that the camera be turned off?
As unbelievable as it may seem, they never asked me to stop. Sorry to be boring! I was blessed by a group of very amenable people who never seemed to have a problem with me filming. I wish I could tell you about the time that I built a camouflaged bivouac in Damon’s studio and waited in hiding to record the first stirrings of the second record! But that would be a lie! Also because I was introduced as a friend throughout, people seemed to relax with me around. Of course if I had had a film crew of three or four it would never have worked. It was just me, one camera and one mike. Not intimidating at all. Furniture that’s what I was!

At one point both Jamie and Damon have cuts on their faces but are shown cheerfully going about their business. One can only assume that they got in a fight with each other but it isn’t addressed. Is there a back story to this?
I really can’t go into that for legal reasons!

One of our favorite aspects to Bananaz was Jamie’s sideways confessionals to the camera, be it making fun of Justin Timba-land or proclaiming his views on the NME (with the resulting drawings that accompany his train of thought). Did he ever want to rescind those moments?
If he did he never mentioned it to me! Jamie has one of the fastest and funniest tongues I know of! He quips and asides incessantly! There should be a book… “The Great Asides of Jamie Hewlett!”

Over the course of six years you have Damon trying to do flip a cigarette into his mouth and he always misses- except at the very end. When did that transpire? Did it give you an ending so to speak?
That cigarette catch gave us Bananaz! We had the ending before we had anything else, also because there is a perfect line to follow as well, which I won’t reveal now…It was shot on the last night at the Apollo on the Demon Days tour, and honestly that was just about the last shot I filmed and it really was the first time he had caught a cigarette on film! I think they call it Kismet or serendipity! Whatever it was it made us go back to the beginning of our footage with a confidence that we had a pretty good ending!

How did you end up combining forces with Seb Monk?
Ah, Seb… Truly the best editor I have ever worked with! He was working on Gorillaz material and we were introduced to each other by Jamie I think. We got on and spent the next two years sitting in a small box together! His input cannot be underestimated. He is what I call a visionary editor and he gave his heart to Bananaz. I really hope we can work on another project in the near future. I feel safe with him about! And when things got difficult he brought in part of his edit crack team, The Cleaner… There is nothing he can’t sort out…

How the heck did you tackle so much footage and get it into a linear and cohesive film?
We just sat down and went through it… I think the first cut we did was the first real reality check. I think it was Xmas 2007 and we had been working for several months pulling out our favourite moments. I think we decided it would be good to take a DVD away for the holiday period and get a handle on where we were… Then we looked at the timeline and saw that it was running at 19 hours!! No DVD for us then! But then for a moment we had a small sense of achievement that we had had brought it in under 20 hours!
Near the end Seb brought a friend in, Rachel Connors, who became my co-producer. She had produced several films and was great on storyline. She helped make adjustments to the storyline and helped us find the most cohesive outline. And that has been the story of this film… Slowly and surely people have come on board and become part of Team Bananaz!

Was there any footage that was deemed too personal to include in the final edit?
Again no… Everything I shot could have been used in the film… And also I tried to be selective and aware of what I was filming… I always knew when to put the camera away…

At what point where your subjects shown the finished product, and what were their thoughts?
We showed them the film when it was finished. Of course they had been in and out through the process watching parts of the film. Basically, like the man from Del Monte, they said yes! ( I hope you have Del Monte ads in America! It’s orange juice…)

What made you decide to release and distribute Bananaz in this manner?
Ah, the million dollar question… We had tried going down the conventional paths and found it very frustrating to come up against the machine. Most of the deals offered were either rubbish or too restrictive. We always wanted to do something a little more unconventional. Then Babelgum entered the picture and our visions matched. They had a model we wanted to align ourselves with and it allowed us the freedom to create a unique online presence (see www.babelgum.com/gorillazgobananaz) If you look at what we have created I think it’s a pretty unique experience which people will want to return to time and again… games, clips, trailers, blogs and competitions… Then our other partner EMI is also supportive for the phase after online which will encompass select theatrical and then DVD release which will include over an hours worth of unique content. All new and not seen in the film! Phew, even I’m excited about what’s going to come with this movie!

What’s next for you?
I am working on another documentary called The Bird Effect. It’s about how our world is informed by birds. Whether it be environmentally, artistically or culturally. It is also a sojourn through the people who are involved with them. From birders to scientist to artists. I hope it will be left of centre as usual and will inform but entertain… Somebody told me that birds are harder to work with than rock stars though!

One thing we really walked away with was how painfully irritating interview questions can be, so with that in mind we’re totally gonna wrap this up. Thank you!
It depends who’s asking the questions as well! And for you Ab it’s been no problem!

Bananaz makes its online debut today on Bablegum. The DVD (bustin’ at the seams with extras) is set for release on June 1st, with theatrical screenings in between.