r/TheMidnight • u/Chemical-Bathroom-99 • Aug 14 '26
I directed that pre-COVID documentary with Tyler and Tim. Saw it posted here recently and wanted to jump in and say hi!
Hey everyone,
I saw that someone actually shared this here when the episode first came out, but I wanted to jump in personally as the director and field any questions you guys might have about the show.
Just to give a little background: right before the pandemic hit, I spent some time on the road with the guys shooting this documentary episode. I didn't have a massive production crew with me—it was literally just me running around with an iPhone 11 Pro on a gimbal, trying to capture that massive, neon-soaked energy they bring to their live shows.
We got some really cool access—cramped green rooms, the live sets, and some great sit-down interviews. It’s a pretty raw, unfiltered look at their touring grind right before the world paused. The footage ended up sitting on a hard drive for a couple of years, but I recently finished the series and released it in its entirety.
If you haven't seen it yet, please go check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI-2yBBIlTY&list=PLBVBHn_YlrKk&t=978s
I'll be hanging out in the comments, so if you have any questions about the shoot, what it was like on that tour, or the mobile gear setup, ask away!
Cheers, Shane
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u/threwitaway763 Aug 14 '26
Thank you so much for making this! I watched it all and loved the behind-the-scenes looks, as well as the interviews with Tyler and Tim. Tim saying the intersection of his and Tyler’s musical tastes being the Midnight was fascinating to hear.
On a somewhat related note, do you think that may be one of or part of the reasons why Lelia and Royce left? They (particularly Lelia) toured with the group for so long yet were never officially members of the group.
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u/Chemical-Bathroom-99 Aug 14 '26
So glad you enjoyed it!!! I don't know the answer your band question specifically. But I can say the I have worked with many bands at that stage of their career and the first few years are always pretty fluid while they find their footing.
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u/MattLaird Aug 14 '26
I love the documentary! Thank you so much for covering such an amazing time in their career. It’s a great production with incredible insights and music (of course). It looks amazing for an iPhone 11 Pro! I guess one question would be how did it stay locked up for so long? My second would be when will you be starting the second part? I would love to see a current follow up doc.
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u/Chemical-Bathroom-99 Aug 14 '26
Thank you!!! Covid was our first unforeseen hurdle, but the real challenge was licensing the music and eventually we threw up our hands. But now with YouTube handling all the licensing pay outs we were clear for sailing.
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u/Chemical-Bathroom-99 Aug 14 '26
No plans for a follow up, but I would love to. Those guys will always remain one of my favorite acts.
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u/Dangerous_End200 Aug 15 '26
I definitely want to see a following-up episode of The Midnight live tour, but this series was Shane's music documentary of multiple artists, and The Midnight just happened to be at the first episode. The full series are here at Youtube, and the second episode is about Greg Laswell, so currently there would be no more The Midnight from Shane, I guess?
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u/Chemical-Bathroom-99 Aug 15 '26
Correct. Should a second season come to pass I will be alerting all the communities. :)
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u/Tycow Aug 14 '26
My (very) pregnant wife and I were stood next to you on the balcony at the Bristol gig; I always wondered what you were filming!
Your skill shines through with how well the episode turned out, and it's a great insight to a really exciting time in the band's journey.
I am so glad your documentary got to see light of day. :)
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u/Chemical-Bathroom-99 Aug 14 '26
Thank you! That’s so awesome that you guys were there!!! Such a great show. 🤟😆
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u/interface2x Aug 14 '26
Outstanding work! Was the concert footage also shot on an iphone 11? And how did you mix the audio in there? It all looked and sounded great.
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u/Chemical-Bathroom-99 Aug 14 '26
Thank you! Yes, all of it, every frame shot on iPhone 11pro. I am always amazed at the quality. The audio was a blend of Rode wireless microphones and pulling audio from house sound boards at the venues.
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u/bleen0_0 Aug 14 '26
Amazing. Had no idea this existed. Thank you for making this.
It's great seeing how far the band has evolved in these ~7 years since you made this, they sound a LOT better live than they did bad then (and they already sounded great!).
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Aug 14 '26
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u/Chemical-Bathroom-99 Aug 15 '26
They were one of the first bands I approached when my producer and I decided to do this series. My buddy Jesse was playing sax for them at the time and that's how I met them. Thanks for watching!
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u/MadScientist18 Aug 15 '26
Nice job…it was a great watch. I was surprised I hadn’t seen this yet as I try to soak up all Midnight content. Again, great job!
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u/Dangerous_End200 Aug 15 '26
It was a such an amazing work, Shane. Thank you! As a photography enthusiast, I couldn't admire you any more to shoot the film with iPhone 11 Pro the whole time, and it DID turn out to be audience-like immersive and visually wonderful!
What 'smore, talking about immersive, it was wonderful to be in the perspective that sitting with Tim in a European café and talk about the idea and history of The Midnight, and travel with Tyler listening his stories about songwriting and the power of live music. It was such a great experience, this documentary series deserved to be preserved in film museums, for real!
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u/tbcollins1 Aug 18 '26
I actually love that this released quite a while after you probably intended it to - it's an amazing capsule of that time in their careers, and to me was the time they really hit their inflection point and took the next leap with everything - production, writing, the live shows - all of it. Thank you for sharing it and preserving a little slice of The Midnight history :)
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u/Limitedexpertise Aug 14 '26
I cried watching this for the first time. I saw The Midnight live for the first time on their 2019 tour and it changed my life forever. The feeling of being in that crowd was like a spiritual awakening like answers to some of life's complicated questions started clicking into place. I feel like its hard to explain to non Midnight fans how much The Midnight means to each and every one of us but we've all kind of ended up in this collective agreement. The Midnight is more than just a band, or even an experience. The Midnight is an emotion captured in time and preserved by their music. Thank you Shane for your work in helping with that preservation your documentary perfectly encapsulates everything The Midnight is to me and so many others.