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May 09, 2008

Band Uses CCTV Cameras for Video (or A Sucker is Born Every Page Load)

Blog biggie Boing Boing writes and links to a Telegraph (UK) article...

"The Get Out Clause, an unsigned Manchester band who could not afford a camera crew for their video, 'performed' in front of a load of CCTV cameras, requested the footage from the camera operators under the Data Protection Act and then stitched the results together for their music video."...

]
Genius idea. Even more genius marketing stunt. According to the lads' hometown paper, the hype bouncing around the Internet on this video might be a tad overdone. It seems that footage is just a little to good to be true...

But after the M.E.N. spotted some telltale signs that the footage was not all that it seemed, the band admitted that the idea of a CCTV video was a PR stunt.

The unusually clear images show them performing in a variety of Mancunian locations including on a tram, in the back of a taxi and at Castlefield.

CCTV footage showing the band playing in the back of a taxi that apparently belongs to Clayton cab firm Mantax also features in the four minute long video.

When we contacted the city centre firm they denied all knowledge of it.

Spokeswoman Bernadette Tabner said: "I don't think any of our drivers actually have CCTV footage yet. And even if they did it would not say Mantax on it. I'm the manager and if any request like this came in I would know about it and I don't!

Further clips show the band playing on a tram. Footage bears the label `GMPTE CAR 4'. But when we contacted Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, they too denied that it was genuine CCTV film.

Comments

This is very funny, but a very creative idea considering they could not afford a camera crew to shoot the video.

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