Red Hill Mining Town - U2
shot by Grant Duncan
edited by Dylan McGale
color by Strack Azar
Truly surreal to direct something for U2 on their Songs of Surrender project. I imagined the effect a worker’s movement had to have on Bono in 1984 for him to write Red Hill Mining Town. Making the parallel between the song’s inspiration and the status of labor relations with freight workers was the aha moment. Highlighting the often invisible, under appreciated backbone of our supply chain made me realize why there will always be a need for songs like this.
As we looked for places to shoot, I went down a rabbit hole discovering the history of Cajon Pass— the first freight line across the San Bernardino Mountains. Shooting these landmarks, we met conductors, engineers & maintenance crew with a combined tenure over 65 years who validated the reason we were out there. Simply seeking their right to organize, our governments failure to address concerns grimly foreshadowed a train derailment in Ohio which might have become one of the worst ecological disasters in a century.
I do a lot of videos that cater to what that artist wants to put out about themselves. When I pitched this idea, I didn’t expect to win- feared I was being too political. I’m very grateful to U2 & everyone involved for proving me wrong.