Squideo Submarine: Callum's Compositions
Our Production Manager Callum Major is the next member of the team to volunteer for a trip aboard the Squideo Submarine, the first expedition since our Christmas break. Callum already touched on his music favourites during his Back to the Beginning interview, so let’s dive and see what we discover this time!
Travelling to the ocean floor with no one for company except your own shadow. Dream or nightmare?
It wouldn’t be all bad, I like spending time with myself. Plus seeing life under the sea and all of the different types of fish would be pretty cool!
Some people have lives, some people have music (harsh John Green, harsh). Music is about to become your only companion. How much of a role does music play in your day-to-day life?
Music is a huge part of my day to day life, I am infamously known for always having my headphones with me. My friends and family joke about me having them anywhere I go, I love music and always have some on. I even have them on my Squideo Avatar.
There’s no one else around the consider the tastes of, so pick any music you like! Talk us through your playlist – are you a fan of one genre or era, or do you like to mix things up?
I love a wide variety of music, it depends on my mood that day. Mainly I like hip hop and R&B for the beats, as well as the clever rap lyrics – right now my favourite would have to be Little Simz. I also love older music, artists like Jim Croce and Johnny Cash amongst other stuff. I have playlists for different genres of music, as well as playlists to suit different moods.
You might be the only crew member, but space is at a premium aboard the Squideo Submarine! You’ve been given strict orders to bring only one bag of personal effects. What are you taking?
I'd take my phone – and be sure to download a few favourite films before leaving! Plus I'd be able to play chess against a computer on there. I'd also take a photo album and a good book, something big to chip away at, and finally a Rubik’s Cube to try and get some new personal best times!
The team at Squideo are always prepared. Like Boy and Girl Scouts. Should the unimaginable happen, and you get taken in by the crew of the Nautilus never to return to the surface again, what song do you think your family and friends would remember you by?
I'm not too sure on this, it's not something I have really thought of. I'd like it to be something happy, I wouldn't want anything depressing to be played to cause any further sadness. Moving onto the next question as this is too morbid!
Do your musical tastes align with your family and friends or is it wildly different?
Not really, my friends and family don't like my favourite artists. However, there's some crossover – for example my Grandad likes Abba and I'm a fan of them too! A lot of my friends are big on Indie music though, which isn't really high up in my favourites.
Like smell, music can have strong associations with certain memories. We don’t want to consider how the Squideo Submarine will smell after a week; instead, choose a song which you associate with your childhood.
Mambo Number 5 – this song is one of my first memories! I loved it, and every time I hear it I have a vivid memory of when I was younger and dancing to it. Also You've Got A Friend In Me due to my Toy Story obsession.
Don’t think about how the submarine smells! Instead, what song do you associate with a happy memory?
Going back to what I said about Abba, probably any of their hits. I have a great memory of my Grandad babysitting me and my sisters one night when we were younger, and instead of staying home he took us bowling, and on the way home he was blasting Abba through the speakers which made us laugh.
There is a hatch with a ‘break in case of emergency’ window. If the solitude gets too much would you go for a walk on the ocean floor? What would you hope to see?
I'll pass on that, I think that sounds like the beginning of a horror movie where an innocent walk would morph into me being taken hostage by some secret underwater creatures for trespassing...
It is quiet in the submarine. Except, oh no – you have an earworm. What was the last song to get stuck in your head?
I recently had the intro rhythm to Livin' La Vida Loca stuck in my head. I do like the song, but it was bugging me that I just couldn't remember what the name was for days! But finally I remembered.
Squideo videos look inkredible, but there’s also a soundtrack! Which piece of Squideo-approved background music always gets stuck in your head?
There was actually a track that me and a past employee used to joke about from the old "Tech" playlist. We had a variety of music playlists such as Easy Going, Corporate, Tech etc, and it was funny to us as the track didn't really suit our videos, but we eagerly awaited the day someone chose it just to see what sort of video was going to match its energy! Sadly that day never came, but the track stands out to me as a funny memory.
It’s almost time to return home! The journey went a lot quicker with music, didn’t it? What song are you playing in celebration of your return?
Back to Life by Soul II Soul and Caron Wheeler.
We returned to the surface where the H.M.S Fifty Squid was waiting to welcome the Squideo Submarine and its crew of one back onboard. Sadly, this expedition didn’t confirm sightings of a gigantic narwhale but the excursion gave us a great opportunity to explore the depths and breadths of the ocean with the one and only Callum Major.
Join us next time, when we’ll take a trip beneath the waves with our Video Producer: Sarah Irwin.
