Chats Palace

Concept and Video Treatment 18th June 2026 Mim Houghton and Dan Light

Chats Palace

Look & Inspiration

Inspiration · 01

Dot to Dot.

  • Grey editorial poster scattered with fine black ink strokes, like a dot-to-dot taken apart
  • Orange dots scattered across a smoky charcoal column on white
  • Four posters joining black dots with red constellation lines over a concrete texture
  • Multicoloured confetti dots clustered loosely on a cream ground
  • Black stippled dot clusters drifting into shapes on white, with a single green dot
  • Black dots linked by thin lines into a network, with one orange shape and one red node
  • Hand-drawn numbered connect-the-dots sketch, points joined into a loose figure
  • Animated scattered points drifting across a grey field

Dot to Dot.

Inspiration · 02

Halftone.

  • Iridescent halftone grid over a distorted figure, oily rainbow sheen on black
  • Black-and-white halftone dots resolving into clouds over a dark horizon
  • Sparse grey halftone with scattered ink-blot clusters on white
  • Coarse black-and-white halftone of a blurred photographic image
  • Vivid CMYK colour halftone dots in overlapping rainbow fields
  • Black halftone dots resolving into a portrait of a face on white
  • Blue halftone dots of varying size forming an image against white
  • Blue blobby halftone pattern with a stippled face inset, shown in a design tool

Halftone.

Stage Plan

Two top-down stage plans side by side comparing footprint options
Stage Footprint

Option A (Venue Standard) = 5m (width) x 4m (depth)

Option B (Additional staging required) = 5m (width) x 5m (depth)

Stage Footprint - Two top-down stage plans side by side comparing footprint options

Perspective render of the band on a 60cm stage surrounded by a standing crowd
Stage Height: 60cm

Standard venue option. I think this could potentially be too short.

Stage Height: 60cm - Perspective render of the band on a 60cm stage surrounded by a standing crowd

Perspective render of the band on a 90cm raised stage surrounded by a standing crowd
Stage Height: 90cm

Raised stage option. I think this is the better option sight-line wise, but will require the venue to raise the legs of the staging by 30cm. They have said this is an option, but will need to be discussed at the site-visit.

Stage Height: 90cm - Perspective render of the band on a 90cm raised stage surrounded by a standing crowd

Song 01

Lift Me Up

Artist Brief

“Written off the back of being reconnected with old fans and feeling energised by their enthusiasm. An Ode to Hackney, a Friday evening walk where the buzz from strangers and the good weather was enough to lift me up”

Interpretation

Filmed footage walking through Hackney. Vibrant silhouettes in a warm evening orange glow, incorporating the halftone texture.

Palette

Moodboard

  • Blurred figure walking, silhouetted against a vivid orange-red ground
  • Soft grainy spectrum haze with golden bokeh hexagons
  • Grainy gradient glowing from red into warm yellow
  • Dark frame streaked with pink and amber light leaks

Blurred figure walking, silhouetted against a vivid orange-red ground, Soft grainy spectrum haze with golden bokeh hexagons, Grainy gradient glowing from red into warm yellow, Dark frame streaked with pink and amber light leaks

Halftone-dotted black profile silhouette on a coral ground
Style Frame 01

Style Frame 01 - Halftone-dotted black profile silhouette on a coral ground

Style Frame 02

A rough render, based on some footage of people walking through Barcelona. The footage is put through our halftone print process, but then the dots are thrown out of focus. This potentially gives us a slightly dreamy, heatwave feeling.

Style Frame 02 - Halftone-treated footage of people walking, the dots thrown out of focus

Song 02

Good Morning

Artist Brief

“A greeting which seeks to connect all those who feel isolated. The lyrics illustrate strangers, each uniquely detached from one another, but connected by isolation.”

Interpretation

A simple gradient background, stylised in our halftone texture. Sat on top is an abstract animation of moving dots, symbolising people moving around each other but never connecting. The dots are generated by simulating people moving through a city, some making conections and some staying isolated. We generate the dots forming from the words “Good Morning” so the text is sometimes visible from their paths, but not overt.

Palette

Background Moodboard

  • Soft grainy gradient drifting from pale lilac into deep purple
  • Grainy aura gradient blending blue, violet and aqua on grey
  • Curved soft gradient of cobalt blue into pale lavender

Soft grainy gradient drifting from pale lilac into deep purple, Grainy aura gradient blending blue, violet and aqua on grey, Curved soft gradient of cobalt blue into pale lavender

Swarming People Moodboard

  • Numbered ink-stamped dots scattered and clustering across paper
  • Dense swarm of black, navy and red dots clustering at a poster centre
  • White dots swarming and dispersing across a black ground
  • Aerial view of a crowd scattered across a grey plaza, people drifting past each other
  • Animated population-density dot plot of Manhattan, black dots filling a square field

Numbered ink-stamped dots scattered and clustering across paper, Dense swarm of black, navy and red dots clustering at a poster centre, White dots swarming and dispersing across a black ground, Aerial view of a crowd scattered across a grey plaza, people drifting past each other, Animated population-density dot plot of Manhattan, black dots filling a square field

A blue and lavender gradient rendered in our halftone dot texture
Style Frame 01

Style Frame 01 - A blue and lavender gradient rendered in our halftone dot texture

Song 03

Alight

Artist Brief

“The lyrics were inspired by ‘The Little Match Girl’ - the story of a young girl trying to sell matches on a freezing New Year’s Eve. She’s afraid to return home empty handed, so she stays out in the cold, lighting her matches for warmth. She experiences visions of comfort, food, and her deceased grandmother before ultimately dying in the cold. It’s a dark metaphor, but one with hope inside it: that tragedy can illuminate the mind, and become a source of resilience, comfort, and transformation.”

Interpretation

The background takes inspiration from fire: little orbs of glowing light, rather than large, vicious flames. Softly out of focus, and processed with halftones. In the foreground, an abstract dot pattern forms at the chorus to make up an abstract face, singing along with Josh, his “third man”.

Palette

Background Moodboard

  • Soft out-of-focus orbs of orange and amber fire glowing on near-black
  • Warm amber and orange bokeh circles glowing out of darkness
  • Bold black type on a vivid orange poster ground

Soft out-of-focus orbs of orange and amber fire glowing on near-black, Warm amber and orange bokeh circles glowing out of darkness, Bold black type on a vivid orange poster ground

Dot To Dot Faces Moodboard

  • A face built from numbered connect-the-dots points joined by fine blue lines
  • A face drawn in a single continuous ink line, eye and features tangled together

A face built from numbered connect-the-dots points joined by fine blue lines, A face drawn in a single continuous ink line, eye and features tangled together

Glowing orange fire orbs rendered in our halftone dot texture on black
Style Frame 01

Style Frame 01 - Glowing orange fire orbs rendered in our halftone dot texture on black

Dot To Dot Face

Dot To Dot Face - A dot-to-dot pattern connecting up into a face

Song 04

Loving You Last

Artist Brief

“It’s about mourning joint memories you still inhabit, while the other person has left them behind. There’s anger and a sense of betrayal mixed with a small amount of objectivity and joint accountability for the downfall.”

Interpretation

We start looking at a face, abstracted through our halftone processing. We follow as a tears form in their eyes and runs down their cheeks, leaving a paths as it follows. As the tears reach the chin and merge together. they start to flow out and we transition into abstract rivers flowing and erroding.

Palette

Colour Moodboard

  • Grainy gradient sinking from black into deep red, magenta and blue
  • Grainy cloud of hot pink and crimson bleeding across a dark ground

Grainy gradient sinking from black into deep red, magenta and blue, Grainy cloud of hot pink and crimson bleeding across a dark ground

Tears Running Moodboard

  • A flushed face with eyes welling, on the edge of crying
  • Face tilted up, dried tear tracks running down the cheeks and neck
  • A face with tear-streaked makeup running in lines down both cheeks
  • Extreme close-up of an eye with a glistening tear running down the cheek
  • Black-and-white profile of a face with a single tear tracking down the cheek

A flushed face with eyes welling, on the edge of crying, Face tilted up, dried tear tracks running down the cheeks and neck, A face with tear-streaked makeup running in lines down both cheeks, Extreme close-up of an eye with a glistening tear running down the cheek, Black-and-white profile of a face with a single tear tracking down the cheek

Evolving Rivers

  • Aerial of a blue river meandering in tight loops through green wetland
  • Aerial of a dendritic river system branching like veins across dark terrain
  • Aerial of a dark serpentine river snaking through bright green fields
  • Aerial of a braided river threading countless channels across a pale landscape

Aerial of a blue river meandering in tight loops through green wetland, Aerial of a dendritic river system branching like veins across dark terrain, Aerial of a dark serpentine river snaking through bright green fields, Aerial of a braided river threading countless channels across a pale landscape

A face front-on, halftone-processed in pink and blue dots on black, tears running from both eyes
Style Frame 01

Style Frame 01 - A face front-on, halftone-processed in pink and blue dots on black, tears running from both eyes

A face in profile, halftone-processed in pink and blue dots on black, a tear running down the cheek
Style Frame 02

Style Frame 02 - A face in profile, halftone-processed in pink and blue dots on black, a tear running down the cheek

Flowing river-like channels rendered in pink and blue halftone dots on black
Evolving Rivers

Evolving Rivers - Flowing river-like channels rendered in pink and blue halftone dots on black

Song 05

Borrowed Time

Artist Brief

“This is about living in blissful denial. The walls around you are closing in and you’re going to make the most of every second until they do. Insecurity is replaced with bravado, rationality with delusion.”

Interpretation

Needs to be light and funny, while showing the concept of time and life catching up with us. We have two abstract and grainy figures running throughout the song, one attempting to catch the other. Just reaching each other before the song ends and we cut.

Palette

Background Moodboard

  • Soft grainy gradient of lime and emerald green
  • Grainy gradient of teal blending into bright yellow
  • Grainy gradient blending blue, cyan and green
  • Herbert Bayer poster with a soft green glow behind a horizontal bar

Soft grainy gradient of lime and emerald green, Grainy gradient of teal blending into bright yellow, Grainy gradient blending blue, cyan and green, Herbert Bayer poster with a soft green glow behind a horizontal bar

Running Moodboard

  • A grainy blue-and-green running figure streaked with horizontal motion bands
  • Retro print of layered running silhouettes in blue and red line shading
  • Blurred photograph of a person sprinting, the background smeared with motion
  • Three running figures rendered as dot-matrix silhouettes on black, one picked out in green

A grainy blue-and-green running figure streaked with horizontal motion bands, Retro print of layered running silhouettes in blue and red line shading, Blurred photograph of a person sprinting, the background smeared with motion, Three running figures rendered as dot-matrix silhouettes on black, one picked out in green

Song 06

How Long Will It Take

Artist Brief

“The delusion has faded, this is the come down. And all you’re left asking is how long will this period of discomfort last? External results are nowhere to be found and internally you’re reaching empty.”

Interpretation

A black hole sucking in and consuming all. Visually showing endlessness and hopelessness, with no way out.

In the foreground we have a dot to dot outline figure. He is attempting to maintain normallacy while the world arround him is stucked away. Through the dot to dot imagery it looks as if his skin is being stetched arround him and he is trying to stay togeher.

Palette

Colour Moodboard

  • Deep blue glowing void dissolving into white
  • Sky blue fading down into black
  • Cobalt blue dissolving into black and pale grey

Deep blue glowing void dissolving into white, Sky blue fading down into black, Cobalt blue dissolving into black and pale grey

Black Hole Moodboard

  • A dark blue-black orb glowing softly against white, like a black hole
  • An animated halftone dot field with a dark centre drifting across it
  • A tiny figure falling into a vortex of concentric white rings on black
  • A lone figure suspended in a grainy dark void, light radiating around it

A dark blue-black orb glowing softly against white, like a black hole, An animated halftone dot field with a dark centre drifting across it, A tiny figure falling into a vortex of concentric white rings on black, A lone figure suspended in a grainy dark void, light radiating around it

Buster Keaton Dot To Dot

Buster Keaton Dot To Dot - Buster Keaton footage traced as moving connected dots

Song 07

Thrown It All Away

Artist Brief

“This is rock bottom. Written at the point of collapse of an old identity, without the refuge of a new one to hide inside. At my rawest and most exposed. This is where the blueprint for resilience was born.”

Interpretation

TBC whether we need video projected here, could be strong to sit in the disintegrated space. Do we lean into the stripped back end of the show?

Moodboard

  • A few scattered black dots adrift on a white field
  • Sparse cross marks on white, a couple joined by thin lines
  • Hand-drawn numbered connect-the-dots forming a collapsing figure
  • A faint halftone haze barely holding together on white
  • A blown-out halftone field framed by a dark, degraded vignette

A few scattered black dots adrift on a white field, Sparse cross marks on white, a couple joined by thin lines, Hand-drawn numbered connect-the-dots forming a collapsing figure, A faint halftone haze barely holding together on white, A blown-out halftone field framed by a dark, degraded vignette