Irish director talks The National's new video

Earlier we brought you the news that Irishman CF Meister was victorious in computer game developer Valve's worldwide search to find the new video The National's 'Exile, Vilify', which features on the soundtrack for their excellent logic-bending platformer Portal 2.

We're just off the phone with the Greystones resident, who can't quite believe his luck. Having answered a call for entries via The National's mailing list, the talented filmmaker recruited a friend and got to work. Once the sock puppet-flavoured promo was shot, it was business as usual until Valve notified Meister of his victory.

"I was surprised," he admits. "I’m constantly working on things so I had put it out of my mind, but the day before it was announced, myself and Ross (the video's star) were talking about it, thinking that they’d obviously picked somebody else because we hadn’t heard anything, and then somebody from Valve contacted me through YouTube to tell me I’d won."

The National think Meister is a worthy winner, with the Ohio band heavily involved in the selection process. His prize includes a signed guitar from Matt Berninger and friends, which makes us at Hot Press more than a little jealous!

Filmed and directed by Meister, the video is simultaneously heart-breaking and hilarious, as all narratives of melancholic sock puppets tend to be. Shot in Bray Head, the NCAD graduate knew his terrain well.

"I’ve filmed a lot around Wicklow for college-related projects, and I think it’s a very cinematic place," he explains. "I knew where I was going, and that there were a few spots that would work really well. The brief for the video was about Portal 2, but I didn’t really know much about the game. I think in the blurb it mentioned sock puppets, and I had already had an idea to do something with a puppet so it felt right!"

With The Frames holding the record for Ireland's lowest budget video in the form of 1995's 'Revelate' (an estimated £2.50), has Meister managed to usurp that crown from Glen Hansard and the boys?

"I think so yeah. All it cost me was a bag of chips for Ross!"

You can follow Meister's work on his tumblr. Catch him in action at The Bernard Shaw this Friday August 12 as part of Scribble, a free evening of music brought to you by the Loud Mouth Collective.