Production Company

Anonymous Content

<h3>After completing his latest movie&nbsp;The Running Man, Edgar Wright could be forgiven for taking a break. Instead he spent Christmas and New Year making a video for Sunflower Bean's singer and bass player Julia Cumming. He tells Promonews that he was on a mission - and the result&nbsp;is very special. BTS photos by Miriam Marlene and Fin Rowland.</h3>With a remarkable array of feature films to his credit Edgar Wright is&nbsp;one of the UK's top movie directors&nbsp; - and much more besides.&nbsp;An avid fan of film in all its aspects, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the artform, Wright brings that love and knowledge to everything he works on. It means he is a highly&nbsp;distinctive voice in the world of cinema, who is renowned for breaking new ground as he pays homage to the classics of the past - while making popular hit movies for mainstream audiences.And he would certainly have become one of the UK's biggest music video directors, if the movie business had not claimed him first. Back in the early Noughties, Wright's career in&nbsp;music videos was just taking off. In a few months in 2002 and 2003&nbsp;he directed videos for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6rRJVaFc1I" target="_blank">The Bluetones</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XIw40l0md8" target="_blank">80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster</a> and one for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHbndkcLM6A" target="_blank">Mint Royale, starring Noel Fielding</a> - the video that would become the prototype for the celebrated opening sequence of his movie <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ARFyrM6gVs" target="_blank">Baby Driver</a>.[vidtoken data:0]"It was funny. I had always wanted to do more music videos and just got to the point where I was getting&nbsp;lots of offers," he recalls. "But then&nbsp;<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/shaun-of-the-dead/" target="_blank">Shaun Of The Dead</a> was happening. The scripts for music videos were coming&nbsp;in&nbsp;and I couldn't do any of them. And I didn't do another one for three years."Even when engaged in a stream of movies, like&nbsp;his 'Cornetto&nbsp;trilogy' (SOTD, <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/hot-fuzz/" target="_blank">Hot Fuzz</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-worlds-end/" target="_blank">The World's End</a>) and <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world/" target="_blank">S</a><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_2_cdt_t_9" target="_blank">cott Pilgrim vs The World</a>, Wright's love of music&nbsp;has spurred him to make occasional returns to music videos down the years when he gets the opportunity. They have been fairly rare in the last 15 years, with one for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2014/10/14/pharrell-williams-ft-daft-punk-gust-wind-edgar-wright/29546" target="_blank">Pharrell Williams &amp;&nbsp;Daft Punk's Gust Of Wind</a> in 2014&nbsp;and, eight years ago, for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2018/04/03/beck-colors-edgar-wright/52482" target="_blank">Beck's Colors</a>.<blockquote>I heard the demo from My Life about four years ago... It's been a long project for Julia and very important to her.</blockquote>So it comes as a surprise to&nbsp;hear that there is a new Edgar Wright-directed&nbsp;music video, not long after the release of <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-running-man-2025/" target="_blank">The Running Man</a>, arguably the biggest blockbuster of his career to date. This highly entertaining sci-fi&nbsp;thriller, a remake of the 1987&nbsp;Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of the same name - and based on a Stephen King novel - is sheer spectacle combined with sharp satire. It's a huge&nbsp;Hollywood popcorn movie with a brain, an updated version of the dystopian sci-fi epics of the 1980s and 90s, with heaps of Wright's trademark cinematic virtuosity bringing present-day pertinence to well-loved&nbsp;tropes of the genre.&nbsp;But in its own way, on a much (much) smaller scale, Wright's video for Julia Cumming's My Life follows that theme of cinematic virtuosity, putting a new twist on some classic techniques. Produced by <a href="https://www.anonymouscontent.com/">Anonymous Content</a> in London, it takes us through a day in the life of the singer, also the frontwoman of&nbsp;New York power pop band <a href="https://www.sunflowerbeanband.com/" target="_blank">Sunflower Bean</a>, in a single shot. It's a display of old school ingenuity and&nbsp;craft&nbsp;in this 'oner' that takes Julia through her day, from apartment to audition to dance class to the photoshoot for her album cover.[imgtoken data:1]Above: On&nbsp;the My Life music video shoot, Edgar Wright (left) directs Julia Cumming in the recreated New York apartment in Twickenham Studios where she starts her 'day in the life'&nbsp; in the video.&nbsp;The video is full of details and is constantly moving forward, through the use of clever production design, choreography and camerawork, centred&nbsp;by a hugely engaging performance by Cumming herself.&nbsp;It does not hurt at all that My Life is a special song - an old-fashioned power ballad with a modern perspective. In the midst of a production with many moving parts, Cumming is the calm centre who delivers the song with&nbsp;heartfelt passion.The first single from Cumming's <a href="https://store.partisanrecords.com/artist/490384-julia-cumming?lang=en_GB" target="_blank">debut solo album Julia&nbsp;- out on Partisan Records on April 24th</a> - Wright says he had committed to making the video for his friend a while ago."I had been a fan of Sunflower Bean for years, and we&nbsp;met through that," he explains. "And I heard the demo from My Life about four years ago.&nbsp;Julia's been working on her solo album for a number of years. It's something that's been such a long project for her and very important to her."With My Life scheduled for release in mid-February, he&nbsp;confirms that the demands of The Running Man meant that the window of opportunity to make the video was small. But he was absolutely determined - and ultimately it meant calling upon the help of lots of old&nbsp;friends in the business to make it happen."I finished making [the film]&nbsp;in October and it came out in November - and I was still doing press for the movie until late November," he tells Promonews, the day after the release of the video. "But actually once you've made a promise to do a video for somebody, you can't renege&nbsp;on it. And also -&nbsp;It would&nbsp;also be my first music video in a little while, I wanted to come up with something great."It helped that the germ of an idea already existed. This came from Julia herself and her manager, Crista Simiriglia, based around the creation of the photo of the cover for the album, which was taken by legendary photographer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Watson_(photographer)" target="_blank">Albert Watson</a>.[imgtoken data:2]Above: Behind the scenes on the My Life shoot. Edgar recruited longtime collaborator Jennifer White to choreograph the video - both Julia's progress through the one-shot and the dance sequences."Julia had worked with Albert Watson years before as a model and asked him back then if he would do an album cover, then got back in touch with him last year," says Edgar. "So there was an idea that the video was the day in the life of shooting that shot."He adds that their&nbsp;deck took a realistic approach to the idea of the day in the life, which&nbsp;he reworked.&nbsp;"A lot of her day was happening out on the streets [in that original treatment]. It was&nbsp;my idea to do something that was more abstract.&nbsp;We didn't want to be outside in January. We wanted to be in a situation where we could contain it. To do the day in the life idea, but in a more expressionistic way."To do it as a one-shot for most of the video - until they reach the point the album cover photo is taken - was also something that really appealed to Edgar's filmmaking instincts. "I've done videos like that before," he says. "But also I really like working with choreographers and dancers and DPs and operators making it all one piece."<blockquote>Once you've made a promise you can't renege on it... and I wanted to do something great.</blockquote>Understanding that choosing his collaborators would be key to it's success,&nbsp;the strategy&nbsp;was to reach out to some trusted colleagues. The starting point was to recruit choreographer <a href="http://jennifermovementwhite.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer White</a>, who Edgar&nbsp;has worked with numerous times, including several features and Raise Your Arches, his&nbsp;acclaimed 2023&nbsp;ad&nbsp;for McDonald's. And White&nbsp;had also worked with Cumming before, on The Running Man.&nbsp;"Julia has a&nbsp;cameo in the movie,&nbsp;playing a hostess of another gameshow - Jennifer worked with her on that scene. I knew they got on, so when the video came up I called Jen. It's that thing of when you haven't necessarily got a big budget. If you have&nbsp;the building blocks of knowing who is going to be involved, then you can start to formulate the idea around that."[imgtoken data:3]Above: Julia between scenes on the shoot. She came up with the idea initially with her manager Crista Simiriglia.&nbsp;With Jennifer White on board with her assistant&nbsp;Naomi Weijand, the concept&nbsp;evolved&nbsp;when they moved to a dance studio with Julia, Edgar plotting it out while shooting the process&nbsp;on his iPhone. "I think what it became was: 'what if it was a rehearsal for life?&nbsp;So your&nbsp;average day of being on camera and off camera, doing idents, having to do content, and also the moments between that. Now I'm on-camera, now I'm off-camera."His next recruit to the project was another longtime colleague: <a href="https://www.marcusrowland.design/" target="_blank">Marcus Rowland</a>, the production designer that he has worked with since Edgar was directing Simon Pegg et. al, in legendary TV comedy&nbsp;Spaced. "Marcus has done&nbsp;pretty much all of my movies and a lot of my music videos and commercials too. I&nbsp;presented him with the idea&nbsp;and we figured out what could we do and where we could shoot it." And Edgar was also able to call in another favour, having Twickenham Studios - where he has also worked since the days of Spaced -&nbsp;offer him the use of Stage One to shoot the video.<blockquote>Once it was all locked in, I said to Julia: have fun with it.</blockquote>"We knew that because it's an old studio, the studio walls are inherently aesthetically interesting, in a way&nbsp;that modern studios aren't. You've got that Old Grey Whistle Test-feel of the cladding on the backs of the stages. We knew that even if we only have one set, and we could only afford to do a couple of flats for her bedroom, then she could walk off set and the studio itself would look interesting."In the days leading up to Christmas, when they were prepping the job, Rowland had a suggestion. They were looking to make a version of Julia's New York apartment in the first set-up in the video.&nbsp;"Marcus said: 'why don't you come around the prop stores with me and we'll pick out some stuff?'. The thing is, I don't think I've ever been personally to the prop stores and it was a great experience.&nbsp;We just took photos of things that were the right kind of style, so it would look like an apartment with furniture grabbed over the years. And also to tie into the colour scheme of the album&nbsp;cover - the backdrop and the dress, which Julia still had. (And Julia was over for a few days and she joined us going around the prop houses."[imgtoken data:4]Above: Recreating the 'Julia' album cover shoot for the My Life video.Edgar also brought on board various other crew members he has regularly worked with, including DoP Oliver Curtis, 1st AD Richard Graysmark and&nbsp;costume designer Julian Day. There is a sense that much of his pleasure in the process comes from bringing&nbsp;these tried and trusted collaborators on board to confront the challenges and problem-solve. There is no suggestion that the director who had just finished&nbsp;a $100 million&nbsp;feature film was taking&nbsp;this any less seriously. In fact, Edgar&nbsp;describes&nbsp;the process of figuring out and achieving the 'oner' as "a high-wire act - definitely a nervewracking thing."In that respect, Edgar&nbsp;found a new collaborator whose work was crucial for the success of the video, in steadicam&nbsp; operator Austin Phillips. For knowing exactly the right framing at all points, from wide to close-up, taking in the movement of dancers, Phillips had Edgar's iPhone footage from the rehearsals to guide him, and a pre-light day enabling some 'soft rehearsals' at Twickenham before the 10 hour&nbsp;shoot day."Oliver recommended&nbsp;Austin and he was great," Edgar says. "He was very quick to work out&nbsp;where we needed to be and where Julia&nbsp;needed to be and where she's engaging with the camera and where she isn't."&nbsp;<blockquote>It tied into the song... all about being yourself, and not having to perform for anybody else.</blockquote>On the shoot day in early January, from the first take Julia spontaneously blew a breath on the taxicab glass in the cab ride sequence and drew a heart on the steamed-up glass - and because the studio was so cold it showed up perfectly on camera. Edgar says that she nailed that in every following take - but when it came to getting the whole sequence, they had to wait a while to get it exactly right - on&nbsp;take 14. Although they shot it a couple more times afterwards, it immediately felt like that was the one."At that point Julia and Austin had everything locked in,&nbsp;the choreography was all locked in,&nbsp;and so were the lighting cues -&nbsp;and you felt like, okay, we got it now. And then I remember saying to Julia - Jen said this as well - hey, just have fun with it."&nbsp;With its craft and it's form, it's ambition and attention to detail, although its not a complete one-shot it feels like it delivers old-school one-shot thrills. On the face of it, it's also a classic subject - a day in the life of a girl who is a performer, a singer, a dancer or an actress. Arguably it's the&nbsp;song's lyrics that ensures that the classic craft of the video has a modern twist.[imgtoken data:5]Above:&nbsp;Edgar and Julia&nbsp;on set of the My Life shoot, January 2026.In fact, Edgar reveals that to an extent, the video provides&nbsp;a path for Julia to address a difficult experience&nbsp;in a positive way.&nbsp;"Without going into any details, when she did the album cover shoot last year,&nbsp;it was actually a very tumultuous day on a personal level," he says. "The super glamourous shot was the&nbsp;one second where all the planets came into alignment, in what in reality it had been for her a shitshow of a day. So that was her idea - and it tied into the song, in the way that the song is all about being yourself, and not having to perform for anybody else. That's the spirit of it."Directing the near-'oner' video for My Life in one day was arguably also a cathartic experience for Edgar himself after&nbsp;The Running Man. "That movie was so huge and such a marathon and I'm really proud of it. But it was also, as you might imagine, totally exhausting," he admits."And it&nbsp;was great to do this with a lot of the same crew. It doesn't always come together - a lot of it is just kismet in terms of timing - but I got the feeling on the day that both for me and for a lot of the crew that we're doing something for one day that's completely in of itself and fun to do and creative."I just want to include people, especially for something like this. A one take video by its very nature is a team effort. And so if people are doing it for favours, for next to nothing, it's got to be fun."• Edgar Wright is represented by Anonymous Content for commercials and music videos. <a href="https://www.anonymouscontent.com/work/uk/directors/anonymous-content/edgar-wright/" target="_blank">More here</a>.

Edgar Wright

Edgar Wright on returning to music videos for Julia Cumming's My Life: 'A oner is a high-wire act. It's a nerve-wracking thing.'

Julia Cumming - My Life (Official Music Video)

The Reids return with their sixth music video for Mura Masa, and once again bring the viewer into the heart of a joyful gathering,&nbsp;courtesy of a riveting device.The video for Hands Up follows on from previous collabs with the Guernsey-born producer, songwriter and DJ, capturing the buzz of a houseparty in full swing. It's authenticity is captured&nbsp;through the&nbsp;intimate details - enabled by tracking the movement&nbsp;of the partygoers' hands.As with directing duo William and Ed Reid's video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2025/09/09/mura-masa-im-really-hot-myself-reids/92495" target="_blank">I'm Really Hot (For Myself)</a> - also on Mura Masa's Curve 1 EP, this was shot on the iPhone 17 Pro. It's undoubtedly&nbsp;a great showcase for the capabilities of the camera - allied to a razorsharp edit by Nik Kohler. But the concept and the unmistakeable&nbsp;party spirit is all down to The Reids - you've got to hand it to them.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;

United Kingdom

The Reids

Poppy Ashton

Nik Kohler

Cabin Editing Company

Dance

Electronic

Mura Masa 'Hands Up' by The Reids

Mura-Masa-'Hands-Up'-by-The-Reids

Autumn de Wilde

Juliet Naylor

Ryan Heffington

Benjamin Todd

Shirley Kurata

Kave Quinn

Florence + The Machine 'Sympathy Magic' by Autumn de Wilde

Florence + The Machine - Sympathy Magic (Official Video)

Directing brothers The Reids present a fast and furious fever dream for RAYE's supremely catchy first offering from her next album.The video for the infectious Where Is My Husband! is both very RAYE and very Reids, channelling some of the dizzying visual language in <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/06/13/raye-genesis-otis-dominique-raye/86792" target="_blank">Genesis</a> -&nbsp;the singer's magnum opus&nbsp;from early last year -&nbsp;with the breathless energy of William and Ed Reid's&nbsp;video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/06/26/james-blake-thrown-around-reids/87009" target="_blank">James Blake's Thrown Around</a>.Essentially it's a very enjoyable live action cartoon, dealing with a personal subject - RAYE's continuing singledom -&nbsp;with humour and pizzazz.[imgtoken data:1]The project is announced the way Genesis ends, with the insignia of a classic Warner Bros cartoon,&nbsp;flagging&nbsp;RAYE's new musical direction as Retro Pop, and then dropping her from a black void into a hotel corridor where she sees her ideal man walking away, slightly out of reach. And then she's handed a mic as she's thrust into a Supremes-style girl group.From then on, RAYE is thrown into different scenarios, switching between colour and black and white, and never quite managing to get hold of The Husband she has yet to meet.&nbsp;There's so much going on, it's something that really rewards further viewing - to enjoy the technical feat provided by the directors, and RAYE's outstanding, thoroughly committed&nbsp;performance.&nbsp;

Sasha Hilton

Coralie Rose

Asmara Cammock

Emma Rose

Eppie Bowler

El-shaddai Nyagodzi (cast)

Eniola Dare (artist)

United Talent

Rowan Macintosh King

Mikey Robbins

Jonny Boomer

Jake Hunter

James Hackett

Cerys Kenneally

Henry Richmond

Ty Hack

Thomas Treveil

Steve Morgan

Sam Rawlings

Ellie Spigariol

Maureen Moores

Alex Price

Lan Nguyen-Grealis

Rich Fearon

Black Kite Studios

Hazel Gibson

James Marshall

Human Re-sources

Anchous

RAYE 'Where Is My Husband!' by The Reids

RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! (Official Music Video)

A powerful single-take video for Florence that harks back to a bygone&nbsp;era of rock 'n roll...

Florence + The Machine 'One Of The Greats' by Autumn de Wilde

Florence + The Machine - One of the Greats (Official Visualizer)

Directing duo The Reids resume their longterm collaboration with producer Mura Masa with a lo-fi exploration of a dancer's self-obsession, captured by her döppelgänger.​The video for I'm Really Hot (For Myself) takes us into the mirror-lined dance studio where a&nbsp;dancer is driven to a frenzy while adoring her own reflection, watched by a girl with a vintage video camera who looks exactly like her.With its immediacy and DIY feel, it's an intriguing&nbsp;addition&nbsp;to an impressive body of work that The Reids have built with Mura Masa over the past couple of years. And it still feels part of a larger theme: how the music transports people to their own special place.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]

Fraser Mitchell

Sattva Nguyen

Ailsa Chaplin

Eden Read

The Assembly Rooms

Megan Lee

Electric Theatre Collective

Mura Masa 'I'm Really Hot (For Myself)' by The Reids

Mura Masa - I'm Really Hot (For Myself) (Official Video)

Sabrina Carpenter ropes in Colman Domingo to co-star in her latest blockbuster - a Rocky Horror Picture Show-inspired romp directed by&nbsp;Bardia Zeinali, and another&nbsp;showcase for Sabrina's considerable comedy actress chops as well for the latest gloriously catchy single from the new album.And it turns out the&nbsp;video for Tears has three endings - at time of publication - as Sabrina finds different ways of getting rid of her nice boyfriend. As says herself (in the first one) Sabrina's&nbsp;giving the people what they want.

United States

Bardia Zeinali

Nathan Scherrer

Collin Druz

Aiden Magarian

freenjoy

Tara Sheree

Nina Soriano

Sabrina Carpenter

Sarah Carpenter

Jason Lombardo

Sean Price Williams

Brittany Porter

Mike Withers

Sam Franco

Jared Ellner

Carolina Gonzalez

Sofia Kerpan

Tal Baltuch

Modern Post

Pendulum Vfx

Sabrina Carpenter 'Tears' by Bardia Zeinali

Sabrina Carpenter - Tears (Official Video)

Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNksXV7sHjK/" target="_blank">a spine-tingling teaser</a>, Autumn de Wilde delivers a hair-raising video for the return of Florence - choreographed by Ryan Heffington.

Eric Stern

Odile Gilbert

Sarah Reygate

Claire Curry

Eve Ashwell

Denis Reva

Yoomin Lee

Emma Hughes

Julian Richards

Tenthree Editing

Company 3

LS Productions

Florence + The Machine 'Everybody Scream' by Autumn de Wilde

Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream (Official Music Video)

Directing duo The Reids return with their latest project for the new Peggy Gou track, featured on the soundtrack of summer blockbuster F1.Appropriately enough - as the Brad Pitt movie is produced by&nbsp;Apple - the video for D.A.N.C.E. was shot on the latest and highest spec&nbsp;iPhone: the iPhone16Pro.&nbsp;

Alex Ayodele-Otele

Callum Anderson

Natasha Duursma

Milo Brown

Adam Crocker

Guillaume Weiss

Richard Fearon

Greg Probert

Peggy Gou 'D.A.N.C.E.' by The Reids

Peggy Gou - D.A.N.C.E. (Official Video)

Jake Agger

Christopher Blauvelt

Tate McRae 'Just Keep Watching' by Bardia Zeinali

Tate McRae - Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie) (Official Video)

The Reids continue their longstanding relationship with&nbsp;Mura Masa with another vibrant celebration of youth and movement, documenting a NYC-based project that revives the joyous act of 'Double-Dutch' skipping.The video for Jump showcases nonprofit Showdem, a group of dancers from the City on a mission to spread joy through movement. They come together to express themselves through the Double Dutch, the activity that first blossomed in the early hip hop era. They also bring their rope skills to the community, inviting the wider public to participate.[imgtoken data:1]Which is exactly what happens in the video, starting with the dancers' turns within the double skipping ropes before the group appear at a shopping mall for a demo and then get some of the onlookers involved.&nbsp;&nbsp;Blending docu-style camerawork with traditional performance visuals, the video is broken up by intimate, candid moments and a celebratory vibe that bleeds through every frame.&nbsp;A feelgood promo which showcases not only the group as a whole, but the charismatic individuals within it. And in that respect it certainly feels of a piece with the previous collabs between Mura Masa and The Reids over the past couple of years.

Harry Grove

Mura Masa

Tom Bolles

Showdem Movement Foundation

Mura Masa 'Jump' by The Reids

Mura Masa - JUMP (Official Video)

In our latest Snapshot Q&amp;A, Anonymous Content's recent signings The Reids reflect on a big year in their career, working with Mura Masa and James Blake, the times when things get "a bit gross"... and Fred Dibnah.&nbsp;It’s been an exciting year or so for Will and Ed Reid as the brother-directing team have completed multiple projects for two artists at the forefront of dance and electronic music - Mura Masa and James Blake.Their acclaimed series of promos for Mura Masa have celebrated youth culture and reconnected with the joy of the dancefloor, generated a zeitgeisty buzz and&nbsp;resulting in an UKMVA win last year&nbsp;for their <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/04/11/mura-masa-whenever-i-want-reids/81081" target="_blank">Whenever I Want</a> clip. They also directed a documentary about James Blake’s last album and screened it&nbsp;at Tate Modern, and then a riotously funny video for Blake’s recent single <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/06/26/james-blake-thrown-around-reids/87009" target="_blank">Thrown Around</a>.The brothers made their directing partnership official in 2021, building their showreel with feature-length documentaries about UK clothing brand Cole Buxton and a handful of interesting music videos, especially for the band Legss. Their recent work brought them to the attention of Anonymous Content and they signed to the London and Amsterdam offices of the international production company in June.So we thought it was a good time for a snappy exchange with The Reids (Will, right, and Ed, pictured above on the set of the latest Mura Masa video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/08/13/mura-masa-fly-reids/87738" target="_blank">Fly</a>) - via our brand new Snapshot Q&amp;A...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Name:&nbsp;The Reids (brothers Will &amp; Ed)Birthday:&nbsp;Both of us were born sometime between 1990 and 2000.&nbsp;Where did you grow up?&nbsp;South East London.&nbsp;Place of further education and course (if any)?&nbsp;Will - Film at AUB (dropped out), Ed - Photography at LCC (didn't drop out)&nbsp;Where do you live now?&nbsp;South East London. Born, raised… and stayed.What were the important first projects for you, in terms of a learning experience and getting noticed?&nbsp;The videos we made with our friends in the band LEGSS - including Hollywood (2021).[vidtoken data:0]Best film you’ve seen this year?&nbsp;Undeniably, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Way9Dexny3w" target="_blank">Dune Part II</a> at the <a href="https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-imax" target="_blank">BFI IMAX</a>.Favourite song/album/music artist this year?&nbsp;The new Mura Masa album, Curve 1.<blockquote>Working with Mura Masa allowed us to define a clear creative voice.</blockquote>Favourite music video/videos you’ve seen this year?&nbsp;Aidan Zamiri’s work on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJW-VvmRKsE" target="_blank">Charli</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huGd4efgdPA" target="_blank">XCX</a> record; <a href="https://www.crownsandowls.com/creative-direction/james-blake-lil-yachty-bad-cameo/" target="_blank">the entire </a><a href="https://www.crownsandowls.com/creative-direction/james-blake-lil-yachty-bad-cameo/" target="_blank">Bad Cameo album campaign</a> by Crowns &amp; Owls for James Blake and Lil Yachty;&nbsp;Finnbar Porteous’ video for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZFS4dsi1jU" target="_blank">Day Out by Spresso</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;Mica Levi's side project.Name a film or video or other creative work that had a huge influence on your career choice?&nbsp;The TV series <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnH7cw0ql1I" target="_blank">FRED </a>by Don Haworth ("a fucking masterpiece. If you’ve never watched, could not recommend it more"); <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVyGCxHZ_Ko" target="_blank">Good Time</a> by The Safdie Brothers; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjF07iyXo8Q" target="_blank">The Grapes of Wrath</a> by John Ford.[imgtoken data:1]In terms of&nbsp;music video-related jobs of the past year or so - what was the most rewarding creatively, and why?&nbsp;It’s got to be the Mura collaborations. Working with an artist (and friend) so closely on a series of videos [Whenever I Want, Rise, FLY] has allowed us to define quite a clear creative dogma and voice in the work that we’re really proud of. A simple idea executed well.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:1]What are your favourite other (non-mv) projects of the past year or so?&nbsp;The film we made with James Blake about his last album for Bowers &amp; Wilkins that screened at The Tate is one of our favourite storytelling pieces to date. Thank you again to Crowns &amp; Owls for commissioning the film and curating it into the gallery show with Thibaut Grevet.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:2]<blockquote>The industry needs fixed minimum budget requirements for different tiers of projects.</blockquote>What’s the most surprising thing that’s happened this year?&nbsp;Signing to a production company!&nbsp;Most annoying/irksome thing that’s been going on this year (work-related or otherwise)?&nbsp;The money continuing to disappear from budgets.&nbsp;Your top suggestion to change and improve how the music video industry works?&nbsp;Fixed minimum budget requirements for different tiers of projects. For instance, we got a brief through recently for a series of 4 live videos + cutdowns for an artist to be shot in a day with a budget of £10k. This is unrealistic for everyone to have a good time and get paid well enough to survive and make something they’re proud of creatively. It’s a bit gross.&nbsp;What are you looking forward to most for the summer and/or the rest of the year?&nbsp;Travelling for a while at the end of the year when we’ve earned it.&nbsp;• The Reids are signed to Anonymous Content, watch their showreel <a href="https://www.anonymouscontent.com/work/uk/directors/anonymous-content/the-reids/" target="_blank">here</a>.

THE SNAPSHOT Q&A: The Reids

Legss - Hollywood: A Film by The Reids

Mura Masa - Rise (feat NADIAH) (Official Video)

JAMES BLAKE - Structuring Robots Into Heaven [DIRECTORS CUT]

Director duo The Reids continue their collaboration with Mura Masa for Fly, taking themes from their previous videos together to the next level.Will and Ed Reid and Mura Masa - aka Alex Crossan - have been exploring and celebrating that heady mix of youth, drugs and dance music through&nbsp;a series of videos, since the marvellous, UKMVA-winning Whenever I Want last year. With FLY, we're drawn into a familiar scenario of a warehouse party, and back among the bodies of the clubbers.This is a more exclusive, well-styled&nbsp;revellers than the varied teen ravers of the previous videos, and this slickly produced affair produces an original moment of euphoria, as one dancer rises above the crowd.Simply yet beautifully done, and a marvellous addition to a series that's adding up to a body of work in itself.&nbsp;

Sophie Hubble

Shion Haysaka

Annie Maguire

Freddie Wright

Jack Exton

Toby Mckay

Fabienne Piolini

Reece Hearnshaw

Claire Urquhart

Roman Harris

Jamie McCubbin

Mura Masa 'FLY' by The Reids

Mura Masa - FLY (feat. Cherish)

James Blake has a Hellish day trying to make content for a jaded social media audience in the&nbsp;mesmerising promo for Thrown Around, directed by The Reids.&nbsp;Opening with a snappy conversation with a social media guru, who tells the artist he needs to up his content game to stay relevant, we see Blake venture out onto the street to record a half-hearted TikTok video - until his phone gets nicked by a bike-riding assailant.&nbsp;From there, things go from bad to worse, and we get to experience this from a hypnotic Snorricam-style rig built by DoP&nbsp;Fraser Mitchell.&nbsp;Elevated by trippy effects and a heavy dose of surrealism, it's a standout visual that also showcases Blake's acting chops, and a surprising facility for comedy. Someone get this man in touch with Netflix right away.And remarkably, the whole project was turned around in less than a week, as Will and Ed Reid explain.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thrown Around was by far the maddest project we’ve shot to date - from idea sign off to wrap in 6 days, this one was a beast to wrangle and so much fun," say the brother directing team, who have just signed to Anonymous Content.&nbsp;"We will be proud of this one for a while."It wouldn’t have been possible to do it without James himself being so up for it. He gave us incredible amounts of time, energy and humour - you really see that on camera."Also, utilising a new camera rig - the 3rd Person Snorri - as a narrative device was a really special experience - it feels so hard to shoot something in a way that feels different and fresh these days and we pushed hard to do that here which is perhaps what we’re most proud of." &nbsp;

Crowns & Owls

Will Preston-George

Rory Mills

Rich Patter

Mike Raymond

Faith Irmak

The Rascal Film Company

Archie Madekwe

Alternative

James Blake 'Thrown Around' by The Reids 

James Blake - Thrown Around (Official Video)

Anonymous Content has announced the signing of directing duo The Reids - brothers Will and Ed Reid - for commercials, branded entertainment and music video representation in the UK and Amsterdam.The brothers arrive at Anonymous Content having directed&nbsp;acclaimed music videos, including the UKMVA-winning promo&nbsp;for Mura Masa's Whenever I Want, and the most recent James Blake video. Their music video credits include work for Mac Wetha, Kam-Bu and Legss, together with three videos for Mura Masa, including one for Rise shot on the iPhone 15 Pro as part of Apple’s #ShotoniPhone campaign.The Reids have also collaborated with brands including Nike, Adidas, Converse, Flannels, Stone Island, A-Cold-Wall, Beats, Diesel Fragrances, Persol Sunglasses, Diptyque Paris,&nbsp;Dazed&nbsp;Magazine,&nbsp;i-D&nbsp;Magazine, and Hypebeast.South East London born and bred, their protagonist-led filmmaking that harnesses real life through an aesthetic lens is perfectly encapsulated in their latest music video for James Blake’s Thrown Around. A defiant mix of surrealism and docu-style, captured on a custom 360 rig, sees the newly independent artist wading through the worst 24 hours of his life.[vidtoken data:0]The duo have an ongoing relationship with creative directors&nbsp;Crown &amp; Owls and collaborated on many projects, including the James Blake video and moving image for clothing brand Hicks. They are currently in development on their latest short film.“The Reids are natural filmmakers, with a solid understanding of craft and considered execution,” says Leah Joyce, Anonymous Content’s UK Head of Sales. “It’s rare to find young directors who put ideas first within their work, so we knew immediately they were the kind of talent we wanted to represent.”The Reid brothers add: “We have waited a long time to sign in the UK, and we couldn’t be happier about making Anonymous Content our home. Our attraction wasn’t just based on the&nbsp;ridiculous talent on the roster, but the energy of the team."We feel so lucky to have found a company that sees us and wants to support the way we currently work, whilst also keen to develop us as we expand into advertising. We can’t wait to get started and to see where the next few years takes us with AC.”• Watch The Reids' work&nbsp;at Anonymous Content <a href="https://www.anonymouscontent.com/work/uk/directors/anonymous-content/the-reids" target="_blank">here</a>

The Reids join Anonymous Content in UK and Amsterdam

Oskar Brockbank directs a hauting promo for Etta Marcus's Mechanical Bull.&nbsp;Taking the songtitle as the central idea for the concept, we see Marcus ride&nbsp;atop a mechanical bull, surrounded by a group of spectators.&nbsp;The effervescent black and white aesthetic adds a sense of anachronism to the visual - we don't have context for time or place, instead just a set of visual ideas that amalgamate into a captivating vignette.&nbsp;The use of slow shutter speeds and filmic textures enhances the otherworldly experience, and adds flair to the dreamlike event.&nbsp;

Suzie Walsh

Oskar Brockbank

Rowan Mackintosh King

Louis Danckwerts

Ryan Delahunty

Miles Ridgway

Suzie Fownes

Maddy Williams

Oli Hill

George Telling

Katie Soper

Emma Regan

Vlad Barin

CHEAT

Polydor Records

Singer songwriter

Etta Marcus 'Mechanical Bull' by Oskar Brockbank

Etta-Marcus-'Mechanical-Bull'-by-Oskar-Brockbank

The return of Ashnikko with her "angriest song" also heralds a breathtaking comeback to music videos by Saam Farahmand, creating a clinical pop-horror as deliriously subversive and transgressive as anything he has done before. It’s sick.You Make Me Sick! clocks in at just over two minutes, and in that time Farahmand establishes a scenario worthy of Cronenberg in a slick pop video aesthetic, inviting the viewer into repeated surges of disbelief. What is being piped in tubes between the orifices of Ashnikko and her followers? What is that murky liquid rising up around Ash and her dancers?The artist and director are in perfect harmony in their drive to create art that crosses over the line of good taste, and will generate a good deal of actual disgust, even from those who admire it greatly. It’s a brilliant smashing through into something new and dangerous, an undiluted, confrontational, controversial visualisation of raw pain.“I’ve decided to come back with my angriest, most cathartic song to date,” the singer has said of the new song in an accompanying statement. “My own personal rage room for me to smash my plates.”Saam Farahmand has added: "The video is about discovering toxicity, the purging of toxicity and the defiant audacity of revelry and spectacle within it. I continue to explore the collision between raw, uncomfortable human experience, and the seductive spectacle of pop culture."

Anna Gloria Fores

Saam Farahmand

Campbell Beaton

Diego Indraccolo

Natalie Uglow

Joshus Pilmore

Claire Moore

Anders Mills

Trap

Ashnikko 'You Make Me Sick!' by Saam Farahmand

Ashnikko--'You-Make-Me-Sick'-by-Saam-Farahmand

New director Sam Aminzadeh has made an auspicious music video directing debut with an delightful video for London singer-songwriter Murkage Dave, shot by the legendary DoP Robbie Ryan.The video for World I Want To Live In expresses the positive message in Murkage Dave's gospel-influenced song, in a studio set-up where a group of disparate individuals come together to express themselves collectively through dance.Dave is the charismatic centre that holds this group together, performing the song which reflects upon the stress that social media can cause, to him and to everyone else. The simple but expressive dance moves of the group - a collaboration&nbsp;of professional dancers and non-professionals - symbolises a common strategy, or therapy, to deal with the stress;&nbsp;finding a route to make that improved world that Dave is talking about.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Aminzadeh has been working as an assistant to some eminent directors over the past few years, including Daniel Wolfe, Kim Gehrig and Grant Singer. With this accomplished debut&nbsp;he shows he has a very promising future as a director&nbsp;himself.