Production Company

Biscuit Filmworks

Lance Oppenheim, the director of acclaimed documentaries&nbsp;Spermworld and&nbsp;Ren Faire and upcoming movie Primetime, collaborates with Pablo Rochat on the video for the first release from Phoebe Bridgers new album, a wonderful vehicle for a song about those men who refuse to grow up.Bridgers has a role in Primetime (which also stars Robert Pattinson) but Oppenheim and Rochat return to Ren Faire for the video for Lost Boys. That focussed upon a power struggle at an amusement park where people dress up in medieval costume and enact swordfights - essentially, the world of the LARPers.In the video, we join such a community, of which Phoebe is the central figure - the queen, in fact. As it progresses she encourages another eager young recruit to the tribe.The video is a combination of medieval iconography, cosplay and the modern world, mixing them in a witty, understated fashion.&nbsp;It's a hoot, but also in its way, rather touching. And Phoebe is great, playing a woman confidently playing the magical fairy queen. No, hang on, she really is...[imgtoken data:1]

United States

Pablo Rochat

Lance Oppenheim

Singer-songwriter

Alternative

Phoebe Bridgers 'Lost Boys' by Lance Oppenheim, Pablo Rochat

Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Boys (Official Video)

Matthew Dillon Cohen directs a charming promo for LA-based band Junior Varsity - and features in the video himself, as band frontman Greg Varteresian enthusiastically pitches an idea for a video to Matthew for their new single.The only issue is, Greg wants to pack a bar with 2000 people. And we all know what a tall order that can be. So the song Radio begins with&nbsp;with the band performing - to a handful of fans in downtown LA.&nbsp;Things are not going well. But hang on... what if a DJ in Seoul starts playing Radio on the radio? All of a sudden we find the song has found its audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shot between the US and Seoul, this is a breezy, absorbing visual with plenty of character, celebrating culture, music, and the long-lasting effect of a good song - when it gets on the radio.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;&nbsp;

Matthew Dillon Cohen

Alternative Pop

Indie

Junior Varsity 'Radio' by Matthew Dillon Cohen

Junior-Varsity--'Radio'-by-Matthew-Dillon-Cohen

Andreas Nilsson makes a rare return to music videos with a characteristically weird and wonderful storyline for the first release from British rock band White Lies' forthcoming new album, Night Light.It's fifteen years or more since Nilsson was directing and creative directing for Fever Ray, ten-plus years since his acclaimed, off-the-wall videos for 2Chainz and Miike Snow. He has gone on to be a highly decorated commercials director, the winner of prety much every prize in adland for his memorable work for the likes of&nbsp;Apple, Old Spice, Uber Eats, Andrex, and Virgin Media. Now he's back in pop vids, with a Bangkok-set tale of heavy smoking and unusual dancing by a reanimated near-nude man.For the video for In The Middle, Nilsson leans heavily into intense&nbsp;atmosphere of the setting, the suffocating effect on the viewer of watching his cast of characters relentlessly puffing away on cigarettes, and the casting of actors who wear their richly lived lives with them on screen. That leaves room for the main dancer character to take centre stage for his climactic performance - and a remarkable party trick.A beatufully produced and directed piece for White Lies by a master director, delivering a surreal story with a straight face.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;&nbsp;

United Kingdom

Andreas Nilsson

The Quarry

Laura Taylor

Rock

White Lies 'In The Middle' by Andreas Nilsson

White-Lies-'In-The-Middle'-by-Andreas-Nilsson

Matthew Dillon Cohen's latest video for&nbsp;LA pop-punk&nbsp;band Junior Varsity radiates sweetness as singer Brooke&nbsp;takes centre stage.On a summer's evening, Cohen's 16mm camera captures a charming outdoor performance of My Star,&nbsp;to the growing accompaniment of&nbsp;a firework display,&nbsp;operated by her bandmates, adding vibrant texture to the visual.&nbsp;Exuding an alluring, relaxed&nbsp;atmosphere,&nbsp;it's a video that executes all the basics to perfection, and is finished with a dazzling grade that highlights the explosive variety of colour.&nbsp;

Junior Varsity 'My Star' by Matthew Dillon Cohen  

Junior-Varsity--'My-Star'-by-Matthew-Dillon-Cohen--

The Biscuit Filmworks director on her coming of age-themed short films, the importance of pushing yourself, and being optimistic about music video creativity.Bianca Poletti is a director and photographer who has made a big impression in the last few years for her enchanting short films and is now making a serious impact in music videos and commercials.Born in California to Argentinian parents, Bianca graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Film Studies before embarking on her directing career. Her short film Radical Honesty premiered at SXSW 2022 and earned a Gold at Ciclope, and Silver at the Young Director Awards. It was followed by I Am Whole, which won Gold at the 1.4 Awards. In her latest short&nbsp;Ultra Low, two friends attempt to make an independent film on Los Angeles with disastrous consequences.She has also directed music videos for acts such as Röyksopp and Nikki Lorenzo, and commercial work for Facebook, Ford, and most recently, a Coca-Cola spot for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. So what better time to catch up with Bianca&nbsp;to get a find out more via our outstandingly popular&nbsp;Snapshot Q&amp;A series? &nbsp;Name: Bianca PolettiWhere did you grow up? Argentina and San Diego, CA.Where do you live now? Los Angeles, CA.What were the important first projects for you, in terms of a learning experience and getting noticed?I learn something new from every project and really try to push myself thematically and visually, avoiding getting too comfortable with one genre or type of storytelling. I think that’s really important: to have your identity and voice, but to always try new things, even if it’s not a smooth ride or shoot. When things fall apart on set, there’s always a way to fix them, and though it’s stressful in the moment, some of my favourite projects have been the most stressful ones.One of my favourite projects was a short I did called&nbsp;I Am Whole. It’s about a young girl losing her virginity and the pressures that society and social media place on girls to grow up too quickly. A highlight was working with one of my favourite composers, Emile Mosseri (with the best music supervisor Abbey Hendrix). Between his music and the work of my editor, Dusten Zimmerman, they really brought that story to life in such a visceral way.That film and my short film&nbsp;Radical Honesty&nbsp;have gotten a lot of love and have helped me land commercial work and a variety of different projects to bring to life.[vidtoken data:0]Commercially, I did <a href="https://vimeo.com/851160951" target="_blank">a spot for Coca-Cola and the Women’s World Cup</a> recently that I really loved bringing to life. We shot it in Argentina, which was special for me, since my parents are from there. We cast a plethora of diverse and interesting faces, we street casted almost fully for that spot and I&nbsp;got to create the scenes with a lot of creative freedom from the agency. The client was a DREAM—absolutely supportive and letting me do my thing. Of course, the challenge was, as always, time. We could have used a few more days to shoot, but we were able to condense things quickly, focusing on the most impactful scenes and crafting a strong story from there.&nbsp;Best film(s) you’ve seen this year? <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28607951/" target="_blank">Anora</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30319503/" target="_blank">Didi</a>.<blockquote>Keep supporting artists who want to push the visuals and make weird, interesting, thought-provoking stories.</blockquote>Favourite song/album/music artist this year? Things We Have in Common&nbsp;by Efterklang,&nbsp;The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess&nbsp;by Chappell Roan,&nbsp;Moonflower&nbsp;by Graveyard Club, and&nbsp;Cutouts&nbsp;by The Smile.Favourite music video(s) you’ve seen this year? LOST! by RM&nbsp;and&nbsp;Spinning Plates&nbsp;by Nemahsis. Both are so creative and absolutely beautifully shot and crafted.Name a film, video, or other creative work that had a huge influence on your career choice.Oof… SO many. Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, specifically&nbsp;Boogie Nights&nbsp;and&nbsp;Magnolia, Guillermo del Toro’s&nbsp;Pan’s Labyrinth, Michel Gondry’s&nbsp;Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sofia Coppola’s&nbsp;The Virgin Suicides, and Tim Burton’s&nbsp;Big Fish&nbsp;and&nbsp;Edward Scissorhands.[imgtoken data:1]I’m really drawn to stories with messy and multidimensional characters - films with an essence of grounded imagination, playing with surreal and whimsical moments, but always tied to real human emotion. Watching all of those films growing up really ignited my imagination and made me want to play, create, and build a world bigger than myself and my own personal experiences.In terms of&nbsp;music video-related jobs of the past year or so - what was the most rewarding creatively, and why?I directed a music video for my close friend Nikki Lorenzo, who’s an amazing artist and musician. She brought on John Hawkes&nbsp;and we approached it like a mini-film. Those are my favourite types of music videos, where you can play with interesting and beautiful visuals, and still have emotion attached to every shot.It was really fun to create with them—Nikki and John were so open to all of my creative ideas, fully delving into everything without question. An editor I work with a lot, the amazingly talented Dusten Zimmerman, edited the music video and brought in a lot of sound design elements and breaks throughout the song, which gave the video a solid pulse. It was just a really fun creative process, with a strong, collaborative team.[vidtoken data:1]<blockquote>Nikki brought on John Hawkes&nbsp;and we approached it like a mini-film.</blockquote>What are your favourite other (non-MV) projects from the past year or so?I just finished a new short film that I’m working on turning into a feature,&nbsp;Video Barn, and I’m REALLY excited about it. The actors, Grace Van Dien and Reina Hardesty, are so talented and lovely. The crew and producing team absolutely killed it, and everyone who helped on this project has been a dream. A HUGE thank you to Biscuit for their support, always. It’s within the world of&nbsp;Twin Peaks&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Twilight Zone, and I can’t wait to share this one!I also shot a META campaign this year that was a lot of fun. The team at Mojo SuperMarket was GREAT—super trusting. I really loved the scripts, and I’m proud of how those turned out.[vidtoken data:2]Your top suggestion to change and improve how the music video industry works?&nbsp;I feel like creativity in music videos is back, and I’m really excited about that. My suggestion would be to keep creating and pushing the creative boundaries with music videos, not to rely on simple performance videos. Keep supporting artists who want to push the visuals and make weird, interesting, thought-provoking stories.• Bianca Poletti is with Biscuit Filmworks for music videos and commercials in the UK and US. Watch more of her work <a href="https://biscuitfilmworks.com/uk/commercial/bianca-poletti/" target="_blank">here</a>.

Bianca Poletti

THE SNAPSHOT Q&A: Bianca Poletti

I am whole

Nikki-Lorenzo-'Lista'-by-Bianca-Poletti

META 'Soundproof'

Matthew Dillon Cohen takes LA pop-punk&nbsp;band Junior Varsity for a spin in the scintillating video for New York.Dillon Cohen's follow-up video for the band following <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZknce_ckCk" target="_blank">Cross The Street</a>, uses the device of two kids playing with spinning tops in an amusement arcade to introduce the band gamely performing whilst being pinned to the walls of the rotating drum of a zero gravity ride.The set-up - shot in an amusement park in New Jersey - is cute, with the glow of shifting colours on the ride being a strong factor in delivering the idea's visual appeal&nbsp;and the upbeat track.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Junior Varsity 'New York' by Matthew Dillon Cohen  

Junior-Varsity--'New-York'-by-Matthew-Dillon-Cohen--

Although they have worked together for a while on other projects, Nathan Miller has not directed a J Hus video before - until now.&nbsp;&nbsp;For Hus's collab with Burna Boy, the pair crashed one of the biggest gigs this summer - Burna's huge show at the London Stadium in June - with Miller using all of his considerable documentary-making skills to make an electric video for the track.As he explains below, this was seat-of-the-pants stuff as Miller and his small camera team grabbed footage of the pair backstage at the show, and on-stage performing the track - with other candid footage of Hus partying with pals in between.Miller says:&nbsp;"I've worked with Hus for a few years now, shooting his documentary; we've built a great connection and have had a lot of good times over the years. Surprisingly, I had never been asked to work on a promo until now!"We wanted to maintain a doco feel, so we kept the crew to a minimum and simply filmed the day unfolding.&nbsp;The bulk of the video was shot at Burna's show in London, and we captured many candid moments. Burna Boy stepped off stage and joined us in the back to do a quick take before having to get back out there. It felt very eventful!"We were planning to film the finale at Burna's afterparty that evening, but that got cancelled last minute. So Hus, his friends, and I roamed around London heading to other parties. The party shots that made the cut were from his album launch. It worked well, I think. It kept the momentum up throughout. We graded the vid for colour, but the team preferred black and white in the end. I think it looks great and was a pleasure to work on!"

Nathan Miller

Afrobeat

J Hus ft Burna Boy 'Masculine' by Nathan Miller

J Hus - Masculine ft. Burna Boy (Official Video)

<h3>Nathan Miller’s new music documentary about Jamaican Dancehall dropped towards the end of 2022 and immediately caused a stir – just as his docs about the London and Toronto scenes did a few years ago. </h3><h3>We caught up with the Biscuit Filmworks director to find out more about God Bless You, My Son, and discover why he returned to the singular filmmaking style that made his name.</h3>[imgtoken data:1]Nathan Miller has gone back to his roots with his new film,&nbsp;in more ways than one.As a Londoner of Jamaican heritage, Miller has been familiar with Dancehall music for most of his life, and aware of how the dominant music genre in Jamaica has evolved over a generation. Last year he set out to document that evolution, by visiting the island, and meeting and filming some of the main players in both Dancehall and the emerging sub-genre of Trap Dancehall, exploring the relationship, and the tensions, between the two.The resulting film is the vibrant God Bless You, My Son, a fifteen minute doc that acts as a fascinating primer on a form of music that has arguably been under-represented on film, certainly in terms of documentary. Miller’s filmmaking method, predominantly using audio-only voice-overs of the films's protagonists, while visually documenting general life in Jamaica, provides a layered portrait - both a broad-brush wide-angle view on the music, the people, culture, and the place itself, garnished with intriguing specific&nbsp;details.[vidtoken data:0]It also marks a return to a style of filmmaking for which Miller originally became renowned a few years ago, when he made the documentaries LDN and North – films that explored local music scenes in London and Toronto respectively – in which he connected with a group of young musicians in both cities, and then filmed them mostly himself,&nbsp;lo-fi and&nbsp;guerrilla fashion.Back then in the mid-10s, Miller was just setting out, a self-taught filmmaker who was aiming to convert his job as a doorman at the fashionable Ace Hotel in Shoreditch into becoming a full-time director. LDN was his way to put him on the map and then get employed by the hotel’s owners in a new role – making films at their other hotels around the world. And he succeeded.[imgtoken data:2]“A lot of artists were on the cusp of breaking through,” says Miller, of the London music scene at the time. “Grime was so hot – Skepta was having a real moment – but I wanted to look at other artists who were really about to kill the game - artists like JHus and Fredo.” But he was not anticipating the reaction that the film received.“The night before the film was released, I thought: 'If this film gets 20,000 views in its first month, I'll be happy.’ Then when it came out, on the first day it got 30,000 views. By day three, it was on 100,000, and by the end of the week, it was on 200,000. Then every publication under the sun that deals with music wrote about it.”It led to him making&nbsp;North, where he focussed upon up-and-coming artists in the exciting hip-hop scene in Toronto, with similar success. That really did put him on the map, and since signing to Biscuit Filmworks in London in 2021, Miller has been developing both scripted and unscripted film projects through the production company. Last year he also made his debut music video, shooting the promo for jazz outfit Ezra Collective’s Life Goes On in London and Zambian capital Lusaka.<blockquote>I feel at home working with musicians and entertainers.</blockquote>Promonews spoke to Miller just before Christmas last year, and discovered that&nbsp;God Bless You, My Son&nbsp;was very much a personal project. It was labour of love that allowed him to get back to the familiar territory of self-shooting, while taking on a typically&nbsp;ambitious subject in a world where he feels comfortable.PROMONEWS: How does this relate to previous documentaries that you have made, such as LDN and North?NATHAN MILLER: It relates to the previous work by just following the tried and tested method that got me into this space and I guess broke me out as a director. That method is: Just me, minimal resources, going with a camera and just putting your faith in a bunch of strangers to help you tell a story that you think might be great for the world to see. And try not to mess it up.I also feel at home working with musicians and entertainers. But in terms of it being more like a series, the only thing that really brings them together, is the execution of it and the curiosity to just go and go off and make them.[imgtoken data:3]Once again there is a juxtaposition there in that you are one guy, but the story that you want to tell is a big one. Why take on such an ambitious project.When I first got started, I used to want to pitch these ideas to companies.&nbsp;Whenever I tell people the ambitions of the film, usually they become too sensible. They think I’ll need a lot of money and resources. Or it just doesn't make sense to them.But when I wasn't getting the right reception, it just kind of fell back on me to make it myself. I wasn't going to be deterred. And that's why I tend to work alone.So how did this project, God Bless You My Son, come about?There were a bunch of factors that helped inspire the making of this film and made me just want to go off to Jamaica and make it. I was a little frustrated with having a number of projects in production at all different stages. As you know, the bigger the project or the more people involved with it, the harder it becomes to progress, or manoeuvre. When you're a one man band, it's like rowing a rowboat, so it's easy to turn it around.The second factor was just being a fan of the music. Coming from a Jamaican family, and being up to date with what's going on in Jamaica, I knew there was stuff&nbsp;coming out of Jamaica from a whole group of really exciting musicians. Surprisingly, a lot of their stories haven't been told before at all.<blockquote>It was my first time in Jamaica as an adult,&nbsp;exploring and experiencing the island.</blockquote>And I guess the third thing that made me want to go off and do it was for one of my uncles, Gaston Miller, who unfortunately passed away in 2021. I think the last conversation we had was at a family barbecue, and he asked me how the filmmaking was going. He said that I should make sure to keep on doing them, to do my own thing. Shortly after that, he became ill and unfortunately passed away. So this was a way to remember him.It let me do something that I haven't done in a long time - because the last time I did something like this was in 2017. But that's what really got me on my way to go and make it.[imgtoken data:4]Do you know Jamaica well? What did you know that you wanted to do before you left/arrived?I had only been there once before – to attend a funeral when I was 17. So this was actually the first time in Jamaica as an adult – I’m 28 now – and very much my first time exploring and experiencing the island.When I have an idea that I think is good, I usually obsess about it and then I break it down. Who do I need to put into this film to make the film that I want to tell? The funny thing is, because I'm not pitching to anyone. I don't need to make a treatment. So the first step is just sending the first initial emails to people who are wanting to be in it.If nobody responded, if nobody got back to me, the idea might have just died there and then. But I sent out a couple of emails on one evening in 2021, went to sleep, and I woke up to three emails of three musicians who I really wanted to be in the film: a guy named Governor, an artist named Squash, and another artist called Jashie.Ultimately, only one of them ended up being in the film. But sometimes that doesn't matter, because once you get those initial confirmations, you can then leverage those confirmations in your follow up emails to other people. Beyond that, this film came together through just knowing people. I know that person. Then that person connecting me with that other person, and so on. Most of the conversations I had on email were usually followed by them sending through their number and saying: call me. That really helped.<blockquote>I had to scale it back... but it acts as a great introduction to the current scene in Jamaica.&nbsp;</blockquote>How much of a plan - and a script - did you have before you started?I knew how I wanted the film to play out in entirety, from start to finish. But I don't tell people, just in case that it doesn't happen!I knew exactly what song I wanted to start with. I knew what songs I wanted to have in the middle. I knew what stories I wanted to get. And funnily enough, this film couldn't be further from what I wanted. In many ways, this film is like 30% of what it should have been. But that's because subjects I wanted couldn't make it - there were a couple of no-shows. It was really meant to be a 45 to 60 minutes doc, but I had to scale it back and make the best of what I had.[imgtoken data:5]Having said that, I think it acts as a great introduction to the current scene in Jamaica. And I think there's so much room and scope to do something bigger. And it's been getting a great reception too.Your visual canvas appears to be the whole of Jamaica, with its incredible beauty and character…&nbsp;I was out there with my friend Anthony Williams, who also helped me shoot the LDN documentary, and who I gave a co-directing credit on this. Anthony was on B camera, and we had two friends from Jamaica working on this: Carl, who subsequently became the driver, and Sator, who's a photographer.When there wasn’t anything in the calendar we would be capturing the B-roll, sticking the camera on a tripod and capturing shots of the island. Because once you leave, you can't come back and get it. So we’d do an hour and a half of filming, just capturing loads of details within the place, trying all the shots that you need to get. And yeah, in Jamaica, there’s just so much great stuff to shoot: the hills, the countryside, the beaches, and the city life.Having people in the shots wasn’t a problem. I would just be filming on the street, and usually not making a particular person the subject. But if they were the subject, I'd let them know and they'd be like, ‘yeah, that's fine.’What camera did you shoot the film on?I was shooting on a Canon C70 – a great camera. It's very compact, great for documentaries. And I think when you're doing the one man band thing, you don't want to have a big camera. You don't want to be too distracted from the moments. You kind of want to be in the zone, but not take away from what's actually happening, and not be the distraction. You just want to capture things.With a bigger budget, you can get drone stuff, Steadicam stuff. But the bare minimum I'd need to tell a story like this is a tripod, a camera and a mic – that’s it. We actually brought a light too, to light the interviews that we didn’t end up using on screen. So it was a bloody waste of time lugging that thing around![imgtoken data:6]What about the night footage – no additional lights for that?No. The thing about documentaries is that they are quite forgiving if you want to bump up the ISO and it gets a bit grainy or anything.Often you don't know what you're walking into, you don't know where you're going. So it really becomes an important decision, about whether or not you want to carry around this heavy light? But for both comfort and safety, on those run-and-gun projects, I just think the best thing is just to keep it as small as you can.Much of the story about the music is delivered via voice-over. How did you go for that approach?That was a compromise. The initial plan of the film was to dive into some individual stories within the music world. And there were people in the film who had individual stories, but I just needed more time with them. But to do a well-rounded portrait, it would probably need going back to do more than one interview, to have enough B-roll of them in their own environment, have footage of them performing on stage.Rather than focus on that and it become something that you might notice, I just thought to blank it all with just the story of what you're seeing, and just let the voices be quite anonymous, just talking about the scene collectively rather than individuals telling their story. You do have some people who shed a bit of light onto who they are. But really, it's about the scene as a whole and their experiences of growing up in Jamaica.Did you arrive at that decision during the editing stage?Yes. There was a 35 minute edit of the film. That took me a while to do, and then I took a break from it. I think when you're constantly editing something, you can tell yourself it's good. The best thing to do is just walk away, leave it for a week, go do something else. That’s what I did.When I came back to it, I had a different view of it. It was okay, but it didn't have the fingerprint that I like to have on my films. So at that point I decided to scale it back. Just use the very best bits that captured a credit story out of that. It wasn't a U turn, but we definitely had to make a detour in how this story is told.[imgtoken data:7]Having released God Bless You, My Son,&nbsp;what’s the plan for the coming year?Firstly, it’s just to refine my storytelling skills. With storytelling and documentaries, I'd like to say that I'm here – but with storytelling and scripted, I'm not here yet. It’s a matter of bringing this up, because ultimately what I want to do is make films.We'll also see what happens with this Jamaica film. It’s had a lot of attention. Comment section is full of people saying ‘part two, part two, part two’. But I would really love to tell the story that I initially planned, and I think that could potentially be a project of 2023.And I'd love to do a commercial. We came very close to a few last year. Didn't land them, but I'm very optimistic. It's all about timing.• Nathan Miller is represented by Biscuit Filmworks. Watch more of his work <a href="https://biscuitfilmworks.com/uk/music-projects/" target="_blank">here</a>.

Nathan Miller on his Dancehall doc God Bless You, My Son: "I knew a lot of the stories hadn't been told before." 

God Bless You, My Son

The third song released from Benjamin Clementine's forthcoming third studio album&nbsp;is accompanied by an intriguing&nbsp;video directed by Curtis Essel. It's as&nbsp;individualistic and experimental as the artist's music.In the video for Delighted, Benjamin takes a gleaming vintage 1960s Rover to a sports ground. But not before donning a black Panama-like hat - which will become a recurring motif in this diverting narrative.[imgtoken data:1]The singer then meets fellow teammates - also wearing black hats -&nbsp;and an unusual game begins on the turf of the ground with an opposing team. It's&nbsp;like rugby, but with a hat instead of a ball.The action is painstakingly&nbsp;crafted by Ghanian-British director Essel - who's prize-winning work includes the short films Allumuah, AGYA and Almost An Adult - and beautifully shot by&nbsp;cinematographer Henry Gill. And for those who have not been acquainted with Clementine for a while, it is a wonderful re-introduction to the distinctive vision of the Mercury Prize-winning&nbsp;singer-songwriter.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Curtis Essel

Trim Editing

Benjamin Clementine 'Delighted' by Curtis Essel

Benjamin Clementine - Delighted (Official Video)

Nathan Miller directs an effervescent promo for Ezra Collective, featuring Sampa The Great.&nbsp;Shot between London and Lusaka - the capital of Zambia - the video for Life Goes On explores parallels between daily life and culture in the two cities, framed by two dancers - Lauryn Bryan in London, and Jonathan Tupaki in Lusaka - who energetically tear up the streets with breathtaking dance moves.Portrait-style shots and cutaways of the hustle and bustle of the cities - including markets, restaurants, kids playing sports, traffic jams - create a buzzing, palpable energy which underscores the bouncy track.&nbsp;It's wonderfully celebratory and upbeat, a perfect counterpoint to the London jazz outfit Ezra Collective's euphoric tune. And a terrific music video debut by Miller, recently signed to Biscuit Filmworks.&nbsp;

Jazz

Ezra Collective ft Sampa The Great 'Life Goes On' by Nathan Miller

Ezra Collective - Life Goes On (Feat. Sampa the Great) (Official Video)

James Murray creates an evocative visual for Wunderhorse - the solo project of Jacob Slater, former frontman of indie outfit The Dead Pretties - for the alluring&nbsp;Butterflies.It's comprised of simple yet strong&nbsp;set-ups that make the most of the interiors lit with natural light, and&nbsp;the urban/rural mix of East London locations, with Slater - who has been cast in the much-anticipated Sex Pistols bio-drama&nbsp;Pistol&nbsp;as the band's drummer Paul Cook - front and centre.Murray&nbsp;exploits&nbsp;his cool, on-screen charisma here, creating a sensibility that's more early Nineties than Seventies - in keeping with the unmistakeable&nbsp;influence of grunge on the track.&nbsp;&nbsp;

James Murray

Carrie Sutton

Grunge

Wunderhorse 'Butterflies' by James Murray

Wunderhorse - Butterflies

A young woman pours the ashes of&nbsp;her beloved late mother into her running shoes and leaves her suburban home - wielding a pole vaulter's pole - in a race against time...Hard Drive Gold, the latest release ahead of alt-J's fourth album The Dream (out on Feb 11th)&nbsp;has a video that follows in the tradition of the band's consistently excellent track record in visuals - particularly those that put a different spin on dramatic suspense. In this case, it comes from a new directing duo, consisting of&nbsp;an alt-J bandmember and his partner: Newman-Wallace are the band's singer and guitarist&nbsp;Joe Newman, and&nbsp;choreographer Darcy Wallace.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We follow the young woman - played by Ellie McCartney - as she drags the pole from her garage, and then pounds through nearly empty suburban streets with it, as if she is on the longest-ever pole vaulter's run-up. This striking image is made even more mysterious by the&nbsp;context - the imminence of a nuclear attack and, as a result, the mostly panic-stricken behaviour of her neighbours.[imgtoken data:1]Finally she reaches her destination - but can she complete her leap before the missiles strike?Newman-Wallace's highly cinematic directing debut was shot by Krzysztof Trojnar, and executive produced by Andrew Law, longtime commissioner of alt-J's videos, now head of music and special projects at&nbsp;Biscuit Filmworks."It was a great privilege to work with Joe and Darcy on their debut piece of filmmaking,which I think is a brilliant music video that stands tall next to the rest of the band's enviable canon of work," says Law. "Biscuit and alt-J have worked very successfully together in the past, and we were thrilled to build on that relationship with Hard Drive Gold. Newman-Wallace has a very bright filmmaking future, and we’re all very excited about what happens next.”

Newman-Wallace

Final Cut

alt-J 'Hard Drive Gold' by Newman-Wallace

alt-J - Hard Drive Gold (Official Video)

Promonews talks to Biscuit Filmworks' director Ben Strebel about the combination of passion, ingenuity and trust that went into making his remarkable video for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/06/29/skrillex-starrah-four-tet-butterflies-ben-strebel/71628" target="_blank">Skrillex, Four Tet and Starrah's Butterflies</a>.&nbsp;In Strebel's video for the track from Skrillex's long-awaited new album, as a group of teenagers burst out of their high-rise lockdown confinement,&nbsp;the pent-up frustrations of&nbsp;the past 18 months are expressed through dance, and dressing up as ghosts. But then things take step towards the transcendent - the ghosts fly, and their dance takes to the air.We spoke to Ben Strebel about the making of his tour de force,&nbsp;and the working partnerships that were crucial to its success, from choreographer Holly Blakey, to the VFX team at Electric Theatre Collective, to the artist himself,&nbsp;Sonny John Moore - aka Skrillex. He reveals that this ground-breaking project really was a step into the unknown, which eventually became a joyful experience in itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[vidtoken data:0]Promonews: How did the process begin for making the Butterflies video?Ben Strebel: Sonny texted me few a years ago buzzing about his forthcoming album, which ended up being multiple years in the making. We were about to shoot a video for a different track when Covid hit and our shoot - which was supposed to shoot in Thailand - couldn’t go ahead.Another few months passed, during which we talked regularly on Facetime. In this time he sent me four more tracks to choose from, of which I decided to go for Butterflies. I mean, Skrillex and Fourtet = Banger.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>I felt&nbsp;for that generation of kids who had been robbed of a year.</blockquote>Is the subject matter at the core of the video – the stress of young people cooped up during the lockdown – something that’s close to your heart?The track is all about love and closeness between people, which resonated with me in the pandemic. I couldn’t help but feel for that generation of kids who had been robbed of a year with very little support.So&nbsp;I wanted to spin in a positive way and celebrate what it would feel like when those restrictions were lifted and people could be together again. It’s about freedom and expression.[imgtoken data:2]<blockquote>Sonny [Skrillex] stressed the importance of it being positive.</blockquote>What discussions did you have with Skrillex about the idea and how to approach the subject?When I presented the idea to Sonny, he connected with it and stressed the importance of it needing to be positive. It’s a point of view we both shared.He was excited at the prospect of reinterpreting the metaphor of the Ghost - from something about loss and disconnection, to hopefulness and liberty that thrives in the imagination. In this instance the ghosts represent the feeling of being released from Earthly restraints.[imgtoken data:3]<blockquote>We realised that the ghosts had to go up...</blockquote>When did you know you wanted it to be a dance piece - and that it would cross over from featuring the real dancers to virtual ones?&nbsp;&nbsp;The track begs for movement, which to me was apparent from the outset. I’m interested in how physicality can convey the repression we feel and build to that sense of freedom. I realised there was a limit to how far we could push that feeling of euphoria and release with grounded dance.This is where the supernatural comes into play. The ghosts are CG - but the dancing is real. We recorded their every movement using Mocap, and then manipulated the Y-axis to further effect. We realised they had&nbsp;to go up.It’s about escape and release and there’s no better way to convey that than through an upward trajectory. Reaching the skies.[imgtoken data:4]<blockquote>[The dancers] have had next to no opportunity to&nbsp;express themselves for so long.</blockquote>How did the main members of the cast bring their own experiences to the video?I started the process of casting by doing a series of interviews with the dancers. In order to make the film as genuine as possible I wanted to gauge their experiences of the past year, and draw on this in the narrative. It was important to me that these kids’ stories and feelings were captured in this film.As I got to know them and understood their struggles and desires, it became apparent that not only was this as much their film, but an actual vehicle for them to express themselves. They’ve had next to no opportunity to do so for so long.[imgtoken data:5]<blockquote>Holly Blakey's choreography became instrumental in bridging from the real to the virtual.</blockquote>When did choreographer Holly Blakey become involved and what did she bring to the project?Holly’s amazing. I love her style, which is pared-back at times - less is more, in my opinion. I’ve always wanted to work with her and love working with choreographers from the start. She totally understood the emotion of the piece and became instrumental in helping us bridge from the real to the virtual.&nbsp;How did you develop the ghost VFX with ETC? The realism of the sheets is amazing – something they had in their armoury already or needed to develop for the project?ETC smashed it. Having worked with them on most&nbsp;if not all of my films, we’ve developed a shorthand and level of trust with each other. I couldn’t have made this film without that.&nbsp;They were so instrumental and pushed themselves so hard to create a piece of CG magic.[imgtoken data:6]<blockquote>Seeing the final sequence&nbsp;evolve was incredible.&nbsp;</blockquote>The passion and energy that they brought to this one is both humbling and amazing. I feel like they carried me through this with their creativity and expertise.They’re never shy of doing impossible. The development of the ghosts and cloth was an evolving conversation, which took place over months. In the end they decided the best approach would be to do it all in CG rather than painting feet and hands.This way we could instil character and personality into the movement of the cloth, which I believe in a shot such as the falling cloth at the start gives it an energy and personality, which is what this film is all about.Any time you see cloth moving in the film - when it’s not attached to a real cast member -&nbsp;has been created from scratch by ETC. Masters of cloth and lighting and everything else.[imgtoken data:7]<blockquote>Any time you see cloth moving... it's been created from scratch by ETC.</blockquote>What were the main challenges of the shoot itself?&nbsp;And the biggest challenges - and surprises -&nbsp;that came out of the post production process?Visualising the end sequence without ghosts was definitely the hardest part of the shoot. It’s never inspiring shooting a load of empty plates. And then assembling a load of empty plates in the edit was definitely the trickiest part – especially when you have to lock the edit so that the plates can be tracked.We cut the entire final sequence without knowing how the ghosts would react to the Y-axis movement of the ghosts. Seeing it evolve was incredible.It was brilliant to see how what once was choreographed according to gravity could suddenly be taken into another realm where physics is defied.[imgtoken data:8]<blockquote>Sonny's trust and belief in the process were humbling - a joyful collaboration.</blockquote>How close is the final work to your vision for the video? And what was the artists’ response to seeing it?&nbsp;Sonny cried. Literally tears of joy. His trust and belief in the process were humbling. Such a joyful collaboration when working directly with such a intelligent individual.I always wanted this piece to feel raw and honest. It’s a sensitive subject that had to be addressed in a sensitive way by all of us. I think we achieved it. &nbsp;• Ben Strebel is represented by <a href="https://biscuitfilmworks.com/uk/music-projects" target="_blank">Biscuit Filmworks</a> in the UK and US. Contact&nbsp;Andrew Law, Biscuit UK's Head of Music + Projects, about new projects.&nbsp;

Ben Strebel

Electric Theatre Collective

Behind The Video: Ben Strebel on Skrillex's Butterflies - "The ghosts are CG, the dancing is real."

Skrillex, Starrah & Four Tet - Butterflies (Official Music Video)

James Murray directs a hypnotic&nbsp;promo&nbsp;for Stubborn Heart's track&nbsp;Everything Matters.Shot on location in West London, the film experiments with multiple perspectives through a hallucinatory car journey.&nbsp;Using a mix of 360 cameras and Go-Pros, the cinematography is compelling and refreshing, and the quickfire edit ramps up the energy to intoxicating heights.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Black Kite Studios

Dance

Electronic

Stubborn Heart 'Everything Matters' by James Murray

Stubborn-Heart-'"everything-Matters"'-by-James-Murray

Ben Strebel makes a stunning return to music videos with his wonderful&nbsp;video for Skrillex, Starrah and Four Tet’s new track Butterflies - an impressionistic portrait on the impact of a year of Covid crisis upon a generation, which builds to a simply transcendent&nbsp;climax.With some hugely talented&nbsp;collaborators, including choreographer Holly Blakey, DoP Ben Todd, and the&nbsp;VFX team at Electric Theatre Collective, Strebel channels the frustrations of a generation of youth, whose relationships and&nbsp;opportunies have all been curtailed by the successive lockdowns, into a very contemporary work of visual art.On a London estate, an edgy teenager is a ball of energy as they sit in their room, and when a group of youths gather, the group immediately combine to&nbsp;performing Blakey's intricate, physically demanding choreography. Sheets float in the air, at the Chinese takeaway&nbsp;the youths&nbsp;also play ghosts, covered in sheets - and then the path from gritty reality to heightened sensibility spins into outright&nbsp;fantasy, all within the same concrete world.[imgtoken data:1]The climax of the video is wonderful - and that is partly because you do not see it coming. The kids have now become real ghosts, soaring into the air above the concrete,&nbsp;freed&nbsp;to cavort to the strains of this epic electronic collaboration between Sonny John Moore (aka Skrillex), Keiran Hebden (Four Tet), and Brittany Talia Hazzard (Starrah). This is a brilliantly conceived ballet - created with an ingenious execution of VFX work and camera movement.&nbsp;&nbsp;Strebel has created a wonderful visual for Butterflies, the result of not only his own skill and vision, but the ambition and support of Skrillex. The artist and director&nbsp;had been talking for a long time about working together, and Skrillex took&nbsp;a hands-on approach throughout the process, sanctioning the lengthy&nbsp;period in post production required to make it happen.It was well worth the wait.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Electronica

Skrillex, Starrah, Four Tet 'Butterflies' by Ben Strebel

British-Nigerian artist Tony Njoku takes us on a psychedelic journey, in James Murray’s&nbsp;promo for Death by Dimitri.Experimenting with a flurry of different visual mediums, the abstract video was shot on-location in East London, and features an intense,&nbsp;in-your-face performance with a mesmerising twist.&nbsp;Completely eclectic and refreshing, Murray's eye for frenetic imagery is on full display here, perfectly executed by DoP&nbsp;Sebastian Beyrer.&nbsp;

Tony Njoku 'Death By Dimitri' by James Murray

Tony-Njoku-'Death-By-Dimitri'-by-James-Murray

Singer-songwriter Chelou only makes animated videos, and now he has collaborated with one of the most exciting new talents currently working in animation - Cheng-Hsu Chung.The Berlin-based Taiwanese animator has worked with illustrator Ricardo Cavolo to create this blazingly psychedelic affair&nbsp;for Chelou's song Wayward - in fact, a vibrant visual interpretation of the song's lyrics.Chung and Cavolo imagine a world of possibilities for a cartoon version of Chelou: a&nbsp;landscape of random objects exist beneath his double pair of eyes; he leaves the lake where he lives on his legs of fire, transforming into a bird (and a cigarette) before flying off to pastures new, continue his journey of self-discovery, and ending up on a mountainside with the sands of time.It's a trippier experience than his iconoclastic celebration of sexual roleplay&nbsp;in his video for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSzCG2xeUMw" target="_blank">Chk Chk Chk's Couldn't Have Known</a> last year, but just as imaginative.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

Cheng-Hsu Chung

Chelou 'Wayward' by Cheng-Hsu Chung

Chelou-'Wayward'-by-Cheng-hsu-Chung

Two rogue cyborg cops do their thing around the mean city streets - driving, shooting, bodypopping - for the first audio-visual release of&nbsp;1i41i, a collaboration between Sydney-based director&nbsp;Matt Devine and producer Born Dirty.&nbsp;"We teamed up to create tracks and videos simultaneously so they work together as one rather than the video being an afterthought," says Devine. "The track idea inspires the video and the video idea inspires the track."

Australia

Matt Devine

1i41i 'Public Order' by Matt Devine

1i41i-'Public-Order'-by-Matt-Devine

Andreas Nilsson comes out of music video retirement for his old pal 2 Chainz...And a&nbsp;very Nilsson-esque tableau&nbsp;of fruity characters, and surreal visual gags it is too, as 2 Chainz demonstrates that he&#39;s &quot;rare, as a 2 Dolla Bill&quot;, delivered throughout, with a silk scarf on his head.&nbsp;And he gets sterling support from Lil Wayne (undergoing surreal surgery), and E40. you know you would have some good fun with those guys.VMA-winning VFX company Timber applied their visual effects and postproduction magic to the piece, while artists at&nbsp; collaborating company Kevin provided 2D viz effects for the video.

Hip Hop

2 Chainz ft Lil Wayne, E40 '2 Dolla Bill' by Andreas Nilsson

2 Chainz - 2 Dollar Bill ft. Lil Wayne, E-40

A lady in a fur coat and a Cadillac is about to give you the greatest pep talk of your life in Matt Devine&#39;s video for Born Dirty&#39;s highly motivational summer vibes track Get Up and Get Out.Armed with a cassette machine and a pair of speakers strapped to the roof of the Caddy, this fine madam drives about LA blasting out an infectious message of positivity.All you need to do is put your mind to it, and your grind to it...

Born Dirty ft. jstlbby 'Get Up And Get Out' by Matt Devine

Born-Dirty-(ft.jstlbby)-'Get-Up-And-Get-Out-'-by-Matt-Devine-(repped-By-Biscuit-Filmworks)

From alt-J&#39;s striking original idea, Isaiah Seret has crafted an experimental epic for their song Pleader that draws on different artforms&nbsp;and ultimately has nearly spawned a new one. This is a music video that could also described as a short dramatic musical.&nbsp;It&#39;s set in a coal mining community in a South Welsh valley in the early 20th century, and at the heart of it is a young miner and his wife. But their fate is bound up with the decisions made by the whole community, who decide that the woman has to produce a child. In that way, they sew the seeds of their own destruction - but this is just as much about the boy with special powers who is left behind.&nbsp;In the midst there are real scenes of birth and destruction, powerful performances from Sophie Cookson and Morgan Watkins as the couple, and Ewan Hipperson as Llewelyn, their son, and a huge supporting cast.&nbsp;There&#39;s enough surprise and mystery here to keep you coming back looking for answers. And at its core, a breathtaking sequence: the terrible power of a volcanic cloud, destroying everything and everyone in its path.[imgtoken data:1] &nbsp;

Isaiah Seret

alt-J 'Pleader' by Isaiah Seret

alt-J - Pleader (Official Video)

Take That reunite with director Gregg Masuak in this homage to some horror movie&nbsp;favourites.It looks as though Take That have gone and found themselves slap bang in the middle of every single horror film at the same time. What a spot of bad luck. Really though, take a second to pick all the best horror baddies out of the line-up here! This great tongue-in-cheek bit of over-acting from everyone involved is hilariously contrasted by the upbeat song, too. Oh, and just when you think all hope is lost, the band save the day the only way they can; with the power of dance.A fun, knowing collaboration from a band and director that have both learned a lot since the days of&nbsp;Pray.&nbsp;

Gregg Masuak

Semera Khan

Take That 'New Day' by Gregg Masuak

Take That - New Day (Official Video)

David Magnier has directed these dramatic visuals about&nbsp;a love gone awry for four-piece indie pop band&nbsp;Causes&#39; Sinking Ship.Following a&nbsp;couple through their ups and downs, the relatable tale chronicles moments in a&nbsp;marriage crumbling to beyond the point of repair. Cutting back and forth between blissful summer picnics,&nbsp;their wedding in the woods, and the fighting&nbsp;that ultimately finishes the relationship, the poignant video places the good along with the bad.And after&nbsp;heightening the stakes,&nbsp;the video ends&nbsp;on a foreshadowing&nbsp;image of the husband letting his wife, still in a wedding dress,&nbsp;fall off a bridge near where they were married.&nbsp;

David Magnier

Alexa Haywood at Free Agent UK

Causes 'Sinking Ship' by David Magnier

Brighton rapper&nbsp;Ocean Wisdom plays a real version of Snakes and Ladders as he&nbsp;navigates the dark&nbsp;streets of London in this music video for his track&nbsp;Snakes &amp; Blaggers, directed&nbsp;by Lucie Beecham.Teaming up with animator Craig Dolan, the video has&nbsp;superimposed&nbsp;2D animations hand drawn&nbsp;onto live action footage. Beecham explains,&nbsp;&quot;I felt using the hand drawn elements alongside the gritty black and white live action was the best way to blend Ocean&rsquo;s grime style with a game that provokes childhood nostalgia.&quot;

Lucie Beecham

Ocean Wisdom 'Snakes & Blaggers' by Lucie Beecham

Ocean-Wisdom-'Snakes-&-Blaggers-'-by-Lucie-Beecham

Ish Sahotay&#39;s video for FineArt&nbsp;brings the club to spin class for their 2-step banger&nbsp;Don&rsquo;t Wanna Rush. It&#39;s essentially&nbsp;a modern reworking of the famous/infamous Eric Prydz video for Call On Me, with an all-girl class of professional dancers.Very sadly, Ish Sahotay&#39;s life was cut short soon&nbsp;after shooting this video. The 26 year old had directed several low budget&nbsp;videos,&nbsp;and was just starting to make a serious impact as a director, particularly with his <a href="http://www.promonews.tv/videos/2014/11/18/little-boots-taste-it-ish-sahotay" target="_blank">Little Boots video for Taste It</a> &ndash;&nbsp;now shortlisted for Best Dance Video - Budget category at the UK Music Video Awards next month &ndash; when he passed away in June.To celebrate his life, his friend Jake Bulstrode-White created a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/Ishwer" target="_blank">Go Fund Me</a> campaign to&nbsp;put on an Exhibition of all his work, which took place on&nbsp;the&nbsp;17th July at the Apiary Studios.&nbsp;On the page, Bulstrode-White said this of his friend:&nbsp;&quot;Ish Sahotay was a 26 year old&nbsp;up and coming Director/Photographer. &nbsp;After 4&nbsp;years of working his way up through the industry his career had finally started to flourish, there seemed to be&nbsp;no end to his success.&quot;Tragically on the 16th June 2015 Ish went to bed and didn&#39;t wake up. He was full of so much talent and ideas, anyone that had the honour of meeting him will know how much of a loss to the world his passing was.&quot;&nbsp;

Ish Sahotay

House

FineArt feat. Rachel K Collier 'Don't Wanna Rush' by Ish Sahotay

Fineart-'Don't-Wanna-Rush-(feat.-Rachel-K-Collier)'-by-Ish-Sahotay

Ish Sahotay delivers a visually-appealing,&nbsp;moving montage of starkly-filmed&nbsp;plastic surgery, gadgetry,&nbsp;stimulants&nbsp;and fast food in the promo for Little Boots&#39; new single Taste It. Yum.&nbsp;

Little Boots 'Taste It' by Ish Sahotay

Little-Boots-'Taste-It'-by-Ish-Sahotay

Raconteur of the surreal, Andreas Nilsson, lends his rather unique hands to the big French House music of David Guetta and from the very outset you can tell this story isn&rsquo;t heading a gritty, realist direction. Queue a vast array of colourful characters and outfits all taking part in the technicolour Dance Rodeo you&rsquo;ve never imagined you&rsquo;d see. Pyrotechnics, alternative beauty pageants and some fantastic dancing all feature &ndash; together with David, Ne-Yo and Akon (probably wondering what the hell they&rsquo;ve got themselves into).
The real question is whether this video is simply a front to start a new trend with bizarre long toed cowboy boots. We&rsquo;ll presume for the moment that Andreas holds the monopoly on those.