Spindle is an award-winning production studio based in London, that represents a progressive and diverse roster of directing talent.

Mouthpiece

Production Company

Spindle

<h3>The Spindle director’s debut music video pays tribute to&nbsp;a modern TV classic. She explains how it happened, and why it needed to be as faithful to the original&nbsp;as possible. On-set photography by Amaka Lin.&nbsp;</h3>Bonnie MacRae was stepping into uncharted territory with her video for singer-songwriter Chloe Slater's song Harriet. Firstly, she had not made a pop promo before, for anyone. And secondly, this was going to be a homage - and not just referencing that work. She was aiming for, in many ways, a complete copy. And the pressure was on, as the original was something that many people know - and seriously love.The brief was to recreate scenes from Normal People, the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney's acclaimed novel, ostensibly to highlight the often-noted resemblance between Chloe Slater and Daisy Edgar-Jones, the female lead actor in the show. But such is the emotional pull that the drama has upon&nbsp;MacRae (and many others) she became determined to go 'all in' -&nbsp;to an extent that the likeness between the show and the Harriet video is considerable. At times even uncanny.&nbsp;&nbsp;[vidtoken data:0]This is a departure for MacRae, an up-and-coming director from Dundee who has been building her reputation with work in its own distinctive style.&nbsp;She signed with London-based production company Spindle earlier this year, having made her mark with two short films that tackle important topics with an appealing irreverence:&nbsp;Mind Yersel', about suicide, has been used by the NHS for training healthcare professionals;&nbsp;All Up There,&nbsp;about the condition of endometriosis,&nbsp;won a YDA Award and has been recently developed into an awareness campaign for the charity Endometriosis UK.Her latest short, Happy Birthday Daniel, co-produced by&nbsp;Spindle, is a tongue-in-cheek&nbsp;character comedy (it stars&nbsp;Lizzie Davidson of BBC's Such Brave Girls and Rhea Norwood of Netflix's Heartstopper) that's just starting its festival run.&nbsp;And a TV project also in development is further evidence of MacRae's status as an exciting breakthrough talent.But when Promonews spoke to her, the Harriet video had just been released - and not surprisingly, our conversation was all about that.&nbsp;<blockquote>I wanted it to be exact to the point that you’d have to do a&nbsp;double-take.</blockquote>PROMONEWS: Bonnie, how did this&nbsp;project start for you? &nbsp;BONNIE MACRAE: I was initially asked to pitch on the video about a month before the shoot, I’d known of Chloe’s music and had seen her come up across my Instagram feed a few times but this was both our first instance of working together – and my first ever music video.When did the idea emerge to re-create scenes from Normal People?BM: That was brought to the table as part of the initial brief. In the comments section of nearly every social media post of Chloe’s, you’ll find people comparing her to Daisy Edgar Jones. I think for Chloe, it almost started out as a bit of a joke, and then combined with her love for Normal People, it felt like a really creative and original way to address the resemblance.[imgtoken data:1]Above: Chloe Slater on set of the Harriet video<blockquote>I think for Chloe, it almost started out as a bit of a joke.&nbsp;</blockquote>It then became a collaboration between us both, figuring out what scenes to draw inspiration from, how we would land that balance between humour and something a little bit deeper, relating it back to the lyrics of the song, getting to the root of why Chloe penned it in the first place and channelling that into the visuals.&nbsp;[But] It’s one thing saying you can recreate something and [another thing]&nbsp;actually being able to do it; that was a little mini-stress I realised after winning the job. I decided right from that point that if we were going to make this, it should be as precise as possible, otherwise it could fall a bit flat. And then that’s when we started to work really specifically.[imgtoken data:2]Above: Bonnie MacRea (right) with Chloe Slater on set&nbsp;Why did you pick those&nbsp;particular scenes from the show?BM: With the very first brief, Chloe sent across a few scenes that she really wanted to include, which just so happened to be the same ones that stuck out so vividly in my mind. There’s obviously so many to choose from, but I wanted to make sure we were recreating the ones that felt the most visually iconic.For example, I knew I wanted to recreate Connell’s bedroom with that recognisable wallpaper and duvet as on first glance, I think even those who aren’t huge fans of the show will see it and can put two and two together and identify it as Normal People. The same goes for those grey school uniforms, and that long French braid in Marianne’s hair – instantly recognisable snippets of the show that also felt in alignment with the song and its lyrics.[imgtoken data:3]Above: Chloe Slater with co-star Gus Steele on setHave you attempted anything like this before?BM: Never. This was a completely different production experience to anything I’ve worked on before. The original show is shot in a way that doesn’t creatively come naturally to me. It’s framed in a way that I perhaps wouldn’t have shot it, so it was fascinating to have to almost mould my own work around someone else's in that way.Usually when you take inspiration from something you don’t take it quite so literally. It was a new experience having to brief our HODs to so rigorously match every single detail as closely as possible. It was also daunting because it is my first music video, and this is a world I really want to be in, so I put a bit of pressure on myself to do it well. We worked hard in pre-production to find specific props and wardrobe items and similar locations, but you never really know until the camera rolls and you look at the monitor for the first time, if it’s actually going to pay off.&nbsp;I’m so glad to say that I think it did![imgtoken data:4]<blockquote>It was fascinating to have to almost mould my own work around someone else's.</blockquote>What were the biggest challenges in making it happen?BM: The main challenge was that we had a small budget and one day to shoot four of the show’s most iconic scenes all over South London. But that to me was also the best part. It felt like a real achievement by the end of the day to see what we had managed to do and I also think being restricted both time and money-wise naturally makes you all the more creative.One of the other main challenges was recreating our locations, specifically our interior sets – Connell’s bedroom and the pool setup for instance. We shot in this massive house that 1. Had a pool that really felt similar to that of the original show but 2. Didn’t have any rooms that were boxy and contained like we needed.[imgtoken data:5]It meant we had to build a tiny bedroom within a bedroom and our amazing production designer&nbsp;Lucie Brooks Butler&nbsp;and her team really smashed it in such a small space of time. Lucie came up with the smart idea of bringing in a tall wardrobe and wrapping half of it in our wallpaper to try and emulate that original bedroom composition.[imgtoken data:6][imgtoken data:7]I also really wanted to be as specific as possible. I wanted it to be exact to the point that you’d have to double-take to figure out if you were watching the music video or the real thing. Specificity was really the main working practice across all departments – we set out to find the exact same bedroom wallpaper, the same school tie, the exact replica of Connell’s chain, the same GAA ticket stubs pasted to his bedroom walls.What aspects of the re-creation are you happiest with?BM: I’m really delighted with the supermarket scene. We shot in this small Polish shop on Streatham High Street that ended up feeling very similar to the show, and Chloe is actually wearing the exact dress Daisy wears which is a nice easter egg too.[imgtoken data:8][imgtoken data:9]Our brilliant 1st AD, Dom Asbridge, would be holding up my iPad next to the monitor so that we could watch the show play out alongside what we were shooting. I got super specific with both Chloe and Gus in even the smallest of movements – if Marianne takes her earphones out and that lasts three seconds, let’s make sure we take the same amount of time ourselves. If she raises her right arm at a certain angle to grab a jar off the shelf, let’s try and have Chloe reach that same position.I’m also really proud of how we recreated the bedroom scene. It was honestly very weird putting both Chloe and Gus into position and seeing the show come to life in front of us all. We even got particular in the tiny art details around the room that no one will probably ever notice or think twice about. For example, we managed to source the exact same vintage plate that sits on the side of Connell’s desk – you can actually barely see it in frame in the show or the music video but it’s very satisfying for me knowing that little details like that made it in there.[imgtoken data:10]<blockquote>Being restricted both time and money-wise naturally makes you all the more creative.</blockquote>I also really love our field scenes when they’re in their school uniforms – to me that set up is Normal People and to watch that play back in the edit for the first time and see how close we got was really fun. Who knew a little field in Croydon could masquerade itself as rural Sligo?What’s the primary purpose of doing this – humour, or something deeper? Or is it just to highlight Chloe’s rather uncanny likeness to Daisy?BM:&nbsp;I think it’s a bit of both. Addressing the uncanny likeness I think demands a bit of humour. This is a homage to the show and while we worked really hard to get that replication right, we also aren’t trying to take it too seriously.[imgtoken data:11][imgtoken data:12]I think it’s such a smart idea from Chloe in using the show as a vessel to form this world around ‘Harriet’. So many (including myself) are also still so obsessed with&nbsp;Normal People, even though it came out a good few years ago now, to me it still feels so relevant.Why do you think Normal People resonates so much?The show came out as such a crazy time -&nbsp;at the very start of lockdown when everything was a bit scary and unknown. I binged it almost all in one go - 1. Because it felt nice to have something to escape into and distract myself from and&nbsp;2. The show offered up this totally immersive world that I’d never experienced before.[imgtoken data:13]I also think that to take an amazing novel like&nbsp;Normal People&nbsp;and to then adapt it so successfully is maybe quite rare. The way the show is shot literally feels like Sally Rooney’s writing. It’s really visceral and I think that makes it so relatable and true to real life in a way most TV fails to do.If you had the chance to do another Chloe/Daisy comparison video, which of Daisy’s other TV shows or movies would you pick?&nbsp;BM: We actually joked about this on set. Maybe my new thing is directing lookalike music videos… I haven’t actually seen it but I know Daisy was in Twisters.&nbsp;So I’d like to see how we’d fancy our chances of replicating a devastating tornado on a similar budget in a day in the same field in Croydon.&nbsp;• Bonnie MacRae is based at Spindle and represented for music videos by Claire Stubbs at Mouthpiece.

Bonnie MacRae

BTS: Bonnie MacRae on Chloe Slater's Harriet | 'Normal People still feels so relevant.'

Chloe Slater - Harriet (Official Video)

Apparently Chloe Slater's fans have been saying it for years. So now the singer-songwriter has decided to fully embrace their observation that she has a striking resemblance to actress Daisy Edgar-Jones in her new video by Bonnie MacRae. And the result is almost spooky - you may believe you are watching <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p089g8rs/normal-people" target="_blank">Normal People</a> all over again.In the video for Harriet, MacRea does not so much reference Edgar-Jones's breakthrough role as to recreate some of the acclaimed TV drama's most memorable scenes&nbsp;with eerie precision. Only this time, 'Marianne' is usually singing to 'Connell' - played by Gus Steele, who also looks like Paul Mescal, but not quite as much as Chloe looks like Daisy.The beauty of MacRae and Slater's wholly invested approach is&nbsp;that, counter-intuitively, even if you're not that familiar with Normal People, you can pretty much enjoy this on its own account. But for the many avid fans of the show, it's a proper&nbsp;treat - albeit one that may seem almost uncanny.

United Kingdom

Lucie Brooks Butler

Tanya Johnson

Chris Anthony

Johnny Woodman

Michael Lewin

Dale Heely

Courtney Bennett

Mayling Wong

Dom Asbridge

James Wicks

Jessica Timbs

Sara Hassan

Dasha Taivas

Charles Gamble

Cabin Editing Company

Dominic Phipps

Company 3

Gus Steele

Chloe Slater

Awal Recordings

Singer-songwriter

Chloe Slater 'Harriet' by Bonnie MacRae

Loyle Carner embarks on a dreamlike journey in the self-directed video for the lead-off track from his forthcoming hew album.Loyle (real name, Ben Carner-Loyle) is tucked up in a child-sized bed as the video for Lyin' starts. As water begins to drip onto his head, the bedsheet becomes a device to set him on his travels. He finds himself in bed in the sea, then back asleep, waking up, leaving a public bathroom and entering a rush hour crowd of commuters and then - in a moment of brilliance -&nbsp;rising above everyone else.[imgtoken data:1]Eventually he finds himself walking into a crowded theatre and onto the stage where his bedroom is the set - and he walks back into the room.&nbsp;Throughout, Loyle is talking about the pressures and pleasures of fatherhood - a central theme of the new album&nbsp;hopefully!&nbsp;So the video is itself a surreal exploration of fatherhood, where both&nbsp;inner child and grown-up self are still figuring things out. It leaves things open-ended and unresolved, a cue for the viewer to get closer to Loyle Carner's new music.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Toms Jansons

Laura Adamovica

Maya Kilic

Luke Smith

Ben Coyle-Larner

Ayomide Alli

Theresa Adebiyi

Zhan Zharoff

Mattias Rudh

Bogdan Krutov

Kristaps Dombrovskis

Ivars Trautmanis

Evgenia Hamudajeva

Anna Marija Abrosimova

Nik Kohler

Simon Bourne

Mad Nomad Collective

EMI Records

Hip Hop

Loyle Carner 'Lyin' by Ben Coyle-Larner

Loyle Carner - lyin (official video)

British-Ukrainian director Liakh imagines the suffocating life of an immigrant in London for Ukrainian-Canadian artist Question4Later.The video for Eastern European 2&nbsp;delves into the Eastern European experience in London and its struggles in this mixed-media piece. Photos of&nbsp;immigrant-owned London businesses and the artist’s childhood photos are intercut with live actions scenarios with&nbsp;Questions4Later - while eating, in a church, at the wheel of a car - being held in a chokehold in every scene he is in.&nbsp;A visual metaphor for the mental and financial strain experienced by many&nbsp;Eastern Europeans, and especially Ukrainians,&nbsp;in the past few years whilst struggling to survive in London, Liakh and his Ukranian DoP Ilya Maksymenko&nbsp;also recruited members of the&nbsp;Ukrainian grassroots MMA community&nbsp;ViBURNUM - who have&nbsp;made London their new home&nbsp;- to execute the chokehold in different scenes.That adds another&nbsp;element of authenticity to what is a powerful,&nbsp;thought-provoking piece about the immigrant experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sam Webster

LIAKH

Phelan Moeller

Ed Bishop

Ilya Maksymenko

James Smith

Liam Reardan

Tim Swaby

Mykola Shurin

Questions4Later 'Eastern European 2' by Liakh

EASTERN EUROPEAN 2 [Music Video]

Milo Blake tells a surrealist fable for Oscar Jerome’s The Fork.The film explores rebirth, memory, and existentialism, inspired by the South London-based musician's&nbsp;own spiritual journey and for the title track from his forthcoming new album, his first new music in a couple of years.Filmed in Latvia and set against vast landscapes, it begins with Jerome unearthing a metal object buried in a quarry: a bust of himself. Later, when he arrives at a huge deserted cinema, the bust offers up its own treasure.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;&nbsp;Milo Blake uses the metaphor of cinema and introspection to reflect the emotions and influences we carry within us - fear, wonder, love&nbsp;and transformation."Each of us carry a bank of all the things that have influenced, created wonder, fear, love, sadness and anger which all play back in the cinema's of our minds," he says. "This is what the music video embodies and when we can see what’s truly important, it changes who we are and how we see the world.”

Ginna Schilling

Malcolm Yaeng

Milo Blake

Michael Nadalyak

Nikita Popkovs

Kristap Dombrovskis

Ando Andz

Maris Grabovskis

Dusten Zimmerman

Anuar Bazargeldi

Madnomad Collective

Vlad Sivak

New Soil

Kodak

Alternative

Oscar Jerome 'The Fork' by Milo Blake

Oscar Jerome - The Fork (Official Film)

Luis Rojo&nbsp;blurs the lines between music, fashion and film in his promo for Hasna.&nbsp;The video for Dettes Et Doutes&nbsp;captures a collaboration between singer Hasna and designer Sari Usai, featuring an exclusive SS24 collection by clothing label Cinixiu.Luis weaves an introspective and story of heartbreak and personal growth, portrayed within the&nbsp;crowded, dynamic streets of Dalston, East London&nbsp;and performed in reverse - a&nbsp;well executed device with considerable impact.Evocative and alluring, the use of reflections and slow fades creates an ethereal feel, which perfectly suits Hasna's gentle performance in this most public of spaces.&nbsp;

Sara Usai

Luis Rojo

Brbr Films

Santiago Bernaldo De Quirós

Daydreamer Vfx

Hasna 'Dettes Et Doutes' by Luis Rojo

Hasna - dettes&doutes (official music video)

<h3>With his new music videos Maxim Kelly returns to previously explored territories, further testing their boundaries. The Spindle director spoke to Promonews about his latest excursions into drama with choreography, and toying with stock footage... with the help of AI.</h3>As his distinguished output of music videos has shown, Maxim Kelly is very good at very different things.&nbsp;He is adept at character-based live action narrative of various kinds, examples including a&nbsp;nostalgic sci-fi comedy for Black Country New Road and a feverish vampire Western for black midi. He's also inclined towards&nbsp;choreography, as he's demonstrated memorably in the video for Belief's Dreams, and an idiosyncratic approach to VFX and the use of stock footage, particularly in his video for Shame's Nigel Hitter.&nbsp;These latter preoccupations find new&nbsp;expression in his latest videos, both released last month. Firstly, for New York based producer Prefuse 73, Kelly does something new with vintage film footage, and with the judicious use of AI he subtlely implements an alternative&nbsp;version of 20th century history - based on paranoia. Then for the intriguing LA-based Belarusian goth-synth band Molchat Doma, Kelly builds another alternative world, with a few characters in a gloomy bar, and one memorable dance performance.We spoke to Maxim Kelly to get the lowdown on the making of these fascinating, highly creative projects.Prefuse 73 - Complete Rejection[vidtoken data:0]<blockquote>Guillermo talked about his fascination with how the media reports and sensationalises crime.</blockquote>How did the project come about? And who is Prefuse 73?MAXIM KELLY: Prefuse 73 is the artist name of New York-based producer Guillermo Scott Herren. I got the job because I've previously worked on a few projects with his label, Lex Records.Was the soundtrack-like nature of the track an influence in the story you wanted to tell?MK: Yes, it was. The video brief was based on an interview with Guillermo about his album New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol.2. He talked about his fascination with how the media reports and sensationalises crime, and how he watched New York slasher movies while making the music. This inspired me to use online PSAs in the video, and the music’s bed-like quality made it perfect for adding soundbites to enhance the story.[imgtoken data:1]You have manipulated 20th-century public information film archive material before - notably for the Shame video for Nigel Hitter. How does this one differ from that video in thinking, and in the execution?MK: For the Shame video, we needed to incorporate the band into the archive material, which required using a greenscreen studio and finding specific clips with space for the band. This added complexity. For this project, it was easier since we could use any clip and then figure out how to modify or add elements afterwards.<blockquote>The aesthetics of old archive material are impossible to recreate.</blockquote>Where does your interest in this type of old archive material come from?MK: My interest in old archive material comes from its aesthetics - which are impossible to recreate - and the creative opportunities it offers. Working with archives is like having hundreds of hours of footage, and the challenge is figuring out what I can do with each clip instead of deciding what to shoot.This approach lets me create work that would be too expensive to produce from scratch. Additionally, this project allowed me to explore AI and improve my skills in After Effects. I'm excited about the future of filmmaking, so any opportunity to experiment with AI in these early stages is great.Where did you source your footage?MK: From various online archives. It can be tricky since some places charge for clips that are actually in the public domain. A great starting point is <a href="https://archive.org/" target="_blank">archive.org</a>, and from there, you can find many other sources and footage by exploring further.[imgtoken data:2]What was your framework for using AI? What were the references for creating the AI-generated inserts?MK: I used Dalle-2, which was discontinued right before this project started. Fortunately, I bought credits in advance to avoid any issues since I had used it to make the treatment. My framework was based on creating a false sense of security from the police and government, imagining them as inflatable, blow-up officers. This idea evolved into making everything bulbous, inflatable, rubber, blobby, and grotesque.I didn’t have specific references; instead, I knew what I wanted and let the AI generate several iterations. I then adjusted my prompts or selected the best results.Looks like you used it quite sparingly, subtly integrated with the footage. Was it easy to control to get the results you wanted?MK: Yes, it was. I simply erased a tiny part of the image and let the AI fill it in, blending it seamlessly into the shot. For me, AI videos all look the same and quickly become dated. But using AI this way felt like doing VFX, similar to creating something in 3D and then compositing it back in. It’s such a simple idea, I couldn't believe that it hadn’t been done before.It was really easy and fast, and the AI came up with things that would have taken me ages with loads of references. For instance, the inflatable police car on an empty road and the inflatable Statue of Liberty at the end look so good and funny. I can’t see how I would have come up with those designs on my own in the time I had.Molchat Doma -&nbsp;Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya (You Don't Know Who I Am)[vidtoken data:1]<blockquote>I wanted the video to feel similar to turning on the TV late at night and finding yourself three-quarters through a film without knowing anything about it.</blockquote>How did this project start? How did you connect with Molchat Doma?MK: Their label in New York, Sacred Bones, recommended reaching out to me. They had seen some of my previous work with Secretly Canadian. And Robbie Morris, who works at Secretly Canadian, put in a good word for me.What help did you get from the track (with lyrics in Russian) and the band’s brief in developing your idea?MK: Initially, I didn't have much to go on besides the lyrics and the song. My first concept was very different - it involved a B-movie parasite attached to a dancer's body, singing the song into her ear.When the band saw this idea, they mentioned that they had always envisioned a man dancing jive when they wrote the song. I decided to change the concept, as I didn't think I could do justice to the original idea with the budget we had.[imgtoken data:3]Above: On-set at Molchat Doma shoot.Where did you shoot the video?MK: We shot the video in Walthamstow at a working men’s club, which required us to become members in order to film there. Although I live a bit too far away to visit, the club also offers cheap pints!How did you cast your main character – and is he a proper ballroom dancer?MK: Our main character, Spike King, is a contemporary dancer who had a background in ballroom dance from his younger years. He was recommended by our choreographer, Arran, whom I've worked with several times. Arran is great at consistently finding the perfect dancers for our roles.<blockquote>All my choreography-based films are my attempts to recreate Denis Levant's dance at the end of&nbsp;Beau Travail.</blockquote>The cast is all-male, some are in dresses, while the band and more stock footage is beamed into the bar/club on an ancient TV. So how would you describe the backstory – ie, what’s happened at the point the film starts?MK: The concept revolves around an apocalypse scene or a pandemic. But the aim was for the video to feel like a small part of something much larger. Similar to turning on the TV late at night and finding yourself three-quarters through a film without knowing anything about it.The all-male cast felt appropriate because, as I get older, I've noticed my male friends becoming more nurturing and compassionate with each other, probably due to the responsibilities of children, marriage and work. So, I wanted to reflect this softness and kindness among men, showcasing them being gentle and caring with each other.Were there specific influences – cinematic or otherwise – on your approach to the narrative? Did you talk about certain films, or videos, in your treatment?MK: My references for developing the narrative and idea were Béla Tarr and Aki Kaurismäki. I just looked at their entire filmographies to shape the concept and direction for the video.What was the thinking behind the choreography – is it purely&nbsp;Strictly Come Dancing stuff, or with something extra added? (And was he dancing to the MD track during the shoot?)MK: We wanted to do a jive that flips into madness and back again. My primary reference for choreography is Denis Lavant's dance to Rhythm Of The Night at the end of Beau Travail.&nbsp;Essentially, all my choreography-based films are my attempts to recreate that scene, and through my repeated attempts and failures, I end up creating something new each time.[imgtoken data:4]Above: Spike King (right) performs the jive, on-set of the Molchat Doma videoWhat were your main instructions to the other actors, to get the performances you were looking for?&nbsp; &nbsp;MK: I don't like to over-complicate directing on set. I prefer to do most of the work beforehand, telling the story through the shot list. However, I usually have one specific idea in mind for the actors. In this case, I told them to remember when they were children, and their parents had guests over. After being put to bed, they keep sneaking downstairs. When the adults notice, they run back to their rooms, hide under the covers, and pretend to be asleep. That's the feeling I wanted them to capture.Was it always the plan to shoot some kind of band performance – and how did you shoot it?MK: The band live in LA and hadn't been featured in their previous video [for Son], so they felt it was important to be included this time. Fortunately, the DoP working on their third video in LA did a pick-up shoot for us on greenscreen in his home. So that I could composite them into the TV shots.The black and white and the emphasis on black and darkness fits the tone of the track. Was that mainly achieved in-camera or in the grade?MK: I have to say that&nbsp;Michal Babinec did an excellent job. And we achieved the look mostly in-camera. We shot on the 16mm crop sensor, on the Alexa. Michal added a lot of diffusion over the lens and shot at an incredibly high ISO to get a heavy noise effect.There really was no going back or fixing it in post. And then Richard Fearon [at Black Kite] did a beautiful high-contrast grade over the top.• Watch more of Maxim Kelly's work at Spindle <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/maxim-kelly/" target="_blank">here</a>; Maxim is represented by Claire Stubbs &amp; Connie Meade&nbsp;at Mouthpiece.&nbsp;

Maxim Kelly

Maxim Kelly on his new videos for Molchat Doma and Prefuse 73: "I'm excited about the future of filmmaking."

Prefuse 73 - Complete Rejection (Official Video)

Molchat Doma - Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya (Official Video) - Ты Же Не Знаешь Кто Я

Maxim Kelly brings us into a bleak world with deadpan humour - and brilliant dancing - for Molchat Doma's Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya (meaning 'You Don't Know Who I Am').Set in a dive bar during a mysterious parasitic outbreak, Kelly’s promo for the LA-based Belarusian post-punk/synth pop group juxtaposes Strictly-style jive dancing - performed by contemporary dancer Spike King - with a lonely, post-Apocalyptic world to explore themes of isolation and simple human connection.it also enters that sub-category of Kelly-directed videos with riveting dance performances, including for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/07/27/belief-dreams-maxim-kelly/77548" target="_blank">Belief's Dreams</a> and <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/11/22/murder-capital-ethel-maxim-kelly/79378" target="_blank">The Murder Capital's Ethel</a>.

Isabel Alsina Reynolds

Harry Watts

Michal Babinec

Joe Mulvihill

Arran Green

Vid Price

Trim Editing

Richard Fearon

Black Kite Studios

Sacred Bones

Spike King

Molchat Doma 'Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya' by Maxim Kelly

Maxim Kelly directs an intriguing promo for NYC-based producer Prefuse 73, utilizing archive film footage augmented with AI-generated imagery to disconcerting effect.The video for Complete Rejection is set against a backdrop of a 1970's New York crime wave, presented as a fictional public service announcement.&nbsp;&nbsp;To make the imaginative promo, Maxim found vintage social guidance films, educational videos, and propaganda, and then used AI to elevate the uncanny vibe of the visuals.&nbsp;It's a trippy, inspired use of the technology, and the use of a PSA-style structure gives it an anachronistic, almost otherworldly feel.&nbsp;Spectactularly odd work which will leave viewers thinking about it a long time after watching.&nbsp;

United States

Talia Pasqua

Jon Burley

Electronic

Prefuse 73 'Complete Rejection' by Maxim Kelly

Mar del Corral, director of acclaimed music videos, including the Ciclope-honoured video for Surma's For Hemma, and brand work for Adidas,&nbsp;Lancôme, Dove, Braun,&nbsp;Pantene and Freda, has joined the roster at Spindle for UK representation for commercial and music projects.Born in the Caribbean, raised in Spain and graduating the London Metropolitan University with a degree in Fine Arts, del Corrall is&nbsp;a globetrotter with a love for visual imagery. She is also informed by her background as an actor, with a passion&nbsp;for honest storytelling and a desire to use her films as a platform for positive change. She champions inclusivity and empowerment, inspiring talent to boldly shine on screen through authentic, impactful performances.Her latest work for Adidas x Common Goal is a charity-focused campaign that drives social change for underserved communities. It follows real children and highlights how important community programs are to empower girls in football. This project follows a previous Adidas global campaign for the UEFA Women’s Champions League, where she captured the real-life bond between football legend Alessandro del Piero and his daughter Dorothea.Alongside various campaigns for beauty brands including Lancôme, Dove, Braun &amp; Pantene, Mar del Corral has also created a powerful spot for Freda in support of Freda’s inclusive period range. In Cycle&nbsp;we meet three LGBTQ+ advocates, discussing how gender inclusive language can make a big impact for people feeling safe and accepted in the world. The film was recognised in the Shiny Awards winners list amongst other industry acclaim.Her music videos are equally impactful. Most notably, Surma's For Hemma&nbsp;integrates dynamic camera work into electric choreography, resulting in an emotional, intense experience that received a Vimeo Staff Pick and Ciclope award."I am delighted to welcome Mar to the Spindle family," says&nbsp;Mayling Wong,&nbsp;Spindle Executive Producer.&nbsp;"What caught my eye with Mar’s unique ability to take us on a journey is her approach with talent,&nbsp;allowing them to flourish in their&nbsp;surroundings. Her sense of empathy combined with her&nbsp;level of care and attention to detail is what makes her visual language so relatable and&nbsp;inspiring. She delicately walks the line of ‘reality’ embedded in heightened elevation and that (amongst many other things!) excites me for our future of filmmaking together."On signing to Spindle, Mar del Corral adds: "Spindle is a production company that resonates deeply with my own values and aspirations. From the moment I encountered them, I was captivated by their visionary approach and the palpable passion that drives them. What truly sets Spindle apart is their steadfast commitment to moral values too, a principle that echoes my own approach to work and creativity. We share an ambitious spirit that seeks not just to create, but to grow and inspire. I look forward to contributing to Spindle's journey of creating exceptional work that not only entertains but also carries a significant message. I am eager to see the incredible things we will achieve together."• Watch Mar del Corral's work at Spindle <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/mar-del-corral/" target="_blank">here</a>

Mar Del Corral

Spindle sign Mar del Corral

Maxim Kelly, director of videos for acclaimed videos for Black Country New Road, Belief, Black Midi, Shame&nbsp;and more, has joined London-based production company Spindle for music video and commercial representation.Kelly is known for embracing different genres and influences, blending&nbsp;an unconventional and surrealist style with an imaginative approach to mixed-media.He started his career assisting commercial photographers around studying for his MA at the University of Arts London. After graduating, he moved to New York and worked alongside some of the leading names in New York fashion photography. Then later returning to London, becoming Juergen Teller's first assistant for three years.These fine art and fashion worlds&nbsp;led him to finding a new avenue within music videos. His debut promo, made while on a trip to India, attracted attention of various blogs and festivals, and marked Maxim’s arrival as being one to watch. Since then, he’s gone on to make a name for himself as one of the UK’s most original promo directors.During the pandemic, Kelly&nbsp;directed a mesmerising, psychedelic trip through the Victorian technique of the phénakisticope for Django Django's Spirals. That was followed by an unsettling deepfake video for Shame's Nigel Hitter, that repurposes and reimagines archival footage from old research centres conducting questionable experiments around the development of children. The film went on to be nominated for Best Rock Video UK at UKMVAs 2021.He continued this trajectory in 2022, releasing a string of acclaimed promos. His surreal tribute to '90s rave culture for Belief's Dreams&nbsp;was nominated and awarded across UKMVAs, Berlin MVAs, Kinsale Sharks and Creative Circle. The film was included in various Best of the Year lists, thanks to its iconic performance and uniquely original, striking visuals.His unhinged fever-dream of a Western for Black Midi's Eat Men Eat&nbsp;and genre-bending epic for Black Country, New Road's Concorde both received similar levels of recognition, including multiple wins and nominations at Creative Circle, Shark Awards, 1.4 and UKMVAs, as well as taking up two spots in Promonews’ Best of 2022 Rock and Alternative list.Most recently, Maxim released Hot Chip's Broken, that reworks obscure vintage corporate film footage to create an alternative history of computing that sees a robot boyband take the world by storm.&nbsp;Alongside this impressive collection of promos, he has directed successful campaigns for clients including Nike, Valentino, Linda Farrow, Vogue and Sony. He’s also created Fashion Editorials for Red Thread and Hunger Magazine.Spindle Executive Producer&nbsp;Mayling Wong says: "Maxim’s ability to create in such an innovative way has always inspired me. I remember when I first saw his music video for Belief, I was immediately captivated. The way in which the video’s direction held my attention, despite being so simplistic, was truly a credit to Maxim’s craft and focus on the finer details. I am beyond excited to watch him flourish with the team at Spindle and look forward to bringing his unique imagination to life!"Kelly adds: "Spindle is the right fit — they're a young, dynamic crew with a solid growth curve. Their energy and taste drew me in, and I joined because I wanted to be part of that, to contribute and grow with them."• Watch Maxim Kelly's work on the Spindle website <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/maxim-kelly/" target="_blank">here</a>

Spindle welcome Maxim Kelly to their roster

<h3>We caught up with director Milo Blake about his first ever rock video, and with producer Mayling Wong, about her first project&nbsp;since joining&nbsp;Spindle as EP.</h3>The video for Royal Blood's Mountains At Midnight was the first from the fourth album from the Brighton duo who have now been one of the UK's top rock bands for the best part of a decade. It was also director Milo Blake's first foray into a new music genre, after his work in everything from grime to pop to banging techno. So far, electric guitars and drum kits have been conspicuously absent from the&nbsp;&nbsp;As it turns out Blake (above, during the Mountains At Midnight video shoot) delivers&nbsp;a visceral&nbsp;grittiness in the video - which includes an intense performance by the band under relentless strobe lights in a small&nbsp;music club. But its main focus is largely upon the audience - and one audience member in particular, who even within a heaving crowd is lost in her own world. A palpable sense of euphoria is expressed through the cut, by Rich Woolway, which switching between the conventional band and crowd scenario to her being completely alone in the space.It was also the first time that Blake and Wong had worked together since her arrival as EP for Music Videos, Commercials and Special Projects. So we started our conversation in traditional fashion, by asking them how the idea came about in the first place, and was developed through the treatment stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;[vidtoken data:0]&nbsp;<blockquote>Royal Blood's videos have had a particular stylistic universe. I felt like tonally it was something that matched up with elements of my own work.&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote>PROMONEWS: Old school heavy rock seems like a departure from the artists and music you’ve worked with before, Milo. So what appealed about working with Royal Blood?&nbsp;&nbsp; MILO BLAKE: I think in some sense the very reason that it was a departure appealed to me. I was intrigued by the experience of working with a new genre and style of artist.Also Royal Blood have had a particular stylistic universe which their videos have existed in over the years. I felt like tonally it was something that matched up with elements of my own work, with their world being something that I could contribute to and develop.&nbsp;Where did the idea of focussing on a single audience member of a gig come from and how did it develop? And do you know if anything like it has been done before?&nbsp;MB: I guess because those who go to a gig uniquely will have an experience which is entirely personal to them, but simultaneously it will be one fragment which is connected to a much larger picture.I feel that gigs and communal events like this hold special spaces in our memory. Human expression and release reaches a special pitch when we gather and dance together. It was this particular&nbsp;euphoria which I wanted to hone in on and play with. That led to us creating this game in the concept of her experience and actions being mirrored across the same space: one full, one empty.To be totally honest, I don't know if it's been done before. It may have, but maybe not like this. The original visual idea came from a small clip I had seen on Instagram where a boxer had been painted out of a clip of a fight but you still saw all his corresponding impacts on his opponent. That gave me the idea to explore how this illusion could be transported into a different setting with a different intention.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>Emma is incredible in her look and the way she evokes emotion with&nbsp;her movement.</blockquote>How did you contribute at the treatment stage, Mayling, in terms of suggestions and advice?MAYLING WONG:&nbsp;Working with Milo on this one was such a nice, collaborative process. I provided production support along the way as timings were tight, so we wanted to make sure we pitched what was feasible. But in terms of the magic and imagination, Milo sent me his idea (albeit after a few curveballs) and I was blown away! &nbsp;What were your visual references for establishing the look and feel of the video? Was this always a ‘black and white’ video, in your mind?&nbsp; &nbsp; MB: Black and white always felt distinctly appropriate from the beginning. Something about the sound power of the instrumental coupled with the reality that its largely only two different instruments creating this: bass guitar and drums.The style of black and white evolved later in the process - particularly in the grade with Thom Mangham [at Black Kite Studios] we looked to emulate the contrasts and quality of image you see in the work of Australian stills photographer&nbsp;Trent Parke. He was someone who we were frequently referring&nbsp;back to.&nbsp;How did you cast your lead, Emma Belabed?MB: Myself, Emma and our choreographer Magnus Westwell all worked previously on a video for the electronic artist, PRXZ. Magnus and Emma frequently work with each other and they make a great team!Emma is incredible in her look and the way she evokes emotion with&nbsp;her movement. Plus her work ethic is second to none -and I'm always demanding pretty high intensity performances from her.[imgtoken data:2]Above: choreographer Magnus Westwell puts actor Emma Belabed through her paces during rehearsal for the video shootSo can you reveal: is she watching the band from the crowd and imagining she’s on her own - or is she on her own, imagining she’s watching the band?&nbsp;&nbsp;MB: For me it's both. At different points throughout her journey in the video, I think it leans more one way then alternately at other points I think it's more the latter. That's what can be interesting about memory or imagination. It's vivid but still slippery, it affirms certain details and shrouds or misguides others.Were there any major obstacles that you encountered in pre-production that impacted on the shoot/execution of the idea?MW: Time!! This was the most difficult part of the project. We had sign off on Tuesday and shot the following Thursday with a Bank Holiday nicely sandwiched in-between.But the saving grace on this one was the incredible team we had onboard – this made all the difference. And then matched with the endless support of Spindle and the label – it really was a great project![imgtoken data:3]<blockquote>The ceiling started leaking water from the rain outside onto our artists and our power sources.</blockquote>Where did you shoot the video and what were the biggest challenges on the shoot day?&nbsp;&nbsp; MB: We shot in an old warehouse in Bermondsey. The space needed to feel like it had a sort of underground atmosphere to it and have textural features which matched the grunginess of the song.The challenges I suppose were to try and make it feel as full as we could. We had a pretty large cast by conventional standards -&nbsp;40-plus dancers. But even that required to think more carefully about composition, what would be the appropriate&nbsp;shooting style and how best to maximise the energy of this group over the course of a 12 hour day. They all did a fantastic job.Another unexpected challenge which I haven't had before was half-way through a take the ceiling started leaking water from the rain outside onto our artists and our power sources! But we rose from that minor hiccup, it bonded us closer as a set to still getting the things we needed.MW:&nbsp;in hindsight Milo’s probably right that the leaking ceiling was a hiccup.&nbsp;But in the moment I was on the STRESS EXPRESS! Water was pouring into the location and my health and safety brain was all over the place! But the location managed it really well and we gave it a temporary fix![imgtoken data:4]It’s an intense, old school fast-cutting edit from Rich Woolway at Stitch/Homespun. Presumably that was always intended, but did he add anything else to the existing plan for the video?&nbsp; MB: Rich is a wizard! Yes it was always the plan. I had established a timeline of where I wanted certain beats of the video to take place and how long they should last. Rich edited to this, but then offered up so many lovely unexpected sequence flourishes which took it to the next level.Plus with so many moving light elements and shadow, Rich had to possess the steely vision to see where the mathcuts in movement between the two worlds could emerge from. Some were planned and other's he sifted through and offered up himself.&nbsp;How much VFX is in the video?&nbsp; MB: In reality not a great deal. A lot of the VFX was removing the wires that were attached to Emma and controlled by our choreographers out of shot which were used to create these invisible impacts of movement where she's being jostled and pulled by the crowd around her. In the end it was a combination of this process and then Emma having the control of her body to simulate these impacts alone also.Are you inspired to make more explosive rock videos?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; MB: As you might have guessed, I don't like to be pinned down to one style of work. So I'm inspired to keep making hopefully explosive and thought-provoking work in any genre! As long as I'm connected and captivated in some form to the project, my next three videos could be funk, folk, soul or classical. Plenty of things to explore!&nbsp; &nbsp; And how would you describe your first experience of working together?&nbsp;MW:&nbsp;Chaotic fun! With a sprinkling of agility. It was a really enjoyable experience and a great one to kick start mine and Milo’s newfound working relationship! I think he’s incredibly talented and I cannot wait for the next one!MB: Mayling was instrumental in the success of the video. There's nothing like making a film together to super-charge a new collaboration and relationship, which this job did exactly! Her attention to detail, creative problem-solving and management&nbsp;of clients, so that I could do what I needed to achieve, all came to the fore throughout the making of this. I'm looking forward to&nbsp;all the different types of work that we will hopefully be able to make together in the future!&nbsp;• Milo Blake is based at <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/milo-blake/" target="_blank">Spindle</a>, and represented for music videos at <a href="https://www.mouthpiecerep.me/" target="_blank">Mouthpiece</a>

Homespun

Milo Blake on Royal Blood's Mountains At Midnight: 'I don't know if it's been done before.'

Royal-Blood-'Mountains-At-Midnight'-by-Milo-Blake

Spindle has announced the arrival of UKMVA-nominated producer Mayling Wong, as Executive Producer at the&nbsp;London-based production company working&nbsp;across Music Videos, Special Projects and Commercials.Wong joins Spindle having spent the last seven years at Partizan in London, where she gained extensive experience working for artists including&nbsp;Years and Years, Lewis Capaldi, The 1975, Idles,&nbsp;Joy Crookes and many more; brands including&nbsp;Versace and Apple; and working with&nbsp;award-winning directors like Michel Gondry, Warren Fu, Sophia Ray and Nono &amp; Rodrigo.While at Partizan,&nbsp;her entrepreneurial spirit and determination to find creative solutions also led her to&nbsp;become a partner in Bulgaria-based service company Four Elements - and she was&nbsp;nominated twice for Best Producer at the UKMVAs.In her new role at Spindle, she will nurture and grow a roster of progressive talent, with an emphasis in next-generation directors,&nbsp;unlocking and overseeing creative opportunities across advertising and entertainment. This follows her experience at Partizan, where she also curated Darkroom, its new talent division, and nurtured its&nbsp;young filmmaking talent, pairing them with agencies and brands keen to produce campaigns that appeal to youth audiences.She has already produced and EP'd her first job at her new home: the video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/05/30/royal-blood-mountains-midnight-milo-blake/81769" target="_blank">Royal Blood's Mountains At Midnight</a>, directed by Milo Blake, released in May.Spindle has embarked on social initiatives reflecting the company's ethics and values, which Wong also supports.&nbsp;Their ‘People + Planet’ initiative focuses on improving the pathway into production for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and under-represented groups, on and off set. Spindle have also committed to being a ‘climate positive company’ through environmentally sustainable productions, and offsetting any entire residual carbon footprint through native woodland creation. They are a member of 1% for the Planet and an AdGreen ‘Superuser’ - a Top 10 production company that has been leading the charge in collating and measuring environmental impact. &nbsp;"Watching the rise and growth of Spindle has always piqued my interest - especially in today’s production company climate," says Mayling Wong. "I have been and continue to be in awe of the company’s ethos and the values that have built their core foundations and I’m very much looking forward to bringing my skills to the table to continue their upward trajectory. It’s a creative, family-esque hub, whose drive for making powerful and meaningful work speak volumes and I’m looking forward to my journey ahead."Greg Hackett,&nbsp;Director and founding partner of Spindle, adds: "Mayling is the perfect hire for Spindle as we develop in 2023. She is driven by true creative filmmaking, and we firmly believe she is the ideal person to help guide our company towards the next level. What sets her apart is not just her remarkable talent and work ethic, but also her genuine dedication to ensuring an exceptional experience for those around her. She deeply cares about doing things right and prioritises the well-being of her team. Let's go!"• Watch directors' showreels at Spindle <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/" target="_blank">here</a>

Mayling Wong joins Spindle as Executive Producer

Milo Blake harnesses the explosive energy of Royal Blood, through the experience of one audience member at a tumultuous gig, in his promo for Mountains At Midnight.The blistering video&nbsp;is a sensory exploration of the chaotic but cathartic euphoria you feel at a gig or a rave, when you are surrounded by others who are on the exact same frequency as you. Through flailing limbs and frenetic&nbsp;movement, the lead character&nbsp;flits between a packed-out space and one where she’s fully immersed and lost in the music, as the Brighton duo perform the track, the first release from their new album.It's a riotous, full-on visual with a grimy, monochromatic&nbsp;aesthetic, and&nbsp;Rich Woolway's thrilling cut reflects the rowdy atmosphere in the concept.[imgtoken data:1]

Sarah Adewunmi

Jade Denne

Jake Hunte

Kirstin Cruickshank

Kieran Brown

Peter Bishop

Ayo Alli

Jack Meredith

Jack Robson

Milo Brown

James Huthwaite

Hara Spyrou

Magnus Westwell

Ayopo Abiri

Rich Woolway

Stitch Editing

Tom Mangham

Natali Borte

B.art

Emma Belabed

Warner Music

Rock

Royal Blood 'Mountains At Midnight' by Milo Blake

In the latest of our series asking British music video-makers about their experiences last year and thoughts on the coming year, we talk to Nosisa Majuqwana, Head of Music + New Talent at Spindle.Having previously worked in advertising, 2022 was Nosisa's first full year in her new role at Spindle, so she reflects upon the ups and downs of that experience, and makes some predictions and hopes for 2023. And she&nbsp;reveals that she is&nbsp;not Whatsapp's biggest fan.&nbsp;&nbsp;2022How would you describe last year in a few words?Busy, lots of fun, inspiring, and growing pains!What was your favourite project or projects you worked on last year?Loyle Carner's Hate&nbsp;by Loyle Carner and Greg Hackett. it was great to see the collaboration between Greg and Ben and then to see them win a UKMVA.[vidtoken data:0]Above: Loyle Carner's Hate, directed by Loyle Carner and Greg HackettAny other project you enjoyed that deserved more attention, or went under the radar?Priya Ragu's Illuminous,&nbsp;directed by <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/silence/" target="_blank">Silence</a>, was a super fun one even with its challenges. A few people have said to me that is one of their favourite videos they’ve seen us produce which is nice to hear. Silence is wicked, it’s been so great seeing her develop and find her voice.<blockquote>It’s been really fascinating to come to the other side and grow the big names of the future.</blockquote>What were the best aspects of the job last year?Oooh... establishing a company in an extremely competitive industry and developing directors in their careers. I’ve come from advertising where I worked with big names, so it’s been really fascinating to come to the other side and grow the big names of the future. It’s all bigger picture, very exciting.[vidtoken data:1]Above: Priya Ragu's Illuminous, directed by SilenceWhat were the most challenging aspects of the job last year?The budgets! Trying to put out stand out work with budgets that can be restricting.Best or favourite video or videos last year that you weren’t involved with?First to come to mind is Fiona Jane Burgess’ video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/10/25/christina-aguilera-beautiful-2022-version-fiona-jane-burgess/78917" target="_blank">Christina Aguilera's Beautiful</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OByv5luEjc" target="_blank">Ciara's Jump</a> by Dave Meyers. That one took me back to the 2000s. Also loved Duncan Loudon’s <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/03/24/tourist-your-love-duncan-loudon/75512" target="_blank">Your Love</a>&nbsp;video for Tourist.What were the trends (creative or otherwise) that you thought were most striking last year?Performance videos are a big one!What was other cultural highlight (or highlights) of the year?<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toBTPGfurLc" target="_blank">Kendrick Lamar’s Rich Spirit</a>&nbsp;is one of my favourites. So much considered craft to a performance video and you can see how much he’s elevated as an artist through his vulnerability.I also think <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/09/27/stormzy-mel-made-me-do-it-klvdr/78544" target="_blank">KLVDR’s Stormzy video</a> is a major success to produce a 10 minute video in a time where our attention span is decreasing. I don’t think I’ve listened to the track without watching the video!&nbsp;<blockquote>We need more Black female directors. There are a few, but not enough.</blockquote>2023What are you looking forward to in 2023 – both for work and for other parts of your life?Raising the bar for the current directors on our roster. Unfortunately, some things didn’t go our way end of last year, but I’ve seen the potential and the possibility. The resilience and attitude is also there, so I’m looking forward to what comes next.Personal life – looking forward to going back to my home country, South Africa, for the first time after the pandemic.Have you set work objectives for this year and if so, what are they?We’ve defined the signings we’re after this year and we have an even more defined approach towards the sort of music video briefs we want to be taking on.Who are the up-and-coming talents that you think will break through this year – or at least deserve to be successful?• <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/milo-blake/" target="_blank">Milo Blake</a> • Silence • <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/lydia-garnett/" target="_blank">Lydia Garnett</a>And to be honest, we need more Black female directors. There are a few but not enough, so a huge focus for me is discovering those coming through and how best I can support them.[vidtoken data:2]Above: Obongjayar's Tinko Tinko (Don't Play Me For A Fool), directed by Milo BlakeWhat is your prediction for the direction of the industry in 2023? And what will be the big trends for the year ahead?I think visualisers will continue to be more apparent. But I hope alongside that there is opportunity to make more creative music videos.Any other comments about the current environment for music video production and music video creativity? What are the issues that we should be most concerned with?My biggest concern is the rise in deliverables but no increase with budgets.<blockquote>I’ve struggled with the way that Whatsapp has become a way of working.</blockquote>If you could ‘make a wish’, and reform or change the environment in which you work in one way, what would you wish for?&nbsp;I’d wish for directors, crew and production companies to be paid as they should be for the work that they do.[vidtoken data:3]Above: Lonely Cowgirl's Trouble Wanted, directed by Lydia GarnettWhere are the opportunities in the current environment?I’ve struggled with the way that [communicating via] Whatsapp has become a way of working. But then at the same time it’s benefited producers and EPs by bringing us together and sharing questions and information which we wouldn’t have access to as easily without it. It’s good to be connected to someone so easily who can help make an idea come to life.Have you made any personal New Year resolutions? And if so, how’s it going?I usually do New Year resolutions on my birthday so I can track by age. Then for the years I have word of the year. This year it's 'focus' – to focus on what I need, focus on how I’m feeling and why, what is going right and wrong and areas for improvement.• Nosisa Majuqwana is&nbsp;Head of Music + New Talent at <a href="https://www.spindle.co/" target="_blank">Spindle</a>

Nosisa Majuqwana

State Of Play: Nosisa Majuqwana, Spindle   

Loyle-Carner-'Hate'-by-Greg-Hackett,loyle-Carner

Priya Ragu - Illuminous (Official Video)

Obongjayar - Tinko Tinko (Don't Play Me for a Fool)

Lonely Cowgirl

<h3>Ben Coyle-Larner - aka Loyle Carner - won the coveted Best Performance in a Video at the UKMVAs last month for his on-screen work in Hate, which he also co-directed with Greg Hackett. As Hackett explains it was a project that benefitted from&nbsp;what each of them do best.</h3>"Ben&nbsp;has amazing ideas for films," says Greg Hackett about Ben Coyle-Larner - better known as Loyle Carner. We are talking about the&nbsp;the project that brought them success as co-directors - and Loyle Carner the artist - at this year's UK Music Video Awards: the music video for Hate, which was the first release from Carner's just-released third studio&nbsp;album, Hugo.It led to a Best Performance in a Video award for Carner's multi-faceted on-screen performance at the UKMVAs on October 27th - in a video which was their first collaboration as co-directors. But Hackett&nbsp;is explaining that their creative partnership has developed through a series of projects, and in some ways, the Hate video was two years in the making.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hackett is an experienced commercials director who is adept at executing technically complicated film shoots. As&nbsp;the founder of <a href="https://www.spindle.co/" target="_blank">Spindle</a> he is also committed to the development of new talent - which is how he started working with Ben Coyle-Larner, and his brother Ryan, before the pandemic.&nbsp;It began with the Coyle-Larner Brothers, directing the Arlo Parks video for Eugene in 2019, which Hackett executive produced.&nbsp;"Then we made a film for <a href="https://www.spindle.co/work/ea/" target="_blank">EA FIFA 21</a> [featuring Eric Cantona]&nbsp;which I DoPd for him," explains Hackett. "Then moved into the <a href="https://www.spindle.co/work/loyle-carner/" target="_blank">Yesterday video</a> [for Loyle Carner] that I EP'd again." That video was a complicated and ambitious one-shot idea, and Hackett also brought his technical knowledge to the table, to&nbsp; help the brothers in a more executive-directing role.That provided the foundation for what happened when Loyle Carner completed the new album and started talking about the visuals for the first release. As Greg Hackett explains, from the start it was clear that Ben wanted to do something different with his musical alter-ego: basically no more Mr. Nice Guy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Furthermore, this would be a production which not only demanded a new, unexpected scale of performance from the artist renowned for his likeability, but was hugely challenging on a technical level: motion control, multiple Loyles -&nbsp;and the everything compressed into four shots...[vidtoken data:0]<blockquote>Ben would say to me:&nbsp;I want people to see the other side of who I am.</blockquote>PROMONEWS: How did the project start for you?GREG HACKETT: Ben had this original idea of wanting to be in this car - which is his dad's actual car, and is called Hugo [the name of the new album]. Because that's where the relationship between him and his father came back together.&nbsp;The two had been estranged for a long time, and then Ben's dad gave him driving lessons during lockdown. That brought the two of them back together again.So Ben said - look, this is the first video back. I know I want to use the car. I know I want to be inside the car all the time, and I know that I want to appear multiple times. That gave me some boundaries to work within. And it became&nbsp;a really fun, true collaboration between someone who had the idea and knew what he wanted, but then brings a [full-time] director into this -&nbsp;myself - to help facilitate and execute it.So why are there multiple Loyles in the video?GH: Throughout all of this project, Ben would say to me:&nbsp;I want people to see the other side of who I am.&nbsp;People are aware of this nice young man, who's into Liverpool Football Club, into his cooking, his music is very summery, and he's basically a great guy - a stand-up values-led dude! And all that is true. But&nbsp;he had been going through some shit over the lockdown, and he&nbsp;wanted to show people that there is a darker side to him and his music.Hate is a dark song - talking occasionally about what he loves, but mainly talking about what he hates.&nbsp;And he says himself, he was in a dark place when he wrote it. So I think it's just him coming to terms with the fact that there is a darker side to his personality, that we all do get angry in different ways.&nbsp;It's kind of the perfect visual to reflect that hate in some ways.He's also saying - he's trapped.&nbsp;The whole lyrics of the chorus is, they said it's all that you could be if you're a black playing ball or maybe rap. They said it's like a trap and we're trapped. So, yes, there's this whole part of this film which is about the internal workings of Ben himself. But there's another part which is literally to be taken as he's trapped in this car, he's trapped in this cycle.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>I'm technically-minded and I have a lot of experience on set...&nbsp;I'm able to take what's in his head and bring it to the screen.</blockquote>There is indeed a lot of rage in the video - including road rage...GH: Actually&nbsp;the road rage element kind of evolved in our conversations about keeping people's attention through the video. He's driving in the car, but things need to happen. So we had this idea that we would create an antagonist through another driver; a kind of catalyst for his anger to bubble up and boil over. Practically, this&nbsp;driver would try and overtake him and he wouldn't let him, when he does, it leads to the anger spilling out.I’d use that as&nbsp; action cues I would give to Ben for his performance to gradually build and build, until the point he stops and then have to go out of the car and have this off-screen altercation. That was something that&nbsp;Ben was really keen on - that it happens off-camera. He wanted the camera to always be in the car. And then go into&nbsp;multiple versions of himself to show these many sides of his anger bubbling over...That posed a directorial problem that needed to be solved. How do we keep the camera n the car, and make the move around to the back and back again? That's kind of our working relationship.&nbsp;I'm technically-minded and I've got a lot of experience in directing on sets with commercials. So I'm able to take what's in his head and then we bring it to the screen.[imgtoken data:2]Above: Ben Coyle-Larner (aka Loyle Carner) on set of the Hate video shoot.&nbsp;&nbsp;So when it came to the&nbsp;problem-solving, what were the key things that you did to make it work?GH: Technically, the way we had to shoot it was in four parts.&nbsp;The first minute and a half&nbsp;- or one minute 27 seconds, to be exact - is one unbroken take of the camera handheld in the passenger seat.That's followed&nbsp;by the motion control section, which required ten layers of takes; from an empty car plate, to takes of Loyle in each seat. The third section is where it escalated out of control with the inner Loyles trying to take control of him;&nbsp;and the fourth is the exterior shot at the end of the video where you see the car swelling with Loyles as he fights to regain control.&nbsp;And we had to find a race track to make it happen. So Nosisa Majuqwana, who is our exec producer at Spindle, spent a week on the phone calling round every possible race track in the south of England to find something that would allow us to do what we wanted to do. And that really was to the wire.<blockquote>Everyone had to perform that first minute and 27 seconds perfectly...</blockquote>So talk us through that first shot...GH: The first one minute 27 seconds is one unbroken take of the camera handheld in the passenger seat. So we have to time that out on the road from point A to point B, where the car stops.That point A to point B, we needed to time all of the cars in the counter movement coming along the road, the stunt driver pulling alongside him multiple times and ultimately landing at this very specific point on the road.&nbsp;They have to perform that 1 minute 27 seconds&nbsp;perfectly, and then it hands off seamlessly.We had to match this frame of inside the car's door to the next frame, which is the motion control camera. And in fact, the only way to do that was to reverse the order on the day:&nbsp;shoot the motion control first and then go back and shoot the first 1 minute 27 of performance...[imgtoken data:3]So you actually started with the&nbsp;motion control section, presumably as that was the most complicated part...GH: The motion control required about 10 layers in all, including&nbsp;an empty layer of the camera movement around the car, and then a layer of every single Ben within the car. Then we needed&nbsp;Ben leaving the car and getting back in the car, and so on.&nbsp;Then at the end of that camera move, I planned it so the camera would come past the seats on the way back so we could hide a transition on the final front passenger seat. You'll see it in the film that the front passenger seat is the wipe that takes you into the third verse.It's worth saying that we had to&nbsp;cut half of the car away to be able to do that camera move. Not Ben's dad's car, I hasten to add! We actually had two cars - Ben Mealing, the producer, sourced a replica, a slightly newer version.&nbsp;So any Volkswagen Polo Mark 2&nbsp;geeks out there will see that it's a slightly newer interior for the internal shots!<blockquote>It&nbsp;was pretty much the worst motion control&nbsp;environment you could ever have.</blockquote>How did it&nbsp;go from a technical point of view?GH: On the day, we didn't have the budget to do what you would usually do in that situation, which would be to tent off and isolate that lighting, or control that lighting above the car. And it&nbsp;was pretty much the worst motion control&nbsp;environment you could ever have.&nbsp;We had sun, bright sunshine, we had rain, we had wind. It was crazy.The last plate that we shot -&nbsp;when Ben gets out the car, has the altercation and then comes back -&nbsp;is so bright and so sunny, that most of the time in post was spent trying to bring that down.&nbsp;They were painting out every highlight in the car, painting out bits of sun and water on the floor.&nbsp;It was nuts, to be honest.Then you moved to the third shot, when Loyle the driver is being manhandled from the 'Loyles' in the backseat...GH: The 'cut' car was now on the low loader - so that Loyle could then perform freely.&nbsp;And to get that performance out of him, we had to do really key things.It was his first performance video back after three years out.&nbsp;We knew we wanted him to go to a dark, heavy place, and for the film to a have a heaviness to it.&nbsp;So everybody was hidden away from the monitors or near us. It was a locked set with only the performers and the camera department, so Ben could really go deep and give that performance that he gave.[imgtoken data:4]Above: Greg Hackett (left) and Ben Coyle-Larner during the greenscreen element of the shoot&nbsp;He is being manhandled throughout, by the other Loyles...GH:&nbsp;That was amazing. We used dancers as the other performers, because we wanted that kind of&nbsp;movement to manhandle Ben from the front into the back of the car. There had&nbsp;to be drama there, and for&nbsp;drama, there needs to be resistance and conflict.&nbsp;It&nbsp;needed that resistance from the guys in the back, to be some real fight in it.&nbsp;One of the guys gave it so much he virtually punched Ben&nbsp;in the face as he's driving. Essentially, it&nbsp;just makes the whole thing feel so real and so dark.<blockquote>There were&nbsp;twelve extras all wearing the same clothes as Ben... in that car.</blockquote>Things change at the end again, with the final shot - the only exterior shot of the car, with lots more Loyles all packed inside...GH: On the one hand, it's the kind of classic shot of driving off into the sunset.&nbsp;But again, we're also ending with Loyle losing total&nbsp;control - and&nbsp;we're not sure whether everything is actually going to be okay. Essentially that tussle for control within Ben's own brain is playing out on screen.&nbsp;From a practical perspective I think there were&nbsp;twelve extras all wearing the same clothes as Ben, being driven in that car by the stunt driver.&nbsp;The truth is, we nearly didn't actually get that whole section because we were overrunning so badly after doing the motion control section - we were about two and a half hours behind.The light was fading fast, and from a VFX point of view, we used sky replacement where we could.&nbsp;We also swapped Ben's face onto the extras, in specific places.&nbsp;When we go from section three to section four as the camera comes out of the car for the first time, the extra leans over and grab the wheel and you can see that we put Ben's face onto his face, and you can see that some other faces in the back of the car are also Ben.[imgtoken data:5]Ultimately within this highly technical shoot, Ben has given an award-winning performance. How did that happen?GH: As Hate came in as the first single, it was only natural for us to work together. And he knew that he wanted a performance based video and he trusted me. There's a level of trust there - which goes both ways - and which allows&nbsp;the actor or the artist be vulnerable enough to get that level of performance.&nbsp;The truth is that without Ben's performance that film&nbsp;wouldn't be as good. No way. But ultimately, it was having time to develop the director and artist relationship, to build that rapport and&nbsp;develop the idea in a more meaningful way that was so important.&nbsp;Who were the other important people who helped you make the video?GH:&nbsp;&nbsp;Todd Martin, who's the director of photography on it, played a huge role in this. And it really was the three of us, as a truly collaborative little unit of creators, essentially pulling this together from the very technical aspects of what the film required.Todd is American, he lives in New York, but he's a massive Loyle fan. And I'd worked with Todd on some really sensitive documentary films four years ago. So I knew that he would have the set discipline and the attitude and the sensitivities around Ben to allow Ben to be vulnerable. Little things like all staying together the night before the shoot in a B &amp; B. And it just being easy. Todd also came to the rehearsals on the previous Saturday. So we're building that rapport with the people that are going to be on set. And of course Nosisa, Ben, Stitch and the production team, who were incredible.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:6]Above: Greg Hackett and Ben Coyle-Larner celebrating the Best Performance win at this year's&nbsp;UKMVAs in October.You've also done a number&nbsp;of visualisers for the album too...GH: Owning your own production company helps, right?&nbsp;You can turn around kind of small budget stuff, but with a lot of love and a lot of passion, and things look great. So with these, there were five very simple ideas. I think four of them he had ideas for himself.What's so fun about those visualizers is that they're not music videos. A music video works best when the music scoring the visuals in a way so it's like a scene out of a movie and you're using that track to bring the scene to life, whereas these were the opposite. You don't actually want your brain to engage with them in the same way as a music video.[vidtoken data:1]But there has to be enough visual interest that there's at least something going on. So actually, it's about the small details. It's about that in HGU, the orange peel or the manager keep texting him and turning his phone over, while he's playing chess with his Dad. These tiny little details that I love putting into my films anyway.The same with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq55IXjIOo4" target="_blank">Homerton</a>. He's outside the Homerton hospital where his child was born. And we don't know why he's waiting or who he's waiting for, but he's waiting for somebody. And even though you don't see his kid, his kid is on the back seat.• Watch Greg Hackett at Spindle <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/greg-hackett/" target="_blank">here</a>; and The Coyle-Larner Brothers <a href="https://www.spindle.co/directors/the-coyle-larner-brothers/" target="_blank">here</a>

Greg Hackett

The Coyle-Larner Brothers

No.8

Greg Hackett on Loyle Carner's Hate: "We wanted him to go to a dark, heavy place."

Loyle Carner - HGU (Visualiser)

Silence explores the&nbsp;complex nature of relationships, for Tora-i's Lounging.The intimate promo is captured in beautifully pared-back frames, examining the ebb and flow of romantic relationships through a series of heartfelt vignettes.&nbsp;Appearing in the background of the setups, Tora-i observes the characters whilst performing, acting as a neutral party and the visual anchor of the concept.&nbsp;Beautiful work.&nbsp;

Rishy Malik

Silence

Edwin Brawn

George Tsamis

Miguel Carmenes

Freddie Hill

Oli Hill

Tom Colli

Harry Coleman

James Lye

Maha Alselami

Myles Bevan

Time Based Arts

Tora-i 'Lounging' by Silence

Tora-i - Lounging (Official Video)

Loyle Carner is back with unfiltered new single Hate, with a video directed by Greg Hackett and Carner himself.&nbsp;The concept shows the artist at the wheel of a car, coasting down a road whilst being hassled by an impatient driver behind him. The pressure comes to a head as he&nbsp;gets out to confront the antagonistic driver, whilst the camera pulls back to introduce&nbsp;several doppelgängers in the back seat, who all try to keep Carner from boiling over.The video is&nbsp;charged with the anger, confusion and anxiety that make up the modern experience of being Black and British at this particular point in time, and is a stirring and thought-provoking watch.&nbsp;

Reece Moore

Loyle Carner

Ben Mealing

Elliot Beach

Todd Martin

Stitch Richardson

Kem Ekundayo

Freddie Wright

Merritt Gold

Liam Reardon

Emily Bilverstone

Alex Gregory

Barny Wright

Jim Allen

Loyle Carner 'Hate' by Greg Hackett, Loyle Carner

The Safdie Brothers meet&nbsp;Blade in Milo Blake's surreal, visceral video&nbsp;for Biig Piig's Fun.&nbsp;This intense horror-drama begins at full-throttle with Biig Piig playing one half of an outlaw couple, who are deep in&nbsp;an argument after a robbery gone wrong. Then a dark energy engulfs the couple, transforming them into vampiric alter-egos of themselves.With menacing new auras, chaos then ensues - with a lone medical worker carrying blood supplies as the pair's hapless&nbsp;victim.&nbsp;In terms of the nature of the narrative this is&nbsp;quite the metamorphosis for Biig Piig, who steals the show in vampire villain mode.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the surreal aesthetic and horror concept has the wider impact of visualising the idea of toxic love, and how the darker side of our personalities&nbsp;can run riot in the heat of an argument.It's another&nbsp;intriguing step forward for Milo Blake - this time into a&nbsp;tangibly creepy netherworld&nbsp;- with the help of excellent cinematography by&nbsp;Deon Van Zyl, and a kinetically breathless edit by&nbsp;Lainy Black.&nbsp;&nbsp;