Production Company

Stink Films

Stink have announced the signing of UKMVA-nominated director India Harris for music video and commercial representation across the UK and US.Harris has built a reputation directing irreverent, high-energy music videos for Calvin Harris, Jade and particularly Confidence Man, for whom she has directed a number of videos including So What, SICKO,&nbsp;I HEART YOU&nbsp;(featuring Eliza Rose) and Gossip (featuring Jade). This body of work led to her being&nbsp;nominated for Best New Director&nbsp;at the&nbsp;UK Music Video Awards last year.A self-taught director with a background in art direction and production, Harris&nbsp;is a master of portraying elegant irreverence, blending&nbsp;technique, wit and performance to deliver unexpected comedy grounded in carefully crafted worlds.&nbsp;Her portfolio also includes ad campaigns for Adidas, Nike, Sephora and McDonald’s.&nbsp;She has already been working with the team at Stink in London before being officially announced as joining the roster.&nbsp;Dom McKiernan, Head of Music &amp; Special Projects at Stink, says:&nbsp;“We’ve already had A LOT of fun working with India, and we’re only just getting started.&nbsp;India brings a brilliant mix of bonkers ideas and precise technical skills. We’re buzzing to have her on the roster.”Daniel Bergmann, Stink's President &amp; Founder, adds that signing Harris is&nbsp;"another move in our conscious development of exciting talent across the Stink network. She has a unique tone and a broad skillset that has already been noticed in both the US and the UK markets. We’re really happy to support the next phase of growth for India.”For her part, India Harris adds: “Super excited to be joining Stink. I’ve always been a huge fan of their work, and creatively, it feels like the perfect home for me. We’ve already cooked up some amazing projects and I’m stoked to keep building together.”• Watch India Harris's showreet at Stink <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/directors/india-harris/" target="_blank">here</a>

India Harris

India Harris, UKMVA nominee for Best New Director, joins Stink for UK and US representation

Berlin-based multidisciplinary director Anna van der Velde presents a brilliant vision for experimental electronic artist Actress.Van der Velde's video for Overchord -&nbsp;the second single of the forthcoming album Radical Frame -&nbsp;is utterly transfixing; a&nbsp;sleek yet mysterious visual that mirrors the artist's exploration of identity and authorship in the new album.Built as a frame within a frame within a frame, the video continuously shifts the viewer’s perspective, questioning where power resides: within systems, within the artist, or within the act of creation itself.&nbsp;Van der Velde employs the elements of her practice - in particular the combination of production design, costume and VFX -&nbsp;to explore ideas about creativity.&nbsp;The Overchord visual is an introspection on the structures that govern artistic expression and the tension between external power and internal agency. Rather than offering fixed answers, the film asks the question: is creativity something harnessed by systems of power, or is it the greatest form of power?It is a valid question because although she has called upon considerable talents here to make this film - including costume designer Lucy James and production designer Hugo Harris - the&nbsp;vision is coming from&nbsp;Anna van der Velde. And she is not just a director, she&nbsp;really is an artist.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;

United Kingdom

Anna van der Velde

Alexa Haywood at Free Agent UK

Theresa Adebiyi

Electronic

Alternative

Actress 'Overchord' by Anna van der Velde 

Actress - 'Overchord' (Official Video)

Ramez Silyan's video for South Korean singer&nbsp;Park Hyo Shin is a meditation on modern life, through the journey of a wandering silver balloon. And it's very impressive -&nbsp;a pocket nostalgic epic.From the moment a little girl allows the balloon to fly away during a car journey, we're moving through a series of vignettes with a varied cast of characters in different key life moments - some where Park Hyo Shin is performing the song AE - the drifting silver balloon threading&nbsp;each unique story together.Filmed in Argentina, it's beautifully done. As the silver balloon loses its Park introduces his own smiley face balloon and it builds to a tremendous climax.The cumulative effect, with the soundtrack of this old school sentimental ballad from one of South Korea's old school pop stars, is to generate sheer emotion.&nbsp;So be warned, watch this and you may end up with tears streaming down your face without quite&nbsp;knowing why.[imgtoken data:1]

South Korea

Ramez Silyan

Park Hyo Shin ‘AE’ by Ramez Silyan

PARK HYO SHIN (박효신) - ‘AE’ Official MV

Wesley Joseph and Jorja Smith come full circle, returning to their hometown of Walsall to pay tribute to the place that has shaped both artists' histories, in the self-directed video that kicks off his forthcoming album Forever Ends Sunday.The video for July is a great example of the work of the multihyphenate artist - the director of most of his own videos. It has a crafted documentary feel with carefully framed and composed set-ups playing against the rawness of Midlands life and the communities that call it home. The emotional ties that Wesely and Jorja have for the place also shines through.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]July comes from&nbsp;Wesley's&nbsp;13-track debut album Forever Ends Someday, a fully realised and deeply cinematic body of work, bringing together the emotional and sonic universe that he has been carefully weaving across recent years, a world defined by introspection, atmosphere and instinctive storytelling."July was written during a difficult time for me but equally a time where I felt really thankful for the things that I do have," he says. "Just as the song started making sense and I knew what it was about - Jorja texted me. It was scary timing because in that moment I knew this was our song. It was a really special thing to be sat with one of my oldest friends having a 360 moment. "This video wouldn’t exist, literally or figuratively if it wasn’t for where I’m from, Walsall town. This one is for the dreamers, still looking out the window. From the bottom of my heart I wanna say thank you to everyone who poured themselves into this to make it real. My family, friends and the community that raised me, we made something that stays when time passes. JULY.”&nbsp;

Wesley Joseph

Wesley Joseph ft Jorja Smith 'July' by Wesley Joseph

Wesley Joseph - July (feat. Jorja Smith) [Official Video]

Partiboi69 becomes humanity's last hope for survival in PETR's highly entertaining video for the&nbsp;Australian electronic music producer and DJ and self-styled 'prophet of pleasure'.&nbsp;Taking the trademark high-octane, off the wall style of previous outings (like Double Drop) into new dystopian yet cinematic territory, the video for Redline is set in a near future where human reproduction has become a point of crisis.&nbsp;Partiboi69 is identified as the last fertile man on Earth - and&nbsp;that's the trigger for him to be subjected to a series of increasingly&nbsp;surreal indignities whilset incarcerated&nbsp;in a prison-like lab.To the pulsating beat of the banging techno of Redline,&nbsp;Partiboi69’s DNA is commodified; guards become increasingly obsessed; a wax figure in his likeness meets a crazed flamethrower; a group of anonymous children raise questions about their origin. He enters a datamoshing dreamscape, and meets a horse. But can he ever escape from his nightmarish ordeal?[imgtoken data:1]Filmed in Prague&nbsp;at a location with&nbsp;a layered history - a chateau once occupied by a senior Nazi figure during the Second World War which later became a communist metal factory - the real-world environment associated with&nbsp;cycles of control and industrial use&nbsp;forms the backdrop to this unhinged story (written by Partiboi69) centred on extraction and bodily autonomy.&nbsp;PETR's video - produced through&nbsp;Stink Films&nbsp;- is also a triumph of resourceful invention, with the world-building of the production realised through hands-on solutions. That included the wax head&nbsp;made by the director’s mother, or the extraction machine - strapped to Partiboi's genital area -&nbsp;handcrafted by local art directors out of recycled materials.&nbsp;“We did everything for real - the horse, the stunts, the torch," says PETR - whose credits include the UKMVA winning video for Son Lux's Flickers.&nbsp;"Partiboi69 and his daring energy pushed us all for the best and turned out to be the most fun I've had on set yet.”

PETR

Avenues

Dance

Techno

Partiboi69 'Redline' by PETR

Partiboi69 - Redline (Official Video)

Nia Archives is kicking back in suburbia and getting into a sexy frame of mind, in her first collaboration with Claryn Chong.It's a distinct break from previous Nia Archives videos that had a gritty, urban feel. Here she gets in touch with her feminine side in the white carpeted environs of middle-class respectibility. And then subverts it with dreams of turning it into a hedonist paradise - and party zone and the turntables come out and a mob of beautiful friends materialise.it's a irresistable invitation to another banger of a tune."I wanted to give Nia a space to express a whole a different part of herself that she hadn’t really expressed before, the one that’s chaotic and messy and sexy and soft and emotional all at the same time," says Claryn Chong. "It’s a glimpse into her version of womanhood."Aesthetically I looked at a lot of 90s diaristic photography and girl next door references to build and create this real lived-in girlhood feeling that felt dreamy yet surreal, timeless and beautiful."[imgtoken data:1]

Claryn Chong

Nia Archives 'Danger' by Claryn Chong

Nia Archives – Danger (Official Video)

<h3>A director and visual artist who signed to Stink last year, she twists reality to her own distinctive vision - as in the striking self-portrait above.&nbsp;As well as working with cool brands, Anna has an ongoing exhibition project, her debut EP of experimental music is coming soon, she's looking forward to dirt bike season - and she loves Massive Attack.</h3>Anna van der Velde&nbsp;challenges creative conventions by blending film, digital art, technology, and abstract movement. Through untraditional framing, static compositions, and choreography, she builds worlds layered with metaphor and emotion. Brands such as Nike, Adidas, The Face, Numéro, and Iris Van Herpen have collaborated with Anna, experimenting with philosophical ideas through arresting visual forms. She has also directed videos for Joost Lamaris, German rapper Souly (co-directed with Florian Christopher) and Lotte.&nbsp;&nbsp;What’s your background? Where did you grow up?ANNA VAN DER VELDE: In the Netherlands. And I went to fashion school in Amsterdam, where I received my Bachelor of the Arts.What were the important first projects for you, in terms of a learning experience and getting noticed, or a foothold in the industry?AVDV: My project for <a href="https://www.annavandervelde.com/iris-van-herpen" target="_blank">Iris van Herpen [in 2022/23]</a> was the first time I connected digital media with traditional film in a symbolic way. That project was very important for defining my style and direction.[vidtoken data:0]Can you tell us about your first music video or music-related project&nbsp;and how it turned out?AVDV: It was a super-cute series of music videos for a German pop artist [Lotte, above]. If I think about it, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing! But maybe that was exactly the power of it, because I just let my imagination run wild and came up with all sorts of symbolism and metaphors.<blockquote>I always try to look at the meaning of things rather than copying an aesthetic.</blockquote>I nowadays&nbsp;catch myself sometimes thinking too much about visual technique and outcome, before just thinking about the meaning and story. Remembering my younger and less experienced self helps me to get back to that raw, untamed fantasy.Where do you draw your inspiration for your own work?AVDV: I try to not look too much at the work of other directors for inspiration. I take inspiration from ancient stories, other artforms and my own psychological state and emotions. I always try to look at the meaning of things rather than copying an aesthetic.[vidtoken data:1]What’s your favourite music video, or music-related project,&nbsp;you’ve made so far?AVDV: My project for Nike and The Face starring artist Cora, which I did together with Stink Films. It wasn’t technically a music video, but it was very centred around music and what it means for a community - in this case the Berlin music scene.It was beautiful to be approached for this project and to be given so much trust and creative freedom by The Face and Nike teams. Trust is the foundation of a good project, and this one felt like a truly pleasant collaboration where I felt deeply connected with everyone involved.[vidtoken data:2]What has been the most creatively rewarding non-music project of the past year or so?AVDV: My favourite non-music-video project of the past year was <a href="https://www.numeroberlin.de/2024/11/beelzebub-in-conversation-with-anna-van-der-velde/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaWjkuOPvzv-kz1YRqLZai8uvpwZ71OSb8xTE0F7nONjvc_lpg0yVMD1DY_aem_JT79UUxFtUuDMQy5_4LYhw" target="_blank">my multidisciplinary solo exhibition BEELZEBUB</a>, which took place in Berlin a year ago. The title BEELZEBUB means “lord of the flies” or “the devil,” and the work explores the topic of grief and the experience of having dark thoughts, which are symbolised in the project by drones.The exhibition is based on my film BEELZEBUB and extracts one of its scenes into a physical and immersive space. The show combines film, performance art, live sound, installations and CGI projections. It was the most powerful and personal thing I’ve ever created, and the response was overwhelming. It connected me with a sense of purpose I had never experienced before.[vidtoken data:3]Which aspect of the job do you enjoy the most?AVDV: EVERYTHING. It has so many magical aspects to me. Being lost in my own imagination during pitch phases; the power of collaboration on set with other beautiful humans; seeing the world and visiting beautiful places. It really is the whole package for me. Even the struggles that come with this profession make it worth it.Can you tell us about your next project?AVDV: I am working on BEELZEBUB, which I hope to travel internationally. I had a show in Berlin last year. This year I am aiming to bring the piece to other countries. Where [that will be] is still a secret, haha. Besides that I am about to release my first own EP.Which artist or band would you most like to make a music video for?&nbsp;AVDV: Massive Attack! Huge fan girl.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:4]Career-wise where do you hope to be in five years time?AVDV: To still love my job as much as I do now! I want to make my first arthouse feature and I hope to expand my multidisciplinary practice even more. An exhibition in an established museum would be a dream too.What do you like to do when you’re not making films?AVDV: So much haha! I love extreme sports such as scuba diving, kite-surfing and I am currently working on getting my dirt bike ready for the season.I also make experimental music and love going to sound performances and (modern) art exhibitions. But what keeps me sane is long walks in nature with my dog Clemens, or cooking for my loved ones.• Anna Van Der Velde is represented by Stink Films for music videos and commercials. Watch her showreel <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/directors/anna-van-der-velde" target="_blank">here</a>.

ONE TO WATCH: Anna van der Velde

LOTTE, DXVE - ANGST (IRGENDWANN WIRD ES BESSER)

Joost Laméris - Watering Your Tree

Nike x THE FACE

BEELZEBUB by Anna van der Velde

SOULY - KANN NICHT WARTEN

Andrew De Zen reunites with Canadian musician&nbsp;Brady Kendall, aka Alaskan Tapes, for their fifth collaboration. Like its predecessors, this is an&nbsp;exercise in pure cinema, a heart-wrenching narrative tied to an environmental theme.&nbsp;De Zen's&nbsp;video for Holocene is a dystopian tale rooted in realism, as a young couple - played by Thomas Nicolson and India Shaw-Smith - must decide&nbsp;if they want to have a child brought into an increasingly broken world, rife with distant fires and an encroaching moon.Mixing engrossing narrative moments with snapshots of a world that is both familiar and alien, it's an arresting visual with standout performances and top-notch direction from the Paris-based Canadian writer-director, and grounded by Alaskan Tapes' original track.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]Brought to life by production partner BOLDLY in Vancouver, the filming took place over five intense shoot days. The natural elements, like the imposing moon and wildfires, were created in partnership with Copenhagen post house, Chemistry VFX."For unknown reasons I deeply love merging something that is more surreal or conceptual, often mysterious, with a raw emotional energy, what ends up being very human and vulnerable to communicate,"&nbsp;explains De Zen. "There are a few images in this film that have been burnt into my brain for years now and it’s a desperate attempt to bring those to life, surrounded by - what I hope are - real feeling relationships.[imgtoken data:2]"And for years now, Brady and myself have been able to keep pouring our hearts out into these short films that feel like significant chapters in my life now. It is a rare kind of privilege to have this sustained level of trust with a collaborator like him."It’s also another beautiful, rare thing to have the trust of such talented collaborators in producers Shelby Manton / Boldly and Adam Maruniak who went into the trenches with me. Cole Graham’s cinematography here is some of my favourite of his work. And the subtle details of Chemistry’s work in the obvious and not-so-obvious was something to marvel at as we finished this film. I’m grateful to everyone who worked on this!"

Canada

Andrew De Zen

Hurry Sundown

Ambient

Alaskan Tapes 'Holocene' by Andrew De Zen

Alaskan Tapes "Holocene"

Stink Films have&nbsp;signed multidisciplinary artist&nbsp;Anna Van Der Velde to their roster for global representation.Van Der Velde's&nbsp;work blends film, digital art, technology and movement, with a practice that challenges traditional creative boundaries. Her visual language is defined by a technical approach, static yet charged compositions, and choreography. In one of her latest projects for Nike x The Face, she crafted an experimental short film featuring emerging Berlin&nbsp;DJ Cora. Merging CGI and live-action performance, the film visualises Cora’s techno track The Heart Sutra&nbsp;through mirrored bodies, and suspended, surreal elements. Drawing on Cora’s East Asian influences and Anna’s own interest in transcendence and psychology states, they blurred reality to create a stark, hypnotic study of rhythm and identity.Further brands such as Adidas, Numéro, and Iris Van Herpen have partnered with Van Der Velde to explore philosophical themes through arresting, future-forward imagery. Her work challenges viewers to look closer, to understand movement as meaning, and technology as a conduit for emotion.“Anna’s such a unique proposition on our roster,"&nbsp;ays Dom McKiernan, Global Head of Music &amp; Special Projects.&nbsp; "We’ve very eager to explore opportunities that go beyond traditional forms of advertising. Anna’s background in art, tech and experiential brings a whole new perspective to the fore.”Anna Van der Velde adds: “I am beyond excited about my new partnership with Stink! From the very beginning, I felt that they truly see me as a multidisciplinary artist and understand how to translate that into powerful, immersive work. Stink dares to shift perspectives and challenge the creative industry with their layered, forward-thinking vision. I’m proud to join their creative family, and I can’t wait to build new worlds together.”• Watch Anna Van Der Velde's showreel at Stink <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/directors/anna-van-der-velde" target="_blank">here</a>

Stink signs Anna Van Der Velde

Singer-songwriter, producer and director Wesley Joseph returns with a comeback single and accompanying visual that adds a sleek intensity to the craft and surreal invention that has marked his work to date.Shadowy, concrete club spaces and mirrored&nbsp;rooms twist and warp as Wesley encounters a striking female amid a group of pole dancers in the video for If Time Could Talk. And it builds to an impressive, fiery&nbsp;climax.Filmed in Paris, and produced by Stink France (with help from film fund CNC), Joseph's video for If Time Could Talk is riveting in terms of the imagery he creates and the feeling it evokes - which is something he certainly intended to achieve, from hearing how&nbsp;he describes the track."It started as a much faster dance instrumental but one night, weeks after the session, I slowed it down and found all this space in the music where the feeling and texture became clear - electric, nostalgic, twisted, and aching all at once,” he explains."Ultimately the song is about the pull of a lost connection, desire, regret and romanticising the past - some of the songs I write have a really specific story and others are a feeling dramatised into a scene and If Time Could Talk&nbsp;feels more like that - emotional honesty, immediacy and melancholy all wrapped into an elated escape.”[imgtoken data:1] &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]<div>&nbsp;</div>

Wesley Joseph 'If Time Could Talk' by Wesley Joseph

Wesley Joseph - If Time Could Talk (Official Video)

Ramen Silyan extends the Lynchian world around Californian band The Neighbourhood, with the story of a man who appears to have a lot of catching up to do.In the video for Hula Girl, the man, played by Craig Stark, opens the garage on his treasured car that's covered in a film of dust. Then he heads to the bar, where the band are playing, to line up a series of tequila shots.Silyan leaves the viewer to figure out the character's backstory that leads to a series of unfortunate actions, mixing unease at the unfolding narrative with a dreamlike quality. It's excellent storytelling, adding another level&nbsp;to the&nbsp;aesthetic and world-building that was established in Private, his other video for the band.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

United States

Rock

The Neighbourhood 'Hula Girl' by Ramez Silyan

The Neighbourhood - Hula Girl (Official Music Video)

There's glamour and grit in Claryn Chong’s visually stunning&nbsp;new music video for rising Norwegian pop star Swank Mami.The video for&nbsp;MC69 creates a futurist&nbsp;metallic playground for Swank Mami and her pals, a group of dancers rollerblading, lounging, or moving in hypnotic slow motion around a pole.&nbsp;The playfulness of bubble gum and plush toys contrasts with the presence of live scorpions, depicting the duality of allure and danger that runs through the track, a&nbsp;blend of sultry R&amp;B lyricism and pulsing Euro dance rhythms.Juxtaposing sensuality and minimalistic grit in a stylishly clinical setting, this represents the next step&nbsp;in Claryn Chong's visual evolution,&nbsp;building upon the distinct aesthetics established in her collaborations with MisoExtra, Unflirt, and Lyam. A big visual statement that's going to bring her even more admirers.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;

Swank Mami 'MC69' by Claryn Chong

Swank Mami - MC69 (Official Video)

Ramez Silyan evokes the name of the band and the song, and channels the cinematic spirit of David Lynch and Gregory Crewdson in this gorgeous, beautifully crafted video for Californian band The Neighbourhood.Shot by Bobby Pavlovsky, the video for Private takes us into American suburbia in all its ominous perfection. The world of Lynch's Blue Velvet - often referenced in videos, but rarely done as well as it is here.Silyan's twist on the convention is to have the band perform the song within this dream suburban setting at night - a night so dark that it becomes like a dream.It is beautiful and beautifully artificial - and it's the band themselves that provide the realism, in the unshowy yet impressive performance. They are determinedly rocking out - and that's what gets the curtains twitching in this eerily private world.[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2][imgtoken data:3]

Kodak

The Neighbourhood 'Private' by Ramez Silyan

The Neighbourhood - Private (Official Music Video)

Stink has announced that Alexa Haywood has joined to represent the company’s music video directors in the UK.Haywood, founder of&nbsp;FreeAgent, has been representing directors for more than two decades, and won&nbsp;Best Agent at the UKMVAs for three years in succession. As a producer, she has received a Grammy nomination for the Harry Styles music video As It Was.&nbsp;Collaborations include videos for artists such as Dua Lipa, Fontaines D.C., Jungle, and Lady Gaga.This new chapter marks something of a full circle moment for Stink and Haywood, as she originally launched the production company’s in-house music video department. Stink and Haywood worked on the recently-launched&nbsp; Gossip&nbsp;music video for Confidence Man and&nbsp;JADE. Most recently, they released Colin Solal Cardo’s&nbsp;Just Two Girls&nbsp;for Mercury Prize-nominated rock band&nbsp;Wolf Alice (above).Dom McKiernan, Global Head of Music + Special Projects at Stink, says: “Alexa’s story with Stink goes back 20 years, when she was pioneering the role of music video reps in the UK. Ambitious, collaborative, and a true ally for our directors, I’m excited for what we’ll make together. I’d say welcome but really, it’s welcome back!”

Stink announces collaboration with music video rep Alexa Haywood

Colin Solal Cardo directs a spectacular performance&nbsp;promo for Wolf Alice in another&nbsp;showcase for lead singer Ellie Rowsell, choreographed by Ryan Heffington - and co-starring actor Lucy Boynton.&nbsp;The video for Just Two Girls is a celebration of female friendship, highlighting the power of connection, which has Rowsell and Boynton creating a stir on&nbsp;a night out in a posh London restaurant, after starting with a few drinks at the bar.&nbsp;&nbsp;Following the acclaimed 70s musical-influenced video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2025/05/20/wolf-alice-bloom-baby-bloom-colin-solal-cardo/91110">Bloom Baby Bloom</a> for the first song from the new Wolf Alice album The Clearing, its a different kind of production number orchestrated by Colin Solal Cardo in collaboration with Ryan Heffington.It also offers a different kind of sophistication, again with great casting around the main performers, a fabulous location and terrific energy in the way its shot and of course, the choreography. The result is captivating, a powerful expression of unabashed freedom, told with considerable flair.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

Colin Solal Cardo

Chris Murdoch

Cinelab Film and Digital

Wolf Alice 'Just Two Girls' by Colin Solal Cardo

Wolf Alice - Just Two Girls (Official Video)

James Ogram directs a countryside meditation on life and death, in his absorbing promo for Poor Things composer Jerskin Fendrix.The video for Together Again finds Fendrix on a walk with his dog, as he comes across a mutilated badger. Moments later, he runs over to a bloody car crash, where an elderly man has hit a signpost in the middle of the landscape. It's completely out of place, but played straight, adding a sense of mystery to the video.&nbsp;This sense of surreal liminality bleeds through the rest of the visual, as Ogram captures the frantic aftermath in lingering wide shots, sun-soaked hills contrasted by visceral tragedy. It also follows the similarly eery and surreal presentation of life in the English countryside in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StSVfmL-KTk" target="_blank">the video for Beth's Farm</a> - directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone - and both videos were&nbsp;shot by another Lanthimos collaborator, DoP Robbie Ryan.It also marks a creative reunion between Jerskin Fendrix and James Ogram, who became collaborators and friends while playing together in a band called Famous, nearly a decade ago.&nbsp;"Back then, I was a musician, interested in film," recalls Ogram.&nbsp;"I was just getting into directing alongside music and one of the first music videos I ever made&nbsp;was for Jerskin, with a mirrorless camera and a few work lights we bought from B&amp;Q. It wasn’t long before things switched around and I became a filmmaker, interested in music."It was probably about two years ago when Jerskin first showed me Together Again. Its scope, beauty and emotional force was striking. It’s also very long. There was no way that I could try to contend with the many images the song conjures in one’s mind."I felt that the song needed space and I wanted to make a film that told a story without choking the song. I wanted to tell a story in as few shots as I could. The song [also] made me sad, I wanted to make a music video that was sad too. "Robbie shot the film on 35mm celluloid. He was wonderful to work with. Obviously, he’s an amazing talent. His passion for making films, from very big ones with Yorgos, to very small ones (like this one) is inspiring."

James Ogram

Jerskin Fendrix 'Together Again' by James Ogram

Jerskin-Fendrix-'Together-Again'-by-James-Ogram

Dan French has created an underground cyber-world for Chinese-Vietnamese-British rapper Jianbo's collaboration with Nix Northwest - created entirely in CGI.The video for For The Honour is a gamefied story that spirals through a&nbsp;surreal vignettes exploring honour and Jianbo’s conflicted experience of it, while elements of Asian identity and internal struggles are layered throughout. And with French choosing animation as a means to lock creative freedom, it amounts to an&nbsp;awesome achievement.Inspired by the cinematic language of Wong Kar Wai, the urban sprawl of Tokyo, and the neon tones of cyberpunk futurism, French blended dystopian motifs with real cultural undercurrents in Jianbo’s life to also comment on loyalty, sacrifice, and the ripple effects of success. And it's effectively handcrafted as&nbsp;the director&nbsp;handled every aspect of the CG animation himself - from modelling and rigging to texturing and compositing.[imgtoken data:1]"Jianbo and I go way back," says French. "I’d been wanting to make something with him for a while and what started as a simple idea quickly evolved into a full CGI underground world."But with limited resources, he explains that he was pushed to be&nbsp;creative and as well as picking up new skills along the way.&nbsp;Lacking access to motion capture studios or suits, he embraced a DIY approach, recording iPhone footage of Jianbo dancing, then manually translating the movements into animation. He leaned into a stylised aesthetic that nods to GTA and PS2-era graphics rather than striving for photorealism."I didn’t realise how much I’d bitten off, learning how to do motion capture, rig people and model faces," he continues. "As it started coming to life, I kept pushing because having total creative freedom was a dream. I wasn’t aiming for photorealism, I actually liked the slightly off, mocap-heavy, gamey vibe - it gave GTA nostalgia. So I wanted it to stay rough around the edges to show that it was handcrafted for real by me.”The end result is a singular vision: raw and unfiltered. A music video grounded in modern culture that blurs the line between personal story and digital spectacle, designed to live entirely within the world its creators meticulously built by hand.

Dan French

Hip Hop

Jianbo ft Nix Northwest 'For The Honour' by Dan French

Jianbo - For The Honour (feat. Nix Northwest) (Official Music Video)

Confidence Man returns with another bold swing at pop absurdity in their latest video by India Rose Harris&nbsp;- featuring fellow pop star&nbsp;Jade. Already buzzing across TikTok and fresh from its live debut at Glastonbury, the track now arrives with a hyper-stylised absurdist narrative.The cinematic, colour-drenched video for Gossip&nbsp;is laced with tongue-in-cheek irony. Taking place in a surreal dive bar where Confidence Man and Jade encounter cloned versions of themselves, they each indulge in wild, debaucherous behaviour, as a visual analogy for the track’s theme: gossip.&nbsp;Between moments of playful choreography and striking styling, a game of Russian Roulette triggers a chain reaction of chaos, with the fired bullet ricocheting through the bar and picking the cast off one by one. The camera captures the chaos, moving between static frames, dramatic crash zooms, and rhythmic dolly shots - always pulsing in time with the beat.Part-Western, part-Mafia flick, the video immerses viewers in its own off-kilter world, ideated by director India Rose Harris. A surreal visual feast packed with irony and attitude that showcases her unique and playful approach to visual storytelling.INDIA ROSE HARRIS:“I loved the 00’s weirdo club vibe of the track so straight up I knew the video had to be some kind of bonkers narrative. The concept sparked from the idea that a disjointed bar full of cloned versions of the same person, somehow became synchronised in a moment before descending into chaos.&nbsp;"I wanted it to be this blend of Western, meets Mafia, meets East London pub/dive bar with classic Con Man irony interwoven. Bring Jade’s perfect character building into the madness of Confidence Man’s world and voila!”[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

India Rose Harris

Confidence Man & JADE 'Gossip' by India Rose Harris

Confidence Man & JADE - gossip (official video)

Jim Longden's rather delightful video for avant-pop artist Magdalena Spinka has a stab at grasping both the randomness and internal logic of dreams in scenarios that may be connected... but probably aren't.Longden's video for Spinka's Slow Dream follows the recent release of Spinka’s album Bonnie Bonny ALBUMBUM, an ambitious and experimental project, unbound by any one fixed genre. And similarly, the film is unbound by normal storytelling rules, while adding that seam of subversive humour also to be found in his recent work with Oracle Sisters, plus an animated sequence.“I wanted to depict the concept of dreams with a sense of truthful delirium, rather than the way they are often portrayed," says Longden. "Some of the ideas stemmed from personal dreams; other scenes were based on imagined characters I might see on the street."What always intrigues me is the connotations these dreams have in relation to a person’s waking, conscious state. I’m also fascinated by the lack of control we have over our own subconscious—the windmills of your mind, as they say."The video was a tricky quest to execute due to my ideas versus the budget we had. It became a micro-budget masterclass. But through the perseverance and determination of the cast and crew - who resembled a Dirk Diggler formation chemically fused with a Pacino character in a Lumet film (Eh? - ed) - we managed to make it all happen.”&nbsp;It looks great too - mostly shot on film by DoP Sam E.H. Hooper, with animation by Lucy Wei. Together with Longden's acclaimed short films (To Erase A Cloud, Puddle Of Muddles), it builds on a growing body of impressive work.[imgtoken data:1]

Jim Longden

Magdalena Spinka 'Slow Dream' by Jim Longden

Magdalena Spinka - Slow Dream (Official Music Video)

For the returning Maribou State, Brazilian filmmaker&nbsp;Giordano Maestrelli tells a story of lost love by employing some of the oldest techniques in cinema within a bold new structure.&nbsp;The subject of the film for All I Need is the complexity of a broken relationship, told through parallel timelines. At the centre of the story is a couple - their past life unfolds through fragments and the present plays out in the background where their lost love echoes. And&nbsp;to allow the flashback story of the couple's love affair to coexist within the present, Maestrelli&nbsp;built a custom zoetrope device inspired by early motion picture pioneer&nbsp;Eadweard Muybridge.In this meticulous undertaking the director first shot the story on 16mm film, then printed into more than 2500 still frames, and re-sequenced it through the custom circular machine in a stop-motion-like technique. Shooting over 23 hours, thousands of delicate frames were replaced one by one while a crew member manually turned the machine at a millimetric degree, and another captured the action.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;The zoetrope enables one narrative to take place inside a contained, looping environment, which set out to resemble the way unprocessed emotions often linger. Meanwhile, behind it, the same setting appears as a ghostly representation of what is no more.&nbsp;With a visual language rooted in early cinema but a vision firmly fixed on today’s music video aesthetics,&nbsp;All I Need&nbsp;is a technically-daring love letter for the song that&nbsp;features on Maribou State’s latest album&nbsp;Hallucinating Love, their first since a multiple-year long hiatus following bandmember Chris Davids’ rare and debilitating brain illness.&nbsp;The result is a mesmerising and haunting&nbsp;blend of cinematic craftsmanship, memories and emotion.

Giordano Maestrelli

Hands 

Maribou State 'All I Need' by Giordano Maestrelli

Maribou State, @AndreyaTriana - 'All I Need' (Short Film)

Wolf Alice return with their first new music in three years and a video to defy expectations from Colin Solal Cardo - a musical theatre showstopper, inspired by Bob Fosse, choreographed by Ryan Heffington.In the video for Bloom Baby Bloom, Solal Cardo sets the band's full-on rock 'n roll performance of the lead-off track from new album The Clearing within a dance rehearsal studio packed with dancers. From the maelstrom of bodies and activity, lead singer Ellie Rowsell emerges as both rock band frontwoman and integrated member of the 20 strong company of dancers.[imgtoken data:1]The result is sensational - a relatively straightforward set-up that's orchestrated to perfection by Solal Cardo and his choreographer-accomplice&nbsp;Heffington, through colour, movement and sheer personality. And as the band move into serious rock territory with the track, this is an adrenalin-shot of a visual&nbsp;that feels counter-intuitive - and a triumph.The influences are clear - particularly the Bob Fosse biopic (in all but name) All That Jazz and his various contributions to musicals. There's also the nods to various Fosse-influenced productions in the 70s that brought rock music together with the musical, including Fame.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]Ultimately, Colin Solal Cardo&nbsp;and Ryan Heffington have paid due homage but also made the Wolf Alice completely fresh.They have brought together&nbsp;are a&nbsp;cast of dancers who offer individual personality as well as collective brilliance&nbsp;to the piece. And above all it's the performance by the now raven-haired Ellie Rowsell&nbsp;that is a revelation. That's five stars. A very exciting&nbsp;introduction to the new album.&nbsp;

Wolf Alice 'Bloom Baby Bloom' by Colin Solal Cardo

Wolf Alice - Bloom Baby Bloom (Official Video)

A pulsating performance by Japanese emo rock outfit ONE OK ROCK is captured through a sense-assaulting array of techniques by Masaki Watanabe.As the band power through C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y. - with the help of guests Paledusk &amp; Chico Carlito - Watanabe's box of tricks involves dynamic transitions, super-intricate editing and relentless visual trickery.It's a powerhouse of a video, with nods to classic FX-enhanced performance promos&nbsp;like the Alex &amp; Martin-directed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY" target="_blank">Seven Nation Army for The White Stripes</a>, whilst set in an endless&nbsp;black void reminiscent of Tim Saccenti's&nbsp;legendary video for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpGp-22t0lU" target="_blank">Battles' Atlas</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Japan

Masaki Watanabe

One OK Rock ft Paledusk & Chico Carlito 'C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y.' by Masaki Watanabe

ONE OK ROCK - C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y. feat. Paledusk and CHICO CARLITO [Official Music Video]

Viagra Boys' Sebastian Murphy has a new girlfriend, and she's 3000 years old, in Eoin Glaister's video for Bog Body - a tour de force of comedy horror.&nbsp;Glaister essentially tells the story of the song, and as he happily admits, the subject matter&nbsp;plays to his particularly strengths as a director.In classic VB fashion, the track combines surly rock 'n roll power with a idiosyncratic lyric sung by Murphy - it involves a description&nbsp;of an ancient body being found perfectly preserved under ice in a bog, leading to his immediate adoration - and possessiveness. Eventually he insists that 'You're just jealous of her darkened skin and her dainty nose'.This quirky concept&nbsp;all the motivation that Glaister needs to bring&nbsp;a unique love story to the screen,&nbsp;which starts when the reanimated zombie-like Bog Body walks&nbsp;into a London boozer, and begins her ancient dance ritual - before Seb enters the pub whilst she's doing full splits on the pub carpet.And so their passionate affair begins, with the well-preserved ancient woman acquiring the taste for a rock 'n rolll lifestyle.&nbsp;What could possibly go wrong?“I love bog bodies," says Glaister.&nbsp;"I’m obsessed. Thank GOD someone finally wrote a song about one. Dream gig really, got to spend the day in the pub with my mates watching a Bog Lady dance to one of my favourite bands. Mammoth effort from an extraordinarily talented bunch. Up the Bog!”[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2][imgtoken data:3]

Sweden

Eoin Glaister

Viagra Boys 'Bog Body' by Eoin Glaister

Viagra Boys — The Bog Body (Official Video)

Cosmo Wellings is compelled into performing an eccentric dance all over London&nbsp;in Jim Longden's latest quirky outing for French indie band Oracle Sisters.After the splendid on-screen peformances in his previous videos for the band - the UKMVA-nominated Alouette and Blue Left Hand - Longden draws another one from the mesmerizing Wellings here for Marseille. And its all about his dance&nbsp;- a combination of child-friendly teapot-arm shapes with vagely obscene hip thrusts - captured in a series of obscure locations, from alleyways and graveyards to zebra crossings and petting zoos.Throughout, the band are performing the track on a distant skyscraper rooftop - but Longden has a final surprise in store.“With the entire budget spent on 16mm film, we were lucky to be blessed with the lead’s newly acclaimed ‘Mighty Light Hip Thrust,’ also known as the ‘Wonder Thrust'," says Longden. "Racing against time as winter’s darkness approached, our skeleton crew of five paced through the streets of London—serenading donkeys, goats, and graveyards in this deliriously orchestrated bonanza.”[imgtoken data:1]

Oracle Sisters 'Marseille' by Jim Longden

Oracle Sisters - Marseille (Official Music Video)

The latest video from Colin Solal Cardo to introduce Olly Alexander's new album Polari continues a choreography-based narrative that began with the visuals for the title track and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgzLmyVeCUE" target="_blank">Cupid's Bow</a>.In an enclosed space where he's separated from his team of dancers, including his love interest, Olly's heartfelt yearning&nbsp;for a human connection is expressed through a combination of performance and dance.It's captured with great use of constantly moving camerawork, both within&nbsp;and outside the constructed space, in a video where each department has excelled, including Jake Hunter's cinematography and Furmann Ahmed's production design.[imgtoken data:1]

Stitch Editing

Olly Alexander 'When We Kiss' by Colin Solal Cardo

Olly Alexander - When We Kiss (Official Video)

Dan French recreates the early 70s pop promo for Elton John's Step Into Christmas, and then imagines the almighty&nbsp;chaos that occured behind the scenes on the shoot&nbsp;- with the 1973 Elton played by actress and model Cara Delevingne.The hugely entertaining&nbsp;video&nbsp;reproduces shots from Elton's studio performance in the original visual - featuring&nbsp; Delevingne&nbsp;as an uncanny facsmile of glam-era Elton, plus doppelgangers of his band - while adding the story of the production team frantically attempting to add some festive flavour to proceedings.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]Despite the addition of a festive feather boa, balloons and confetti, chaos reigns as they wrangle an escaped turkey, fail to book a real reindeer (and find a donkey instead) and tackle a deranged fan who storms the set, all whilst Delevingne mirrors Elton’s choicest dance moves and iconic facial expressions from the original promo.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On it's release over 50 years ago, Step Into Christmas failed to trouble the UK Top 20, but it's stepped up in seasonal stature in recent years. The song has charted&nbsp;each December since 2011, and last year it was certified Triple Platinum, 50 years after its release. And Dan French's evocative and consistently funny video&nbsp;is a marvellous way to celebrate it's long journey to becoming a Christmas pop standard.[imgtoken data:2]It also coincides with the release of a new documentary,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQGf_nJ1E9w" target="_blank">Elton John: Never Too Late</a>, where the singer looks back on his life and the astonishing early days of his 50-year career, which premiered on Disney+ last week.&nbsp;"I saw Cara at Glastonbury last summer, and we talked about how much we’d love to work together if the right idea came up," comments Elton.&nbsp;"She’s hilarious to spend time with, we both have quite a self deprecating sense of humour. When someone suggested the idea of her playing me in a riff on the 1973 Step In to Christmas video, I just thought it was the perfect opportunity. Thank God Cara thought the same, because it came out great."[imgtoken data:3]Cara&nbsp;Delevingne adds: "Elton has always been an idol of mine, to say his music has had a deeply profound effect on me is an understatement. To be asked by him to PLAY him in this recreation was a dream that I didn’t know I had until it happened."Honestly I wish I could pretend to be Elton every day. I hope that Elton may one day return the favour and agree to play me in my not yet developed, written, pitched or funded biopic. Fingers crossed."&nbsp;

Studio Island

Elton John 'Step Into Christmas' (2024) by Dan French

Elton John - Step Into Christmas (2024 Music Video)

LOOSE directs an impassioned performance promo for Pa Salieu's collab with Disclosure.&nbsp;Opening with lingering shots of Salieu getting dressed and ready, we follow him out onto the streets where he explodes into a playful, fervent performance - annoying some old fuddy-duddies whilst delighting the kids.&nbsp;Shot on film, it's a beautiful looking visual, with late winter sun and foggy skies setting the enigmatic mood.&nbsp;The cinematography elevates the concept, bursting from vignette to vignette with spinning transitions and loose, experimental flair.&nbsp;Fabulous.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

LOOSE

Disclosure x Pa Salieu 'King Steps' by LOOSE

Disclosure, Pa Salieu - King Steps (Official Video)

Stink Films have announced the apppointment of Balint Seres&nbsp;as the new point person for music videos and content at the company in the US.Highly respected&nbsp;as a creative problem solver, Seres's impressive list of credits includes projects for&nbsp;Charli XCX, as well as Post Malone, Sydney Sweeney, Anderson .Paak, Fred Again, The Kid Laroi, Moses Sumney and more. He has also brought to life branded work for the likes of Nike, Oakley, Audi, Farfetch, Ford and UGG.He will work closely with Stink MD Ben Davies&nbsp;and Global Head of Music and Special Projects&nbsp;Dom McKiernan&nbsp;to continue creating visual and narrative content for the world’s most exciting artists and labels.&nbsp;The news of Balint Seres's appointment comes towards the end of the year which has seen Stink continue its long history of delivering groundbreaking projects with collaborations with leading artists including&nbsp;Megan Thee Stallion, Fred again.., Unknown T, Headie One and Olly Alexander, and also be nominated for Best Production Company at the 2024 UKMVAs.“Balint’s creative insight and production expertise bring a fresh dynamic to Stink, especially in a market as influential as the US," says&nbsp;Dom Mckiernan.&nbsp;"I’m confident he’ll play a vital role in pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve in music videos and branded content."Balint Seres adds: “Throughout my career Stink has always been a tastemaker and an important force in talent development.&nbsp;Music videos are ultimately a major platform for talent and creative expression, and Stink recognizes that. Finding exciting matches with artists and brands in unexpected places is what I always thrive on and is the flavour I want to bring to the table, as well as protecting and growing the creative integrity and reputation of Stink.”

Balint Seres

Stink US appoints Balint Seres as Executive Producer of Music Videos and Content

Eoin Glaister's fourth video for&nbsp;Glass Animals is a bittersweet tale of friendship, even love - between an alien and a cow. And you don't get much more Eoin Glaister than that.In the video for Show Pony, a couple of mid 20th century-style space aliens crashland their flying saucer on Earth - in the countryside among placid, bovine local inhabitants. One of their number advances on the intruders with curiosity, and the female alien responds in kind - leading to surprising consequences.So prepare yourselves for unlikely, dysfunctional aliens, jokes about salted snacks, sudden violence, a big fire&nbsp;and a tragicomic twist - all set in a&nbsp;location among rolling hills and greenery resembling the Scottish Highlands, but was in fact, in Mexico.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;It's a beautifully crafted film, with wonderful attention to detail on production design, costume design&nbsp;and the style of cinematography by DoP Natasha Duursma which delivers a warm and nostalgic atmosphere around Glaister's story -&nbsp;a characteristically outlandish and charming silent comedy.The promo leans into the 70s theme aesthetics that is synonymous with the band and hinges on ingenious craft: tailormade alien costumes,&nbsp;prosthetics, miniatures, and, of course, the all-important wrangling of disobedient cows - provided via the production services of&nbsp;Stink Films Mexico.[imgtoken data:2]Glaister says that Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley had an idea which started the ball rolling for Show Pony, which he then developed through the classic&nbsp;space alien archetype from 20th century pop culture to the addition of the unusual object of affection.His association with Glass Animals goes back a while: the videos for Pork Soda and Agnes in 2017. Then last year he resumed working with the band, directing the cleverly&nbsp;meta video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/09/20/glass-animals-other-side-paradise-eoin-glaister/83264" target="_blank">The Other Side Of Paradise</a> last year&nbsp;(although that song comes from&nbsp;the same album as the previous videos). And now comes Show Pony, from the band's new album I Love You So F***ing Much.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;“Dave had a personal story he wanted to play out through aliens - I ran with this and added a cow," says Glaister. "Naive really, given how hard they are to direct. We shot this in Mexico which was an incredible experience. Locations were stunning, crew were exceptional, cast ideal and the constant quesadillas spot on. Other than a run-in with the Mexican army and being extorted by the police, the shoot was a breeze.”

Indie

Glass Animals 'Show Pony' by Eoin Glaister

Glass Animals - Show Pony (Official Video)

Guy Gooch's latest collaboration with singer-songwriter&nbsp;Ray Laurél takes us into the forest - with real wolves.&nbsp;Following the impressive promos for My Luv, U SAID!&nbsp;and more, Gooch's video for&nbsp;Ride is another inventive labour of love. Experimenting with lo-fi formats, night-vision and unusual perspectives, driven by a kinetic edit, the director sends Laurél through the forest, accompanied&nbsp;by wolves, towards a haunting climax.The disorientating quality of the setting and frantic energy of Laurél's performance finally leads to a transcendental moment when a glowing light offers a brief encounter with a lost love. An otherworldly moment to round off a rousing experience.Further confirmation that Guy Gooch is highly accomplished at making the most of&nbsp;minimal resources.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Guy Gooch

Ray Laurél 'Ride' by Guy Gooch

LOOSE follows up the superb live visual for Fred Again..'s collab with Lil Yachty with an equally impressive document of the producer's encounter with Anderson .Paak for Places To Be.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This intimate and intense jam session was shot in one take in sun-soaked Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, and there is a delightful sense of capturing magic in a bottle, as both artists do their stuff.&nbsp;With the pair enthusiastically jumping between instruments - including two drumkits - it's a brilliant job of camerawork throughout. And then the&nbsp;natural magic in the room is elevated further when its revealed that Anderson's drumkit is on a platform that rotates, and he performs a 360˚&nbsp;drum solo.[imgtoken data:1]

Fred Again.. & Anderson .Paak 'Places To Be' by LOOSE

Fred again.. & Anderson .Paak - places to be (Eagle Rock, 16th April 2024) feat Chika

Rawtape directs the video for Headie One’s third collaboration with Stormzy, Cry No More.Shot on Romford High&nbsp;Street, where both artists come from, and based on a concept from Headie One himself, the promo features quintessential British urban grit as it follows ordinary people colliding in the streets of East London.

Rawtape

Grime

Headie One ft Stormzy 'Cry No More' by Rawtape

Headie One Ft. Stormzy - Cry No More (Official Video)

<div>Fifty years since Abba won with Waterloo, Eurovision is bigger than ever. In fact, for 2024 in Malmö the UK is fielding its biggest pop star in years (and years) - Olly Alexander. We spoke to Colin Solal Cardo (above right, with Alexander) about him taking a big old-school approach to directing the dramatic, stylised video for UK entry Dizzy...</div><div>&nbsp;</div>Colin Solal Cardo has never shied away from the&nbsp;theatrical. Having cut his teeth making live videos for&nbsp;music platform La Blogotheque, the French director has proceeded to make some of the standout, and most sophisticated pop videos of the past decade for the likes of Christine &amp; The Queens, Robyn, Charli XCX&nbsp;and many more.He has also consistently placed artists in intriguing, even challenging studio-based sets, to spur&nbsp;them to give charismatic, passionate performances.&nbsp;That was the case with with Robyn in her video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2019/06/20/robyn-ever-again-colin-solal-cardo/59346" target="_blank">Ever Again</a>; and with Charli and Christine Charli together&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2019/07/29/charli-xcx-christine-and-queens-gone-colin-solal-cardo/59984" target="_blank">Gone</a>, and recently with Griff for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/03/11/griff-miss-me-too-colin-solal-cardo/85630" target="_blank">Miss Me Too</a>.&nbsp;And for Dizzy the&nbsp;director who recently signed to Stink Films in the UK (he's with La Pac in France) has arguably created his most ambitious setting for a music video, and his biggest performance challenge for an artist.Olly Alexander is put through his paces in the video in a stylised, stagebound version of the real world, that's constantly in motion: an apartment, a desert yard, an urban rooftop featuring a billboard - three places that represent Alexander's solitary domain, each independently rotating.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:0]As&nbsp;he moves between these places, in a state of desperate yearning, it's clear this transports the pop artist formerly known as Years &amp; Years&nbsp;back into a grittier aesthetic than his recent music output. And that is perhaps&nbsp;surprising as Dizzy is the UK entry for probably the least gritty event in the annual calendar - the Eurovision Song Contest.Indeed, the idea that a&nbsp;bone fide&nbsp;pop star like Olly Alexander would be representing Britain at Eurovision&nbsp;in Malmö, Sweden on 11th May would have been unthinkable a few years ago. That the song - co-written by Alexander and top writer/producer Danny C Harle -&nbsp;is accompanied with a video as well designed and hand-crafted as this one indicates how seriously they are taking the Contest&nbsp;this year.&nbsp;We spoke to Colin Solal Cardo about the making of the Dizzy video to find out how he became involved in the project, the range of influences upon the studio world he created for Olly Alexander - and his determination to follow his instincts with his approach, celebrating the classic power of on-camera performance.[imgtoken data:1]Above: Colin Solal CardoPROMONEWS: How did the project start for you - and what attracted you to getting involved?COLIN SOLAL CARDO: I had just found out that another music video I was going to make had been cancelled. I was in a bad mood, and in the pub ready to play pool with friends and then <a href="https://www.liammooredesign.com/musicvideos" target="_blank">Liam Moore</a> DM’d me saying: ‘I'm doing the creative direction for Olly Alexander.’&nbsp;He runs me through the whole thing, and asks me if I would like to work on it.The fact that it came from Liam was a big 'yes' for me. We had never worked together, but had met a couple of times, and I'm a big fan of his work.&nbsp;And I've been a fan of Olly Alexander for a long time - ever since&nbsp;the Years &amp; Years video set in the parking lot, choreographed by Ryan Heffington [for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2016/07/04/years-years-worship-matt-lambert/42225" target="_blank">Worship</a>, directed by Matt Lambert].I was excited.&nbsp;After that, I had to go through a treatment phase - there was some competition -&nbsp;but I just felt like it was a good project and I really wanted to win it.<blockquote>Some projects you really prepare down to the last second. This was not one of them.</blockquote>P: This is for Eurovision, which gets bigger every year. So has this been months in the making?CSC: It certainly wasn’t months in the making. Even though it was Eurovision we had to make it work in a very short amount of time. But being a music video director, I'm used to those kind of deadlines and it wasn't too scary.I was also competing for other things at the time, but I was really fixated on this one. It just felt like a very creative project with very likeminded artists, so I was really motivated to make it work.P: What was the jumping off point of the idea for the video?&nbsp;Presumably the title had something to do with it?CSC: Liam had done a brief which was quite precise in terms of the theatrical mood he wanted. That’s not surprising as that is the sort of thing that Liam does. It's probably why we connected in the first place. I think we just had an appreciation for each other's sensibilities, which are quite close.But&nbsp;there was not really an element of 'dizziness' in the brief.&nbsp;He wanted to build this world, this huge set, but it was left to the director to imagine, how to twist it in a way that would elevate it&nbsp;where it would connect with the song.&nbsp;That's what I did.[imgtoken data:2]Above: Pre-vizualisation of the billboard set in the Dizzy video.When I work on a concept, I'm a bit old school. I need to find a justification for everything, to make sure that when I press play, the lyrics of the song and the visuals instantly connect. I felt this one was very straightforward. The song's called Dizzy, there is a very strong lyrical theme about the dizziness of love and how you want to be taken away. It’s about going round and round, so&nbsp;let’s make a rotating set.<blockquote>It had to feel like he was living alone in this little dry abandoned world, dancing on his own.</blockquote>P: Once you made that decision, how did you expand upon&nbsp;Liam's original brief?&nbsp;CSC: Liam's brief already had a lot of references, a lot of theatre stage design ideas that I loved.&nbsp;The main reference from him was the billboard element and there was a house. I already had a bedroom moodboard from another discarded project – I’m a bit obsessed with enclosed spaces as a place for a performance. I love a bedroom.But a strong reference that I brought in was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hI12Srv8a4" target="_blank">Francis Ford Coppola's movie One From The Heart</a>.&nbsp;It’s not the best film, but it is the&nbsp;the most insane studio fantasy you can imagine - the thing that I really connect to.&nbsp;It has everything. It has the desert because it's supposed to take place in Las Vegas. It has big structures and neon lighting.&nbsp;Vintage fashion campaigns were also an influence. There's a&nbsp;Versace campaign by Mario Testino from the early Nineties -&nbsp;you have these characters in this sort of desert scenario, very Renaissance painting type of photography. I&nbsp;love fashion photography from that period, and again, the beautiful set designs.At first the idea was one large platform, and that we would pre-make the sets, and then just switch between them, during the day. Which was maybe&nbsp;not the most practical idea, in fact.&nbsp;I think&nbsp;Liam misunderstood what I wrote originally&nbsp;-&nbsp;he thought we had multiple sets in the room. I thought: actually that's great, let's do that.&nbsp;That's how we ended up with three rotating platforms.[imgtoken data:3]Above: The three circular sets and scenic background&nbsp;for the Dizzy video take shape in the studio.P: Why was it important to create this unique, extraordinary&nbsp;world?CSC: The way I wrote this concept is really that Olly lives in this fake world of his own making. It’s very meta.&nbsp;So I brought in the idea of the desert.&nbsp;I liked the idea that he was living there, so it's not just&nbsp;not just the bedroom, he can go to the desert and this little billboard world. They all represent different emotional states.It's a very emotional song about actually craving desire, craving touch. So it had to be a little bit deserted. It had to feel like he was living alone in this little dry abandoned world, dancing on his own. There is a bit of darkness in it, which I think is really important.&nbsp;<blockquote>When I saw&nbsp;the sets in real life for the first time I must admit that I cried a little.</blockquote>When I listen to sad dance pop songs, I love this element - the&nbsp;melodrama. It connects back to the Robyn video I made - a song about how you reclaim your sexuality and your body&nbsp;after a breakup. I think I'm a bit fascinated by this idea of this mental space we put ourselves. Pop is a great space to explore these kind of emotions - and then you can make very fun videos in very dark settings.P: So when it came to shooting it,&nbsp;how and where did you make it happen?CSC: We went to Georgia to shoot the video.&nbsp;We decided to give the reins to a local production designer,&nbsp;George Karalashvili, who has his own production company there, and he was amazing. Firstly George would do drawings&nbsp;according to the treatment and then we would go back and forth. But he had&nbsp;so little time and I don't even understand how they made it happen.When I arrived in Tiblisi, went to the studio and saw&nbsp;the sets in real life for the first time I must admit that I cried a little.&nbsp;It was very emotional because in the end,&nbsp;not to be overly dramatic but this is a very weird job that we're doing.&nbsp;You dream about ideas and visuals, you do moodboards - and then it's built and its there. It's beautiful to see: all the hard work by so many people, the attention to detail including the little things that in the end, you don't even see on the screen.[imgtoken data:4]Above: Production designer George&nbsp;Karalashvili, on set.When I came onto the set the first time I saw the textures that the production designer used - that sense of derelict beauty, it's a bit rusted and deserted, it reminded me of&nbsp;Silent Hill&nbsp;- my favourite videogame ever. That wasn't a reference in the brief either, but the texture George used in the billboard setup felt just like that.&nbsp;I told him,&nbsp;and he said - 'My God, yes, I love&nbsp;Silent Hill!'.&nbsp;It was something in his mind.P: As well as these other references, were you influenced by the way that music videos were made back in the early days of the artform?CSC: Maybe this is a throwback to an older way to make videos - with the fresh lens, of course. We really wanted to make this as modern as possible in terms of the way it's shot.&nbsp;But I like the kind of how music videos can be the crossroads for all these inspirations and you can bring from music video, from videogames, theatre and cinema and bring it to the art form.<blockquote>So many things can go wrong... but you have to trust the talent of everybody involved.</blockquote>People ask me: 'so when you're going to your feature film'. Actually, what I like to do is bring cinema into my practise because I'm proud of my practise. I love music videos, I love musicians, I love to work in this realm. Music videos is not just a stepping stone, it's also a thing in itself.P: How do you approach directing a performance?CSC: I've always tried to look for the practical. How can we build things together? How can we make something happen in the room?&nbsp;What setup can I create for the artist to perform in a way that becomes meaningful in relation to the song?I think my work is really about that. It was there when I started my career filming artists for Blogotheque, the Takeaway Shows in the late 2000s.&nbsp;We would do these videos which were shot on one handheld camera, one take, very documentary style.&nbsp;In the end, it was really about the performance, about capturing the emotion of that artist.[imgtoken data:5]Above: Colin Solal Cardo (centre) with crew members&nbsp;on set during the Dizzy video shootI would say I tend to think first about the process and how we're going to make it and how that will impact the result. In the case of Olly, it's about him&nbsp;having to deal with performance on a rotative platform. And so, in a way, it's not just a visual concept, it also involves him physically.These thoughts always come in my head when I imagine a concept. Trying to imagine how it's going to affect them so I can capture something that's really genuine.&nbsp;The thing is, I've been fortunate to collaborate with artists who are strong performers. Being a big fan of Years &amp; Years and knowing a bit of his history, I knew that Olly was brave. I knew that he was a strong performer, on video.&nbsp;With someone like that, you already know that they have the necessary skillset.It is about creating the right environment for them to deliver that.&nbsp;I'm always curious and excited about this sandbox that I give them and to then see what they do.<blockquote>I like to bring cinema, theatre, videogames&nbsp;into my practise... I'm proud of my practise.</blockquote>P: But was Olly’s movement around the set precisely planned out?CSC: Not at all. There was not even a storyboard. I had a shot list – which I didn’t even look at during the shoot. Some projects I will do a 3D pre-vis, you really prepare what you shoot down to the second. This video was not one of them, and for me a good performance video cannot be that.I knew the shoot would be quite insane. Knowing we had to cover three sets with three different lighting setups - actually more than three different lighting setups. That was complex, but you also need to give room for the performer to live in the sets, to really feel the performance.But actually I also know that at a certain moment of the song, I'm going to have a certain visual for a certain moment. Ultimately&nbsp;a pop video, like the pop song, has a well-established format. I think I have a good instinct for the format.[imgtoken data:6]Above: ready to shoot - the desert playground set on the Dizzy videoP: How physically demanding was it for Olly?CSC: Actually, he was really dizzy during the shoot! After the first takes he had to take a moment. He was shaking a little bit.&nbsp;Then when we moved to the bigger platform, the big billboard, although&nbsp;he was safely wired he still had to deal&nbsp;with the movement, speed and the height of it.&nbsp;It was a real experience, so you capture&nbsp;an energy that's not faked.<blockquote>There's some darkness in there, which I think is really important.</blockquote>P: How were you shooting it?&nbsp;CSC: We did almost everything on the crane, and a little bit of handheld. It was shot to give us a lot of options, but also longer takes. This is really the way that I do these kind of videos because that's how you get incredible things.And it was a bit crazy. We’re on the crane, one take, you have the set rotating, this big house. We’re trying to avoid the walls.I don't like when sets are too quiet. I don't like when it's too easy. We have very safe sets, of course.&nbsp;But it's a bit of a matter of life and death for me.&nbsp;Pop is about heightened emotions, and it's really about high drama. And I knew that Olly&nbsp;would really perform the hell out of it. And so I tried to create the best setup for him to really deliver something.[imgtoken data:7]P: That certainly doesn't sound planned. What&nbsp;unexpected things happened on the shoot that you can talk about?CSC: It's not so much about unexpected things happening - everything about it was unexpected. I had never shot with a rotating set like this.&nbsp;You're on the crane, you have all the lighting around, the artist inside the set,&nbsp;and it's rotating, literally 360&nbsp;and you're trying to catch everything. I wanted to experiment a bit with the camera movement. And at some point, you know, you just have to let the camera do its thing.&nbsp;That's what I love about the crane – it’s a bit like handheld.P: But that's a bit risky, isn't it?CSC: It’s true that contact made between the camera and a rotating set.&nbsp;I remember just shouting, like, ‘no, no, this can't be happening!’. But in the end, it was just a stumble. The set was not destroyed and the camera was still able to do its job.&nbsp;Honestly, the day went pretty great, and we had a lot of fun. We had some rain. We had explosions. I actually got to push the buttons myself![imgtoken data:8]<blockquote>I knew that Olly would perform the hell out of it.</blockquote>So many things can go wrong on a music video set, but in the end you just have to trust also the instincts of everybody involved because it's not just me, it's really teamwork. Liam did an incredible job as creative director, it was joyous to collaborate with him and&nbsp;my set designer and my DoP, Benjamin the choreographer and the incredible UK stylist Matthew Joseph. You have to trust the talent of everybody involved.P: How did it being the UK entry for Eurovision feed into the making of the video?CSC: To be honest, during the whole process of making this video, Eurovision was not mentioned a lot. I feel like they were mostly into making a great pop video.But when Liam told me at the start that&nbsp;this is going to be for Eurovision, I did think: this is amazing. First, it's a very fun show and it's getting bigger and bigger. People have high expectations. There is a certain level of campiness to it that I really connect to.&nbsp;I feel like that was actually a good excuse to really go overboard with everything.[imgtoken data:9]I also love that Olly is doing it on his own terms. I think he's extremely brave and avant garde in a lot of things that he's been doing, especially as a queer performer.&nbsp;There is a good symbiosis between what he has to say as a person and&nbsp;as an artist, and to put that into his pop and never being afraid of ruffling some feathers. I just feel like he's a very genuine pop artist, which is a difficult kind to find.P: So do you think&nbsp;Olly is going to win?CSC: Well, he's won in my heart. Very good luck to him!• Colin Solal Cardo is with Stink Films, and repped for music videos by Hands. Showreel <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/artist/colin-solal-cardo" target="_blank">here</a>.

Colin Solal Cardo on Olly Alexander's Dizzy: 'I knew the shoot would be insane - but that Olly was brave.'

Olly Alexander - Dizzy (Official Video)

Olly Alexander 'Dizzy' by Colin Solal Cardo

Griff gives full rein to her emotions, with the help of a small army of dancers, in Colin Solal Cardo's choreography-led video for Miss Me Too.It begins with the pop singer-songwriter entering an empty warehouse hangar space alone. But once plugged into the music via her Bose in-ear headphones, she is joined by numerous dancers. Then through the course of the song Griff becomes the central focus&nbsp;within this larger entity and channels the emotion of the song through the versatile arrangements of the group.With choreography by Jay Revell and cinematography by Madison McKamey, the promo is&nbsp;beautifully well crafted, yet succeeds in feeling unbridled and&nbsp;spontaneous. A fine way to reaquaint ourselves with the talented Griff.&nbsp; &nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]

Studio RM

Griff 'Miss Me Too' by Colin Solal Cardo

Griff - Miss Me Too (Official Video)

Olly Alexander's Dizzy - the UK's entry to Eurovision 2024 - gets a suitably head-spinning and brilliantly theatrical&nbsp;visual from Colin Solal Cardo.Feeding on the song's intrinsic&nbsp;disco&nbsp;drama, the scenario is intense and even downbeat as Olly stares from the window of his claustrophobic cottage. But in a constant swirl of movement of the camera, the set and Alexander himself, the director breaks down the perceptions of reality to create a piece worthy of a major musical production.As Olly jumps through the fourth wall of observation to reach different sets within the sound stage, the video keeps time with the incessant momentum of the song - which is a grower.Will they dare to try to replicate this at the show itself?[imgtoken data:1]

Stink Films London has announced the arrival of Colin Solal Cardo for commercial and music video representation in the UK - timed to coincide with the release of his first two videos produced through Stink, for Olly&nbsp;Alexander's Eurovision entry Dizzy&nbsp;and Griff's Miss Me Too.The&nbsp;French director and photographer (above) has cultivated a distinctive sensibility around craft and performance in music videos since he emerged as a director at&nbsp;live music video network&nbsp;La Blogothèque around a decade ago. He created work for the likes of Phoenix, Metronomy and Alicia Keys at La Blogothèque, winning two Best Live Video UKMVAs in the process, before creating&nbsp;groundbreaking official videos for the likes of&nbsp;Christine and the Queens, Robyn, Charli XCX, Yseult and Caroline&nbsp;Polachek.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Solal Cardo's style oscillates between high fashion, theatrics and a technique-driven approach. Characterised by strong art direction, he often adopts elements such as costume, props, set builds and major locations, as well as dynamic camera moves and technically challenging perspectives.&nbsp;Meanwhile, his photography and editorial work have led him to develop a long-standing collaboration with the esteemed publication Numéro Paris, for which he has shot multiple covers, and worked with models and artists such as Bella Hadid, Anitta, Sevdaliza, Shygirl, Eartheater, 070 Shake.His most recent directorial collaborations,&nbsp;both released on March 1st, are his first produced at Stink in London. The first is an intricately-crafted and high-intensity visual feast for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLNUj7kvn2w" target="_blank">Olly Alexander's Dizzy</a> - the UK's entry for Eurovision 2024 - that celebrates the song’s sentiment of confusion and love-sickness.The other is for&nbsp;BRIT Rising Star pop princess <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0FrsjtmK4k" target="_blank">Griff's Miss Me Too</a>, a delicate and emotional performance piece, led by choreography,&nbsp;that elevates Griff’s feel-good heartbreak anthem - made in collaboration with Bose.“I’ve admired Colin’s work for a long time, so I’m really excited to finally see this partnership come to life," says&nbsp;Dom Mckiernan,&nbsp;Global Head of Stink Rising &amp; Music Videos.&nbsp;"We’ve just made two back-to-back music videos and it’s been a whirlwind start to his joining the Stink roster.”Talking of the two videos Colin Solal Cardo says: "These two projects represent an essential part of my style: the camera movements and explosive technique, mixed with performance, emotion and set design."It’s great to immediately jump right into it with Stink and get to know each other so beautifully from the get go. I’m very excited to join the team… I’ve been a fan for a long time and feel that I am in the best place to develop the new phase of my career.”• Watch Colin Solal Cardo's reel at Stink Films <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/artist/colin-solal-cardo" target="_blank">here</a>

Colin Solal Cardo joins Stink Films

Douglas&nbsp;Bernardt follows up the jawdropping Cobra video with his second, equally gobsmacking video&nbsp;for Megan Thee Stallion - the sequel, in fact. After Cobra comes Hiss...The video&nbsp;features Megan's powerful alter-ego, Tina Snow, and conveys metamorphosis through symbolic set design and alignment with the powerful lyrics in a series of spectacular set-ups. And symmetry is a key element, emphasising the duality between Megan and Tina.The thematic divide is evident in a camera split effect of the pair, achieved through consciously crafted hair and makeup, cinematography and editing. And as you might expect after the Cobra, this&nbsp;video also leans into VFX and complex technical camera work, such as having Megan facing a mirrored room reflecting both of her personas back to the audience.Bernardt&nbsp;again showcases his ability to seamlessly blend cultural nuances with striking storytelling. He consulted with Shibari experts, inspired by Japanese pop culture, and referenced the cult anime film Perfect Blue, which explores the difference between persona and true self.[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2][imgtoken data:3][imgtoken data:4]

Douglas Bernardt

Final Cut

Megan Thee Stallion 'Hiss' by Douglas Bernardt

Megan Thee Stallion - HISS [Official Video]

Felix Brady directs a trippy&nbsp;tour de force&nbsp;of thrilling creativity for Unknown T's Hocus Pocus,&nbsp;featuring&nbsp;Loyle Carner - and gleefully subverting expectations of both artists.&nbsp;The video&nbsp;offers a very distinctive and hugely imaginative&nbsp;blend of performance and visual storytelling, which merges past, present and future aesthetics with a visionary touch - with videogaming as an inspiration and motif.It's a triumphant return to music videos by Felix Brady, who&nbsp;takes everyday objects and distorts their familiarity:&nbsp;cars mounted on hydraulic arms, a vibrant colour palette, visual illusions and nostalgic 90s gaming iconography.[imgtoken data:1]Furthermore, Brady upends our previous experiences of the artists themselves.&nbsp;Loyle Carner is presented in a much more dominating way, contrary to his familiar and softer public image, while Unknown T’s persona shows a shift from his drill days into more art directed, highly crafted&nbsp;scenarios.In doing so, Brady has created&nbsp;a world that is defined by its utter unpredictability, including&nbsp;some future-iconic moments of surrealism, including&nbsp;Unknown T on a golf course raining hole-in-ones, Carner performing loops on a playground swing, and both playing an arcade video game in a field.[imgtoken data:2]"It’s a visually-forward film," Brady confirms.&nbsp;"I wanted back-to-back grandiose scenes that are performance-focused. I was inspired by technology, play and contemporary design, but I also really wanted to push the rap envelope. It’s all play - the car, which is emblematic of rap videos, exists as a gyrating sculpture in the background, like a piece of modern art."The infinite hole-in-one golf scenes.&nbsp;Loyle in a speedboat is reminiscent of those coin-operated kiddie rides outside Asda.&nbsp;The kid on the bike searching the park harks back to Pokémon Go.&nbsp;Loyle loop-the-looping on a swing. Tetris inspired the floating building scene… We had fun with it.”&nbsp;

Felix Brady

Trim Editing

drill

Unknown T ft Loyle Carner 'Hocus Pocus' by Felix Brady

Megan Thee Stallion gets ready to shed her skin in Douglas Bernardt's spectacular Director's Cut for Cobra.&nbsp;We open with the artist crawling through the insides of a giant snake, resurfacing in a mysterious jungle. If ever there was a way to do a comeback, this is it.&nbsp;Launching into a montage of slick vignettes which blur the line between fashion and surrealism, the video has a selection of standout moments - including&nbsp;Megan&nbsp;ripping the skin from her face and performing a captivating dance routine in the middle of a prehistoric landscape.&nbsp;Unabashedly confident and unique, the video feels elevated and inspired, and sets the scene for an exciting new era for the artist.[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2][imgtoken data:3]

Megan Thee Stallion 'Cobra (Director's Cut)' by Douglas Bernardt

Guy Gooch, <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/news/2023/11/24/guy-gooch-joins-stink-rising-roster-global-representation/84312" target="_blank">just signed to Stink Rising</a>, directs another promo for up-and-coming singer-songwriter Ray Laurél, stepping&nbsp;away from his wheelhouse of technical, gritty ideas to explore a choreography and performance-driven music video - performed by&nbsp;Laurél himself.Gooch and Laurél have previously collaborated on a number of the artist’s music videos - <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/08/04/ray-laur%C3%A9l-unconditional-guy-gooch-ray-laur%C3%A9l/77718" target="_blank">Unconditional</a>, <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/11/18/ray-laur%C3%A9l-charles-jeffrey-guy-gooch/79333" target="_blank">Charles Jeffrey</a>, and U SAID! - all of which have taken a mixed-media approach, with live action augmented by lo-fi animation techniques.&nbsp;For My Luv, things are more straightforwardly cinematic, as&nbsp;the duo set out to explore the theme of ‘other-isation’, particularly within the context of queer identity.Laurél,&nbsp;who uses they/them pronouns,&nbsp;performs a lyrical dance metaphor that represents their conflict with social binarism;a strong and expressive performance, representing&nbsp;an internal and physical battle with themselves and the expectations inflicted upon them.[imgtoken data:1]

Ray Laurél 'My Luv' by Guy Gooch

Ray-Laurél-'My-Luv'-by-Guy-Gooch

Stink London has announced the signing of&nbsp;visual artist and mixed-media director Guy Gooch to its Stink Rising roster of talent.&nbsp;Gooch's film work includes music videos for Wunderhorse, Sound Of Fractures, and a series of visually imaginative videos for up and coming alt-pop artist Ray Laurél, most recently for the tracks U Said! (above) and My Love - both produced through Stink.&nbsp;His videos show how he works&nbsp;comfortably across mediums and creates multi-dimensional visual worlds through performance, choreography, animation, design and in-camera trickery, creating work that&nbsp;reflects contemporary youth culture and urban living.[imgtoken data:1]In addition to&nbsp;cutting his teeth creating promos, Gooch (above) has also worked as a photographer for various editorial publications, including&nbsp;The Line of Best Fit,&nbsp;resulting in a number of musical creative collaborations and expanded his visual language. He is also a self-taught animator and strives to continue embedding new creative styles and techniques into his work.&nbsp;Stink Rising’s promo offering will be bolstered with the addition of Gooch to the roster - which also features George Jaques, Giordano Maestrelli, Loose, MrMr and Wesley Joseph.&nbsp;Dom Mckiernan, Stink's Head of Music Videos,&nbsp;says: “I can’t wait to make more projects with Guy Gooch. His films are testament to his bold rejection of over-polished visuals, opting instead for authentic expression and storytelling. Our music videos with Guy and his best friend Ray Laurél this year have been dream collabs.”• Watch Guy Gooch's showreel at&nbsp;Stink <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/artist/guy-gooch" target="_blank">here</a>

Stink Rising

Dom Mckiernan

Guy Gooch joins Stink Rising roster for global representation

The four mentors who will guide the finalists for this year's <a href="https://yarnsfilm.co.uk/" target="_blank">Yarns</a> - Stitch and Homespun's prestigious annual short film competition - have been announced.The mentors are Meji Alabi, director at RSA/Black Dog Films; Marta&nbsp;Bobic, executive producer and MD at CANADA London; Ninian Doff, director at Pulse Films; and Keith McCarthy, director at Stink Films. As with previous years, each of the mentors will partner with the four finalists of this year's competition - Tom&nbsp;Gentle and Sam Brain, Holly Hunter,&nbsp;Juliet Klottrup,&nbsp;Doug Redfern and Joe Roberts&nbsp;- to help them navigate the process from&nbsp;script development to post-production, and create the best possible short film.The scripts of the four short films have all been written inspired by the brief for this year's competition,&nbsp;titled The Ends. After they have been shot, each film will be cut by one of four editors on the <a href="https://homespun.tv/" target="_blank">Homespun</a> roster:&nbsp;Luke Anderson, Chris&nbsp;Hutchings, Laura Reyes and Laura Zvarikova.[imgtoken data:1]A former Senior Creative and Director at Channel 4’s award-winning 4Creative, Keith McCarthy is a masterful&nbsp;visual storyteller, with a distinctive style that combines stunning cinematography and a wry&nbsp;sense of humour.&nbsp;His work for C4’s The Grand National&nbsp;struck a chord globally, and recent&nbsp;collaborations have brought wins and nominations at BAFTA, D&amp;amp;AD, British Arrows, Cannes Lions&nbsp;and Creative Circle.McCarthy&nbsp;returns to the Yarns process having&nbsp;been a mentor on last year’s winning Yarns film, Emma Parkinson’s&nbsp;Dishes, Dishes, Dishes.&nbsp;&nbsp;This year, he will be working alongside director Holly Hunter on her film&nbsp;Banana Boat, cut by Homespun editor Laura Zvarikova.“Mentoring a Yarns finalist is always a brilliant experience, and I feel very lucky that I’ve been asked back for another year," says McCarthy.&nbsp;"Getting the chance to be involved with one of the best independent short film competitions in the UK is a special thing, but it’s also great to learn a few things from the amazing talent that has made it through to the final. I can’t wait to get started and hopefully continue the winning streak!”[imgtoken data:2]Marta Bobic is also returning for a second stint as mentor at Yarns. Having joined CANADA in 2015, she has helped&nbsp;to bring an expanding roster of directors to British shores as EP and MD of CANADA London. She will be working alongside Juliet Klottrup on her film ‘Travelling Home’. The short will be edited by Luke Anderson, who cut last year’s winning film.“I’m so excited to be returning as a Yarns mentor for a second time," she says. "It’s a real honour to help support talented filmmakers and I can’t wait to see Juliet’s vision come to life. I've always admired Yarns and its mission to support new talent, not to mention watching the great films that are produced each year. It's such an important project for bringing new voices and ideas to our industry, so I can’t wait to see what gets produced this year."[imgtoken data:3]Meji Alabi&nbsp;is a director and photographer who bridges the gap between African and Western markets.&nbsp;Creating everything from music videos to advertising campaigns, he is also a co-founder of Lagos-based creative production company JM Films. Signed in the UK to Ridley Scott's RSA Films, Meji’s&nbsp;recent work includes music videos for Stormzy,&nbsp; Wizkid ft Burna Boy, and Leigh-Anne ft Ayra Starr&nbsp;as&nbsp;well as campaigns for Disney, Fanta, Guinness and&nbsp;KFC.He will be working alongside Tom&nbsp;Gentle and Sam Brain on their film&nbsp;Do You Have Kids, to be cut by Homespun editor Chris&nbsp;Hutchings. He is also another returnee as a Yarns mentor."It's my pleasure to be working with Yarns again, especially when the filmmakers&nbsp;are as talented as Tom and Sam," he says. "Yarns is a unique opportunity for young directors to get their start,&nbsp;and their short has both an amazing idea and script. To be collaborating with a writer and director&nbsp;has been an awesome experience, and hopefully we’ll see more of these competitions that help&nbsp;filmmakers of all types get their ideas out there!”[imgtoken data:4]Ninian Doff is an award-winning director whose body of work spans music videos, commercials, and&nbsp;feature film.&nbsp;&nbsp;Previously winning Best Director at the UKMVAs, and several awards&nbsp;for his Run the Jewels&nbsp;promo&nbsp;Love Again, he has since created a string of blockbuster commercials for brands such as&nbsp;Apple, McDonald’s, Three, Ikea and Sainsbury’s.Doff is celebrated for his cinematic approach, intertwining comedy with the surreal, his debut feature&nbsp;Get Duked&nbsp;earned the SXSW Audience Prize. He is also returning as a Yarns mentor, and&nbsp;he will be lending his vast&nbsp;experience to Doug Redfern and Joe Roberts on their film&nbsp;Mr. Biscuit.&nbsp;The film will be cut by&nbsp;Homespun editor Laura Reyes.<blockquote>Each of the mentors is an industry powerhouse.</blockquote>“I'm super happy to be mentoring at Yarns again," he says. "It's such a great opportunity for new directors. Doug and Joe wrote a great script and can't wait to&nbsp;see how it turns out and hopefully I'm of some help along the way!"Homespun co-owner Tim Hardy has added that he is delighted to welcome back the four mentors&nbsp;for another year of Yarns. "Each of them is an industry powerhouse, with wins at BAFTA, Cannes Lions and British Arrows to name but a few," says Hardy.&nbsp;"Our young filmmakers are already working hard shooting their films, and getting to work alongside such a talented group of mentors is an experience I know they won’t forget!”Together with the support from their mentors, Yarns also sees the aspiring directors’ partner with some of the industry’s foremost talent to create their film. The finalists will benefit from experts across production and post, including sponsors Kodak and Slingshot Intergalactic, as well as post-production partners Freefolk, nineteentwenty, Absolute and Sine.“We’re delighted that our finalists will again have some of the best in the business working on their films,"&nbsp;says Homespun co-owner Leo King. "From post to sound, our finalists have always worked with the best up-and-coming talent from across the industry."It’s long been a cornerstone of the Yarns mission, and we’re very proud to say that this will be the case again this year. We can’t wait to see Yarns give a platform to another cohort of talented people.”• More information about the Yarns finalists&nbsp;<a href="https://ends.yarnsfilm.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>; and about Homespun's editors&nbsp;<a href="https://homespun.tv/" target="_blank">here</a>

Homespun

Black Dog Films

CANADA

Pulse Films

Mentors unveiled for finalists of this year's Yarns competition 

Eoin Glaister reunites with Glass Animals with his first video for the band since 2017 - and takes their band's fans down a complex&nbsp;a complex conspiracy rabbit hole courtesy of YouTuber TinFoilPat.The video is for&nbsp;The Other Side of Paradise,&nbsp;originally released on the How To Be A Human Being album and now revived to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the album - which also featured Pork Soda and Agnes, which have Glaister-directed videos. It features TinFoilPat as a superfan of the band, revealing to his Youtube community about the&nbsp;rumour that lead singer&nbsp;Dave Bayley has been replaced by a clone (or clones). And then follows his mission to uncover 'the truth'.[imgtoken data:1]The band were not available to feature in the music video, so Glaister has employed various techniques to build his narrative. Firstly he chose to lean on archive footage from their iconic concert at Red Rocks, and construct a narrative arc that starts with the moment Dave sang “my thunder shook him down” in perfect sync with real-life thunder.&nbsp;Then he sourced further on-stage clips, TikTok cutaways, generative AI, choreography and a mouse-and-cat dynamic, to create a trail of clues for TinFoilPat to uncover.The music video is also sprinkled with subtle Glass Animals fandom trivia and even features real-life moments like TinFoilPat infiltrating the Universal Music London office or calling up the front desk to accuse them of “being in” on the hoax.[imgtoken data:2]<blockquote>It felt like a full circle moment, creating promos for the album again.</blockquote>Glaister says that the fact the band were unavailable for the shoot prompted the clone idea.&nbsp;“I'd been watching TikToks with my sisters and was really taken with all the fanfare and conspiracy theories surrounding Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears and I love how ropey all of that evidence is," he explains. "They were vehicles to kick start thinking for this project. [And] the narrative that was constructed with the archive footage means that I could blend facts and fiction in a silly way, which I’m really into.[imgtoken data:3]“This is the third job I've done for Glass Animals, which means I've earned some trust with them; it’s useful for running with a really, really bizarre idea like this one. It felt like a full circle moment, creating promos for the album again.”

Glass Animals 'The Other Side Of Paradise' by Eoin Glaister

Glass Animals - The Other Side Of Paradise (Official Video)

Jorja Smith makes her directorial debut with the video for Falling Or Flying - the latest release from her forthcoming new album - and&nbsp;mirroring the sultry and soulful sounds of the track, she sets out to portray the dichotomy of falling or flying in a simple narrative that peaks as she departs on a journey into space.Up to that point, the viewer is treated to shots of a solitary Jorja as she performs the song captivatingly to the camera in an underground bunker, in the final preparations for her mission.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]Jorja worked closely with her crew and Stink's Head of Music Videos Dom McKiernan to bring her vision to life.&nbsp;"Jorja is equally as impressive behind the camera as she is in front of it," says McKiernan. "Incredibly considered, quick thinking and with just such a positive vibe throughout."Jorja had a clear idea of what she wanted and could communicate it to the crew cohesively whilst also being really collaborative and open to figuring out the best way to crystalise her vision together with the crew.”Jorja Smith adds that the idea for the video “came to mind ‘cause I always wanted to shoot a video in space. Falling Or Flying&nbsp;just made me think of that. I wanted to go up into space with someone I love and cherish, but they didn’t want to come with me.”

Jorja Smith

Soul

Jorja Smith 'Falling Or Flying' by Jorja Smith

Jorja-Smith-'Falling-Or-Flying'-by-Jorja-Smith

<h3>This summer, Stink Films' director Douglas Bernardt has relocated from São Paulo to the place that has inspired some of his most creatively rewarding projects - including the recently-released Inside The Blind Iris&nbsp;(above). So&nbsp;we&nbsp;grabbed&nbsp;the chance to talk to him about this remarkable film&nbsp;and other memorable work.</h3>Douglas Bernardt is enjoying his current stay in London, despite a recent cycling accident which has him laid up, nursing a&nbsp;sore knee. This São Paulo native is not in London just for its disappointing summer weather. For him, London is an inspirational place.“Creatively London is the city that interests me the most," he says.&nbsp;"For me, it's a big step, coming from Brazil."It’s also where Bernardt&nbsp;has expanded his scope as a director, exploring the fertile British jazz scene, creating music videos for Tom Misch &amp;&nbsp;Yussef Dayes and Ezra Collective, and extending into live shoots&nbsp;for Misch and Dayes and&nbsp;Arlo Parks. And now he has made a bold step into capturing dance on film which is hugely significant.[vidtoken data:0]The most recent Berhardt-directed project is Inside The Blind Iris -&nbsp;a collaboration with British dancer/choreographer Botis Seva, as part of a commission through London dance venue&nbsp;Sadler's Wells. The 10-minute film&nbsp;fuses Seva’s expressive choreography with Bernardt’s virtuosity in creating memorable images, taking in the span of cinema history in the process. He references German expressionist and surrealist film with powerfully resonant monochrome imagery, but also creates blockbuster-worthy VFX in bringing the story behind Seva's choreography to life.&nbsp;Bernardt turned his hand to filmmaking in his early 20s,&nbsp;having established himself as a photographer. Both his photographic and film work can be described as&nbsp;ambitious, realistic yet lyrical - and it's always cinematically framed. He incorporates serious themes that are relevant to Brazilian life, through promos for the likes of Tagua Tagua,&nbsp;Baco Exu Do Blues and Nego Bala.With&nbsp;Inside The Blind Iris he employs a different palette and toolkit to confront&nbsp;issues of&nbsp;oppression, alienation and mental wellbeing. Our conversation began with his collaboration with Seva and Sadler's Wells, discovering why it was such an invigorating and creative experience -&nbsp;and how it differed to his more musical work.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]Above: Douglas Bernardt (left) on set of 'inside The Blind Iris' shoot with dancer/choreographer Botis Seva (right)<blockquote>I came up with an idea... to visually interpret the&nbsp;troubled mind.</blockquote>How did the dance film Inside The Blind Iris come about?It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sadler's Wells created an initiative supporting filmic collaboration between directors and choreographers. There were three commissions available on the project, and Botis and I won one of them.Botis found my work online and he invited me. I didn't even need to do a treatment. We had one initial chemistry call, and we just bonded from there. It was really nice. And then we had complete creative freedom on the job&nbsp;- we just had to do a dance film that was abstract, and didn't have a structured&nbsp;narrative. That was the commission briefing.It’s a fantastic piece of work. When did you shoot it?We filmed in August and September of last year. Then there were three months of post production. So the final&nbsp;film was delivered in February, but it wasn't released until June.&nbsp;So how did the collaborative process work?I researched Botis's portfolio and found his choreography really inspiring especially because his movements are so strong. He always incorporates a lot of emotion in his dances, and it can feels like his dancers are trying to overcome&nbsp;something. We decided to use movement to explore what rebellion feels like, of fighting&nbsp;against oppression and the system.&nbsp;I came up with the idea of filming in black and white, and creating a known space - the hangar in the film - to resemble&nbsp;the character's mind. It would be an artistic interpretation of the troubled mind: to document&nbsp;pain or anxiety&nbsp;and imagine what it's like&nbsp;to fight your own demons.[imgtoken data:2]<blockquote>I love Buñuel, German Expressionism... and how much easier&nbsp;it is to light when you're shooting black and white.</blockquote>The dancers inside the building represent&nbsp;the haunted spirits following Botis. It's like a nightmare, but it ends up with a sense of hope, once Botis opens the&nbsp;portal and rips the wall out. It's a moment of freedom.I'm not sure&nbsp;that Botis fully understood&nbsp;all of my ideas at the conception stage&nbsp;– but he trusted me. Once we found the shoot location, things started to make sense. The venue had a great exterior,&nbsp;which&nbsp;felt like a place that could be magical and surreal. Yet inside it felt really oppressive,&nbsp;with its huge concrete walls.What and where was the location?It was a former aerodynamics test site, for aeroplanes in the Second World War. So there have this&nbsp;big wind tunnel, where they used to hang the aeroplanes to test their capabilities.And what about the references to classic cinema – including surrealism and even German Expressionism? Was that all there from the start?Stylistically I wanted to do something different to my previous work. I come from a DP background, so the aesthetic is really important to me. The visuals can&nbsp;to enhance the narrative or convey certain feelings. But I’m a bit tired of the stereotype that Brazilian directors only use tropical colours!I want to do something different that felt more European. I love Buñuel, German Expressionism and black and white movies - and I love how much easier it is to light, shooting in monochrome. It means you can focus on other stuff. By throwing a huge light source, you can&nbsp;draw amazing shadows and really focus on the movement, or think about how the dance arrangements fit into the narrative. It wasn’t the main reason we chose it, but in the end it helped so much.Our DP Harry Wheeler, is a master with 16mm. I wanted to invest to shoot in real black and white 16mm inside the building, rather than grade it&nbsp;from colour – because we were using the film as a narrative tool as well. It meant we could separate what is real stylistically from what plays out in his mind's eye. To bring the sense of oppression.[imgtoken data:3]<blockquote>Once you’re on set you also improvise a little bit - it's a nice way of incorporating dance into a narrative.</blockquote>Onto the performance aspect - how did you figure out the balance&nbsp;between the choreography, the camera and direction?The choreography was a really organic flow. Initially I didn't really know how to kickstart the process. So I began by presenting&nbsp;shapes to Botis, and he liked it. Once we had the location, we applied the shapes inside and started building outlines for each location – one circular setup, one was a line, a triangular setup and a square.We created five dance setups, and spread them through the locations, and&nbsp;Botis adapted the choreography to fit the venue. Then we focussed on the music, and made five tracks relevant to each setup too.&nbsp; It was a constantly evolving process - and we continued to improvise on-set. So it was a really nice way of incorporating dance into a narrative, because usually it’s the other way round - you bring the choreography in when everything else is set up.Of course the classic payoff shot is Botis encountering the whale in the middle of the City of London…So the idea behind the whale is that it represents this feeling of not belonging. It's abstract, of course, and there's room for interpretation. But how I see it&nbsp;is that&nbsp;this guy is so dislocated in the world that he feels outside and separate from reality - like a fish out of the water. And whales are so different&nbsp;from us, but at the same time, they're super-close to us - they're also mammals, the closest ally&nbsp;from the water.<blockquote>The only warmth&nbsp;in the film is when he looks at the whale, and the whale is about to die.</blockquote>So visually it's&nbsp;impactful and it builds an empathetic bond with Botis. No one looks at Botis with empathy, during the whole film. It’s the only moment of&nbsp;warmth in the whole film, when he looks at the&nbsp;whale, and the whale is about to die. It seems the animal understands the human’s struggle -as&nbsp;it’s dying in the middle of the centre of&nbsp;capitalism. Buses pass, people cycle on and continue to live their lives. No one has the capacity to really care or&nbsp;look at it.&nbsp;It's an abstract ending, but I think it does resonate with audiences, and that was the intention overall.This provided you with more freedom than some of your music videos, and definitely any commercial jobs. When you're making something for Nego Bala or Tom Misch do you have to become a different type of&nbsp;director to who you are commercially?Sort of. Every project has a goal that you need to reach. The Sadler’s Wells film was very much about how me and the choreographer worked together - a&nbsp;much more personal environment than my work for Nego Bala, for example. That’s&nbsp;his story, and I'm shooting on his behalf, so I have get into his mind as much as possible.[imgtoken data:4]Above: Bernardt (left) and Seva on the location of the Inside The Blind Iris shoot.<blockquote>Botis didn't always understand my initial ideas&nbsp;– but he trusted me.</blockquote>Working with Nego Bala was about understanding his reality,&nbsp;what he went through. That meant interviewing him many times, getting important details,&nbsp;and considering how to present these on camera. We were trying to summarise&nbsp;his childhood, his feelings,&nbsp;his perception of growing up in prison.Of course, I weaved in my own feelings, to&nbsp;make it feel more intimate. But its more about trying to translate what he told me about his reality. And It had a really important political side as well. There's a really important social aspect behind it to inspire Brazilian youth.The <a href="https://vimeo.com/391086313" target="_blank">Tom Misch video [for What Kinda Music</a>] was more like the traditional process for a music video. I received the music, and loved it, then slowly&nbsp;found the visual to make the music stronger and tease out a story to match the lyrics.You shot the narrative video in Ukraine, which led you to making live videos for Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes. How did that come about and how different are live videos?From the get-go we agreed to do the two video concepts - the&nbsp;narrative for What Kinda Music and live video for Lift Off. I was more excited about the narrative one. But I alos thought it was cool to do a live shoot with a smaller budget and capture the band’s synergy without a fixed storyline to follow.[vidtoken data:1]<blockquote>I didn't know I would have so much passion for shooting live performance.</blockquote>But when we got on set of the live performance video, and I saw Yussef and Tom play, it was mesmerising. They are&nbsp;so soulful together, and it's just beautiful to watch them perform.It was my very first time shooting a live video, and I didn't know I would have so much passion for it. But you're&nbsp;so in&nbsp;the moment. You have to be present, to find the right elements for the shot, including the right lighting and camera movements in the right moment of the track. I had to really get into&nbsp;the music, and try to translate that on-screen. It also felt I was playing with them while they performed. My instrument was the&nbsp;Steadicam.I just got into the zone on set. And after that, I wanted to do more of these sort of jobs.&nbsp;It just has to be with a truly exceptional&nbsp;performer – because its 100% about the performance.And that collaboration led to the Arlo Parks live video, for Softly?Yes, Arlo is amazing&nbsp;and has a wonderful voice. So that was a natural fit. For that shoot&nbsp;we found a&nbsp;location in New York, while I was shooting a commercial in Mexico. It meant I had to do a one day trip to New York just to shoot this. I was testing for COVID the entire time, and then&nbsp;on the day we were meant to do the shoot, I tested positive.&nbsp;I didn't&nbsp;have any symptoms (and I still think it was a dud result) but I couldn't go.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:2]<blockquote>It was more about Arlo’s expressions while singing. So the camera is much more about her.</blockquote>I called a director friend of mine in New York, to help me out. I was going to direct remotely, but I needed someone there on set, to feel out the space.&nbsp;He was my eyes, and at some point our visions synced up.It was a completely&nbsp;different experience to my first live video. With Arlo, it was all about the voice. We didn't need to navigate between instruments, we just wanted to capture Arlo's emotions and how she expressed herself. So having her front and centre in shot was essential. Even when moving around the band, she's always looking to the camera.As you’re spending the summer months living in London, what are you enjoy most about being here?Not the food. I’m joking...I love the intersection of art in London.&nbsp;Music video-wise and commercially, the most creative work takes place here. You can see it in the&nbsp;fashion. I lived in New York before, and the two cities have a similar vibe. But I think in London it’s a little bit more… true. People really build a scene here, and that’s interesting.It's quite hard for me to explain, but it’s a place where I fit, where I have friends. It's been easy for me to make friends here.&nbsp;I also like that the whole city is flat and I can ride my bike.&nbsp;São Paulo is full of hills, so cycling is much harder!&nbsp;[vidtoken data:3]<blockquote>My music videos have been like short films - now my treatments are getting more surreal.</blockquote>I still do a lot of photography. That's how I started and though&nbsp;I gave it up for a few years, I came back to it recently. I'm investing in my photography more actively at the moment, and taking&nbsp;street pictures as I walk about. I love it.I'd love to express myself in an easier medium. Films take a long time, so photography allows me to express myself immediately, every day. While I've been here I've been&nbsp;organising my pictures, creating series, and taking more. It's been fun, discovering new neighbourhoods, and feeling connected to people.What else is in the pipeline for you in terms of films?My ideas now are different to what I’ve been known for. The dance film has spurred a new career direction. My music videos have always been more like short films, with a fleshed-out narrative, like for Bluesman&nbsp;and Nego Bala. My treatments are becoming more surreal, and feeling-led. And I'm trying to nurture&nbsp;this new wave of thinking.• Douglas Bernardt is represented by <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/united-kingdom/" target="_blank">Stink Films</a> for music videos and commercials.

Douglas Bernardt on 'Inside The Blind Iris' and finding fresh inspiration in London

INSIDE THE BLIND IRIS

Tom-Misch-&amp;-Yussef-Dayes-'Lift-Off-(feat.-Rocco-Palladino)'-by-Douglas-Bernardt

Arlo Parks - Softly (Live)

Nego Bala – "SONHO" com Elza Soares (Filme Oficial)

A <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0J9paXNL6O3ic86cA26gOY" target="_blank">new episode</a> of The Promonews Podcast - Talking Music Videos&nbsp;is out today,&nbsp;with David and Rob of Promonews talking to Eoin Glaister - a director who has spent the last ten years making music videos that make us laugh.From his notorious video for Let The Machines Do The Work - filmed at an EDL rally - to his latest for LA Priest, featuring a love affair between a cleaning woman and a fatberg, Eoin has been pushing boundaries in narrative videos that have reflected his zest for comedy.On this episode, he talks about the videos - mostly funny ones, occasionally not - that have were important in his development as a director. Delivered with a distinctive dash of Glaister wit that makes it a very enjoyable listen.With credits that include videos for Catfish &amp; The Bottlemen, Aquilo, Glass Animals, All We Are, Kele Okereke&nbsp;and Beirut, he reflects upon the considerable challenges that have come with the opportunity of bringing his ideas to the screen.&nbsp;Eoin explains how he found a knack for directing video trilogies - and why he thinks that a dog is a director's best friend.&nbsp;Since working with superstar artist Joji before the pandemic, the Stink FIlms-signed director has broken properly into commercials, with leading brands taking advantage of his comedic style. More occasional recent outings in music videos include his promo for&nbsp;Liverpool DJ/produce&nbsp;Mentis, and he explains how he created a great comedy character in the video with&nbsp;BAFTA-winning actor Lauren Sorcha.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/0J9paXNL6O3ic86cA26gOY?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe>This episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" target="_blank">The Promonews Podcast: Talking Music Videos</a> follows a series of revealing conversations in recent months with directors currently making a big impact&nbsp;in UK music videos. The last episode featured Tash Tung, who talks about bringing a different style to the pop video genre. Previous interviewees have included Charlie Sarsfield, Noel Paul, Ali Kurr and Joe Connor.&nbsp;&nbsp;Other recent interviewees include Aoife McArdle discussing her path from music video director to director and producer on Apple TV+ show&nbsp;Severance; and pioneering music video&nbsp;director Andy Morahan talking about working&nbsp;with Guns 'n Roses, on the 30th anniversary of his legendary video for November Rain.And you can explore The Promonews Podcast for interviews with the likes of KC Locke, Sam Brown,&nbsp;Sophia Ray &amp; Mayling Wong, Milo Blake,&nbsp;Fred Rowson, Nathan James Tettey,&nbsp;Kasper Haggstrom, Olivia Rose and Sam Davey.• Listen to&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" target="_blank">The Promonews Podcast</a> on&nbsp;Spotify, and other platforms.

The Promonews Podcast: new episode with Eoin Glaister out now!

Guy Gooch's third video for&nbsp;Ray Laurél, combines live action transtion techniques and lo-fi animation to great effect in a story of London life, relationships and a big night out.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Alt-Pop

Ray Laurél 'U SAID!' by Guy Gooch

Ray Laurél - U SAID! (Official Video)

A woman falls in love with the Fatberg - yes, you heard right - in Eoin Glaister's marvellously&nbsp;entertaining return to music videos for Sam Dust, aka LA Priest.It's a tale both charming and ludicrous - in other words, classic Eoin Glaister territory - as a house cleaner (played by comedy actor&nbsp;Juliet Cowen) peers into a street drain on her way home from a hard day's work, and sees an&nbsp;amorphous blob of grease and fat - who looks back at her. And they fall head-over-heels for one another...What follows is a both lovely and a little bit disgusting, as Cowen ventures into the sewer system to properly meet the Fatberg, and we follow the inevitable steps of the relationship - the wooing, the (ahem) physical relationship, the arguments, the peace offerings of wet wipes and non-biodegradable products down the loo. And like all stories of star-cross'd lovers, it's not going to end well - but even then, love prevails. Kind of...[imgtoken data:1]It's Eoin Glaister's second video for Sam Dust, formerly of Late of the Pier, as LA Priest, and was shot in London over two days on 16mm.&nbsp;“The first video I made with LA Priest involved letting an untrained pack of dogs lick liver paste out of his ears, so I was somewhat surprised to get a call regarding It’s You -&nbsp;but&nbsp;needless to say l leapt," he says. “The track is about someone falling in love with a mermaid, but the time of year meant I kept running into safety issues with any water-based ideas. A fatberg provided an altogether greasier route."A few Mighty Boosh references later and we were away. Eternally grateful to the fabulous crew who went above and beyond to bring this to life on Valentine’s Day and to our stars, veteran genius Juliet Cowan, and Vanessa Del Bosco whose zen-like patience made the project possible. Watch out for a fabulous Flusher cameo from LA Priest.”

LA Priest 'It's You' by Eoin Glaister

LA Priest - It's You (Official Video)

Stink Rising have announced the signing of award-winning producing duo&nbsp;MrMr to their global directing roster.MrMr are Katie Lambert and Martha McGuirk, who are returning to Stink where they first began working together in 2018, when Lambert was Head of Music at the London-based production company and recruited McGuirk to join as music video producer.The pair left Stink to establish their own production company, MrMr Films, in 2020. Since then they have produced ad campaigns and high profile music videos for the likes of Little Simz, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Muse and others, working with directors such as&nbsp;Lope Serrano at CANADA, Felix Brady, Georgia Hudson, Terrence Neale and Salomon Ligthelm.In addition to their producing work, MrMr have co-directed&nbsp;music videos with artists such as Wet Leg and Self Esteem, eventually moving into solo directing on projects, including a short film for Suede’s album Autofiction.&nbsp;Their latest project as directors is their short film <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/project/eat-it-competition" target="_blank">Eat It</a> - a gut-busting&nbsp;comedy. Released last week and destined for a festival run, Eat It has so far been accepted at&nbsp;Birmingham Film Festival, Oslo Film festival, Oaxaca Film Festival and New York Shorts.“It’s nice to be back and pestering all our old co-workers to try and get us scripts," say MrMr's Lambert and McGuirk - who will continue to produce the work they direct. "Jokes aside, we’ve seen first hand the skill and care of the Stink EPs and we’re incredibly grateful they are giving us their time and talent.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Blake Powell, Stink Global Head of Film, adds: “Katie and Martha have long been part of the Stink family and I'm excited to have them back, this time as directors. They are sharp, ambitious directors who have a highly valuable background in production with an eye for creatively driven stories.”• Watch MrMr's showreel at Stink Rising <a href="https://stinkfilms.com/artist/mrmr" target="_blank">here</a>