Maxim Kelly directs a genre-bending epic for Mercury Prize-shortlisted rock band Black Country, New Road. 

Cleverly balancing an abstract narrative with anachronistic imagery, the focal point of the story is an alien who has crash-landed to Earth, who gets a less-than-welcoming treatment from the humans who capture him.

Spanning a six-minute runtime, the video is peppered with a vast array of references, from vintage sci-fi films through to low budget B-movies and classic drama films. And the Concorde plane is in there too. 

Flanked with archival footage, the video is ambitious and wide-ranging, but never once feels stretched too thin, which is a remarkable achievement for a concept that covers so much ground in it's comparably short runtime.

We took the 6 minute-plus runtime as an asset.

“On the surface, the concept was straightforward," says Kelly. "But for a band who namecheck everyone from Scott Walker to Kanye West, and the pronounced mix of genres in their music, it felt right to take an analogous approach with the visuals. Throw as many references together as possible and see if we, too, could get it all to hold together as a piece.

"We took the 6 minute-plus runtime as an asset. It gave us the time needed to weave as much as possible into the film. A walking video in parts, but also with a narrative running through...  combined with miniatures and VFX. 

"The band were so supportive and amazing. They gave us the encouragement to just go off on one! And being a massive fan of their music, it was a genuine pleasure to work with them on this film.”