Warren Fu channels epic Romantic art in his stunning, mesmeric video for Phoenix.

The video for the iconic French rock band's Winter Solstice opens with vocalist Thomas Mars balancing on the edge of a cliff, performing under stormy skies - in the manner of a Caspar David Friedrich painting.

Fu takes us through a series of related compositions from landscape to extreme close-up to accentuate the deeply reflective mood of the song and Mars's performance. Then the clouds part and reveal a whimsical menagerie of abstract graphics, in the style of early surrealism - and fireworks.

With outstanding cinematography by UKMVA-nominee Christopher Ripley, the black and white visual treatment adds a dreamy sentimentality to the project, which culminates in a bittersweet ending that leaves plenty open to interpretation: Mars dives from his lonely peak, and as the video ends he is stiull floating freely in space. 

This is a wonderfully-crafted and evocative work - as you would expect from this hugely talented director and the effortlessly cool artist.