Josh Barnes has directed a strong showcase for up-and-coming Folkestone-based post-punk outfit Oscar the Band, filmed on Sunny Sands beach in the band's hometown.

Barnes's video for China Bird draws on themes of grief, community, and seasonal change, rooted in the imagery and ritual of the May Day tradition. The video weaves together band performance, choreographed movement from a community group consisting of the band’s friends and family, and environmental portraiture - crashing waves, seabirds, and sprawling seaweed - in a way that feels both deeply rooted in place and universal in theme.

Central to the visual language of the piece is a maypole sequence constructed from fishing nets: materials that speak directly to the landscape and working heritage of the Folkestone coastline. The sequence was filmed from multiple angles, including a 360-degree pass shot using an Insta360 X4 mounted to the top of the maypole, producing world-distorting imagery that mirrors the crescendo of the music. 

The video was produced as part of Screen South’s Music Videos in May 2026 programme - in which a director is partnered with a band and tasked with shooting and delivering a finished, graded music video within a single week.

For Barnes, development and production executive at independent film/TV production company xFilm, it was the first music video he has directed since his university days. "This felt like a real step up in ambition and scale," he says. "Working on a super-tight budget with a brilliant crew and the support of lots of friends and family, we shot and delivered something last week that I'm very proud of."