Floria Sigismondi returns to music videos with a majestic visual to accompany Brandi Carlile's powerfully emotive Returning To Myself, the title track for her upcoming new album.The legendary director - who accepted the Icon Award at last year's UK Music Video Awards - focusses upon the self-reflection at the heart of the song by placing the singer as a solitary figure in a spectacular location with two contrasting features - a derelict metal tower and unspoilt beach - that represent the landmarks of her emotional journey.Through a classic style of black and white cinematography, in-camera techniques and layering of imagery, Floria conveys the heartfelt sincerity of Brandi Carlile's lyrics in a direct way that will resonate with both her existing fanbase and beyond.

It's the last day of voting on the Individual and Company categories in the UK Music Video Awards 2025 - and the deadline for UKMVA Jury Members to vote in their assigned categories has just been extended a few more hours.The deadline for voting for those categories is now today - Monday, September 15th - at midnight (BST). That gives Jury Members more time to make their selections for some of the biggest awards at the UKMVAs 2025. Online Jury voting will entirely determine the results in these categories.After the deadline closes for the Individual and Company categories at midnight tonight, judging for all the awards at this year's UKMVAs will be completed later this week. Then the nominations for the UK Music Video Awards 2025 will be announced later this month, on Tuesday September 30th.Then the UKMVAs 2025 will take place on Thursday, October 30th. Tickets are now on sale for the ceremony and aftershow party, once again at Magazine London. More information on booking tickets for the UKMVAs 2025 here.

Electro-pop duo Awkward Moments make the journey from a bleak desert to a futuristic city, before entering hyperspace and psychedlic euphoria in Bavarian director Norbert Schoerner's inventive visual. The video for Life On Venus, taken from Awkward Moments’ forthcoming album A Strange Odyssey, taps into the idea of the theme of humanity's self-destruction, but the seriousness of the subject matter is elevated by Schoerner's playful approach, ultimately asserting that we must lose ourselves to truly find ourselves. "From the vastness of the desert to the pulsating glow of neon city noir, and drawing inspiration from retro arcade games, we crafted a road trip narrative as the backdrop for a journey of self-discovery," says Schoerner. "This journey, traversing through cosmic realms, ultimately leads to a sphere of liberation.”

Adam Buxton muses on the difficulty of not picking a side in our polarised world in Dancing In The Middle - interpreted as a battle between different types of audio equipment by visionary animator Cyriak Harris in this very welcome return to music videos.Cyriak's distinctive style of manipulating existing material in extraordinary ways - as seen in numerous viral films and music videos for the likes of Bonobo - is all present here, as a hapless cassette-and-speaker character is caught in the crossfire between competing characters composed of analogue and digital audio gear - a war overseen by a controlling reel-to-reel tape machine.Buxton - whose debut album Buckle Up is released today - goes way back with Cyriak, the self-taught and entirely self-reliant animator who created mind-boggling exercises in surreal comedy and AfterEffects chicanery in films where he also wrote the music, and then in a number of commissioned music videos in the Noughties and Teens - all regularly featured at BUG, the Buxton-presented music video live event.This is not as intensely complicated as many of Cyriak's classic films, but it's still a considerable achievement of wrangling a mass of visual elements to serve up the idea. And it really does justify repeated viewing to appreciate the detail and storytelling - and realise that somehow Cyriak serves up a happy(ish) ending.

Award-winning multi-disciplinary artist Baloji has joined the roster of directors at Prettybird in the UK and the US, for representation in commercials and other projects, and fresh from his work directing a campaign for Patta x Nike.A director, poet, rapper, singer, and songwriter, Baloji (above) was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and raised in Belgium. His debut feature film Omen won the New Voice Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 and was selected as the Belgian Academy Award submission.He is also twice winner at the UK Music Video Awards, winning the Best Styling award for his breakthrough music video and short film Zombies - also multiple award-winner on the festival circuit - and winning Best Special Visual Project at the 2024 UKMVAs for AUGURE: Infinite Trolling, a visual album created to accompany the soundtrack to Omen, told from the perspective of the movie's characters.Emily Rudge, Managing Director at Prettybird UK says: “Having followed Baloji’s career for over six years, I am so excited to be representing him at Prettybird. He is a true creative force, a polymath - one of a kind! From putting his talent to music, writing or directing - he does it all and with such originality. I can’t wait to see what beautiful work we create together.”Baloji - currently in development on his second feature film, as well as a TV series with A24 - adds: “It is a great honour to work with Prettybird after years of collaborating with Emily Rudge, whose artistic sensitivity and loyalty to her collaborators I deeply admire. It was also a true pleasure to meet the US teams and the legendary Paul Hunter. I value their straightforward, unpretentious vision, free from empty promises, a rare quality in this ever-evolving industry.”• Watch Baloji's showreel at Prettybird

In Will Liney's imaginative dance film, a teacher finds an exape from a building panic attack through the act of air drumming, with a remarkable effect upon her surroundings.As the teacher becomes more expressive, she discovers she can create a whirlwind in the classroom, as the papers erupt around her. The effect of increasing chaos, and her control within the storm, is enhanced by the impressive sound design and the percussion-heavy track by Jack Chown and Rudi Falla, both beautifully aligned to the visuals.An intriguing and well crafted film, with a strong central performance by Lesly Avedaño Sanchez as the teacher. And its shows there are surprising ways to achieve a state of zen.