Martyn Thomas directs a tender promo for South London artist, musician and producer Henry Coke. The video for I Want To Feel It In My Heart presents a meeting of nature and performance, captured in a cinematic, evocative way. With a careful eye on composition, light and texture, Thomas creates a dreamlike experience which elevates the track into something gripping and fresh - all achieved with a three-man crew. "Henry is a new artist, so this was his first official music video, but the documentation he brought to the table was already clear and intentional," he explains. "Film references, styling ideas, location inspiration, photography examples: there was a genuine wealth of material to absorb and discuss with him before I'd even written a word of the treatment. Getting that kind of dialogue with an artist this early in their career is genuinely inspiring, and rare enough that it's worth saying out loud."A key reference Henry shared was the work of Andrei Tarkovsky, an area of cinema I'd only touched on lightly, but have found a lot of admiration for since taking this project on. I was banking on that lack of exposure working in my favour, letting me build something that lived in Henry's own world rather than a straight homage to Russian cinema. Whether that's landed is up to the audience."We pulled the whole project off with an amazing crew of three. That meant working fast and loose over three days and doubling up roles constantly. More than once I was running off with an Artem smoke machine mid-take and reviewing playback, which I wouldn't exactly recommend, but it got us there. Olli Collins and Katerina Vahala brought exactly the right mix of productive energy and creative collaboration to make that all work. "

The renowned dancer, choreographer and director Parris Goebel has signed to Merman for director representation in the UK and US.Goebel, one of the world's most sought-after dancers and choreographers, with clients ranging from Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Karol G, Jennifer Lopez and Justin Bieber, has signed to direct commercials, branded entertainment and music videos with Merman, the production company based in London, Los Angeles and New York. It is the New Zealander's first representation anywhere for commercial directing, a major move by the international superstar into the world of creative advertising.Goebel was introduced to Merman through her most recent music videos, both produced by the company: Lady Gaga and Doechii's video for Runway, that was a tie-in and soundtrack feature for the film The Devil Wears Prada 2; and the Gold Lion-winning branded music video Abracadabra (Fan Edit) for Lady Gaga and Mastercard.Before that, Goebel's innovative work on high-profile music and fashion specials has been recognised with multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations and wins in the category of Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming. Notable highlights include choreographing the 2020 Super Bowl LIV halftime show for Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, Rihanna's 2023 Super Bowl LVII performance featuring 280 dancers, and serving as artistic director for Vogue World: Paris in 2024. “Parris is a true artist who inspires and elevates all other artists around her, be it an iconic performer or a set designer” says Kira Carstensen, Global Managing Director of Merman. “She understands the power of movement - movement of performers, camera, set design, costume, lighting - and how together they create a holistic and emotional experience for an audience. We could not be more excited to bring her vision to our brand and agency partners.”Siobhan Murphy, Merman Partner/Executive Producer, adds: “Welcoming Parris Goebel to her first-ever production company home is nothing short of an honour. She is a creative force, who has redefined what movement, storytelling and staging can look like through her pioneering lens. We cannot wait to build partnerships with some of the world's most iconic brands that match the scale and vision of her creative ambition.”Parris Goebel adds: “Movement is how I express myself and share my stories. I see directing as an extension of that expression and my creativity, taking the same inspiration and spectacle that I bring to a Super Bowl halftime show or world stage tour to a different audience."I have always wanted to direct more in the advertising space, and help to build a brand’s image the same way I do for other artists and performers. And I’m so happy to do that with Merman. On our past projects, they understood and trusted my vision, and gave me the space and support to create it in the best way possible. I’m excited to see what else we can create together.”• Watch Parris Goebel's showreel at Merman here

Legendary pop video director Vaughan Arnell returns to the medium and reunites with Take That - who he first worked with three decades ago - proceeding to subvert all expectations with the veteran 'boy band': he turns them into a rock 'n roll power trio, and then into animated versions of themselves.In the video for Sweet July, Take That stride onto a film stage to perform, as an old-school rock combo: Gary on vocals, Mark on guitar, Howard on drums. If that's the first surprise, the second is when their animated performance becomes properly animated - in several different animation styles, each one a bit more 'rock 'n roll' than the last.A minute into the video, the performance becomes an animated rendition of the performance, in the style of a black and white comic book. And that's just the start as its followed by further transformations into other comic book styles and textures.Drawing inspiration from some iconic music videos - including Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer and a-ha's Take On Me - alongside four decades of comic-book illustration, Arnell worked with independent artist-led VFX studio Rohtau to make this happen in the video. Three artists, based in different parts of Europe, developed each animation style under the auspices of Rohtau's Jordi Bares. The traditional methods of animation were then turbo-charged in their delivery by AI-assisted workflows.Rohtau worked closely alongside Arnell and the Merman team throughout the live action shoot of the band's performance. Once an edit of the live action footage was completed, the film was divided into individual sequences and assigned to the specialist artists. French comic-book specialist Sébastien Daniel handled the water-ink, darker ink, and colour comic-book sections, maintaining both the timeline and the visual flow; Hungary-based Zed Zara brought his expertise in textured, gritty comic-book imagery and added depth; and Linus Konetschnigin from Switzerland drew on his background in comic books, collage, paper craft, and stop-motion to help shape the more tactile, layered sections.Take That are so instantly recognisable, preserving their likeness while embracing bold graphic styles was central to the creative process. And some of the most exciting moments came from happy accidents including the large studio doors opening to cast beautiful shadows that translated into rich line-art textures across the floor."The video was inspired by the iconic videos of INXS, Peter Gabriel and a-ha - but we wanted to re-interpret that style through a contemporary AI lens," explains Arnell."Rohtau were incredible at bringing the idea to life. We had three artists from across Europe each creating different sections of the film, all coordinated by Jordi at Rohtau, so it became this genuinely collaborative process."There were hand-drawn sketches, illustrations and painted elements, all blended with different AI platforms. It ended up feeling like a real fusion of traditional craft and modern mixed-media techniques, and we were thrilled with how it all came together."

Stone Taul directs an enigmatic LA-set story for Welsh singer-songwriter Strawberry Guy - aka Alex Stephens - featuring Sadie Sandler.From a story by Stephens and shot on 35mm by DoP Natasha Abdul, Taul's video for Love Me Like You Used To has the structure of a short film, where we follow Sadie Sandler's character from the time she fails to get her father's attention and then leaves the house.As she wanders around her neighbourhood - including visiting a 7/11 type store where Stephens is the cashier - the commonplace is combined with the extraordinary, and eventually results in a kind of epiphany.Sadie Sandler is an engaging lead. She may be regarded as Hollywood royalty (she's the daughter of Adam) but she's relatable, even though Taul does not explain what is motivating her, leaving the viewer to draw their own conclusions.Stephens' lushly melodic, downbeat song does not drive the narrative but it is a strong accompaniment too. So this leaves a real impression.

Ore Okonedo has been appointed the new Managing Director of The Sweetshop in London, as the company expands its UK office.The multi-national production company, with offices in Sydney, Auckland, Bangkok and Los Angeles as well as London, has appointed Okonedo (above), former head of music video at Knucklehead, to lead its operations in the UK.Meanwhile, former MD Morgan Whitlock has moved across to a fulltime business development role at Sweetshop’s AI and VFX division The Gardening Club, which has grown quickly in the short time since its launch in 2024.“Expanding in the UK during these unpredictable times is a milestone I’m extremely proud of," says The Sweetshop's Global CEO and Founding Partner, Melanie Bridge. "While much of the industry has been retracting, we have used the last few years to regroup, recalibrate, and put ourselves in a position of strength. Now, we are poised to grow once more.”Bridge adds that Okonedo "brings exactly what we need right now: Fresh perspective, a real vision for what a production company should look like in 2026 and beyond, and a genuine love of this business. In this climate having a director roster is a huge responsibility that weighs on me every day. With Ore I trust they are in the best possible hands as he has so much energy and passion and the contemporary vision required right now.” Okonedo takes the reins at The Sweetshop in London to oversee traditional production, the next step in a career which has seen him work at every level of production from the time he quit a successful role as a headhunter. He worked at Caviar and Pulse Films before joining Knucklehead nine years ago. He says that the enthusiasm of the people he met at The Sweetshop convinced him to take this new role.“I felt a sense of unwavering enthusiasm and passion for The Sweetshop," says Okonedo. "I thought the humility and openness to have candid conversations from the get-go was refreshing.“I relish this new chapter, to make my mark in the London office’s growth. The fundamentals are in place: a solid infrastructure, brand, history, and a great team and roster of directors. But I’m hoping to be the final piece in the jigsaw that completes and complements the London office.” Morgan Whitlock adds: “With Ore at the helm, this next chapter of The Sweetshop UK is about getting back to our roots and nurturing creative talent. In many ways, this is a passing of the baton. I can say with utter confidence that The Sweetshop is in fantastic hands with Ore.”• More on The Sweetshop here

The pick of the bunch in July from Actress to ZELO - including Beabadoobee, Die Shiny, Muse, Nia Archives, Sekou, The Last Dinner Party, The Stones - and the return of Phoebe Bridgers, as an elf queen in a car dump...