Filmed in Exeter, Tom Murray's poignant promo for Kent 5-piece Story Books follows its protagonist through relationship woes. Shot largely in close-up and soft-focus, the video for the dramatic ballad Simple Kids sees the young man embark on a journey revisiting old haunts and ghosts of a past love.

Here Tom explains the ideas behind the production:

Can you talk us through the brief you got from the band/ agency and how you responded to that in your treatment "The brief was completely open, with the only provisos being a very limited budget and timeframe. Practically, it was clear the concept would have to be something I could shoot and edit myself at university in a week, with just a DSLR and friends for company".

"With this in mind, I stuck close to the melancholy and cynicism of the lyrics and wrote a treatment emphasising feeling rather than spectacle. I've seen a lot of music videos focusing on youth which are clearly not made by young people. As a viewer, I personally prefer realism and ambiguity to the Skins aesthetic.

"The concept revolved around catching glimpses of lives beneath surface appearances, and of seeing young people quietly losing their "sense of wonder" that Kris sings so mournfully about. A few shots are genuine moments from student life two years ago for further authenticity. I think they intercut well in an edit that aims to convey a sense of place and longing".

What was it that drew you to the aesthetic you chose for the spot "To achieve a certain intimacy, I decided to shoot close-ups of the male protagonist with wider focal lengths, quite often wide-open too. I felt being physically close yet separating him from the background was the right thing to do given the acute isolation he feels, even when not alone.

"Another simple aesthetic decision was to combine slow-motion with the Glidecam shots to convey a sense of floating in the more buoyant moments of the track".

Which was your favourite scene to work on Why "Whilst accomplishing certain technical elements, such as framing shots for match cuts, was satisfying, I really enjoyed working on more intimate moments with the two leads, Charlie Macrae-Tod and Sanya Burgess. They're very talented actors and responded incredibly well to direction. They were able to find a great chemistry in their few scenes together, despite only just meeting on the first day of the shoot".

Anything else you'd like to tell us about the project "This project could not have come together without the selflessness of my friends: thanks must go to all those who came on board in small roles at short notice; to Charlie and Sanya for being so dedicated and AD Joe French for being invaluable. Exec Producer Steve Whiteley was always there when I needed him, and the band and label have been incredibly supportive and trusting, allowing me a great deal of freedom.

"It was a wonderful working experience and the reactions so far to this little video have been lovely, with some people taking the time to write personal and eloquent responses. This has been a touching reward for which I am very grateful".

https://www.youtube.com/watchv=rKzMJYwiNiE