Fiona Jane Burgess finds the beauty in the ordinary for Wolf Alice's Sofa, and employs the song's title and central metaphor as a clever visual device.The video for The Sofa begins with a band performance in a sitting room - with lead singer Ellie Rowsell lying comfortably on the eponymous object, from which she delivers something like a personal report card on her life. As she does so, the sofa beings to glide laterally from the room into a London street - a transition that's achieved in-camera, in one shot.This is where the residents are engaged in activities that reflects Ellie's lyrics and positive mindset. With scenarios that have resonance to a hot summer in the city and excellent real people casting it's a version of the band's home district of Seven Sisters, North East London (as mentioned in the song) that cleverly treads a line between fantasy and realism.And its further evidence of Ellie Rowsell's assurance as a frontwoman - again reflecting the quiet self-confidence that exists in the song. [imgtoken data:1]FIONA JANE BURGESS: “It’s always such a pleasure to work with a band who know what they want and are incredibly collaborative to work with. From the moment I heard the track, I knew it was a special song and the video had to be equally mesmerising and captivating and epic. The lyrics are so visual too, so it was really about how to bring those lyrics to life and interpret the world of the song."When I first listened to the song, I imagined travelling somewhere on a train or a bus, watching the world unfold from my window seat. That’s the feeling that inspired this idea - the feeling of sitting back and travelling past scenes on a summer’s day, only this time it was on a sofa :)[imgtoken data:2]"This shoot was ambitious in scale but the idea was to make it look effortless. I wanted the sofa moving out of the living room set to look seamless, as well as the characters and scenes to feel like they were capturing the big and small celebratory moments, from the life-changing euphoria of getting married or the adrenaline rush you get from watching the footy with friends, to kids performing a TikTok dance routine or eating an ice cream."The band also had lots of ideas about the scenes and if you look closely there’s lots of easter eggs in there which point to different lyrics in the songs off their album which is fun - it’s a bit like Where’s Wally![imgtoken data:3]"I always wanted to do everything in-camera and not on a green screen, so we shot on various residential and commercial streets in North London and built a real-size living room in the middle of the street and had a 200ft track with the sofa rigged onto it."We shot everything in one day on 16mm with 65 extras plus the band and sofa scenes and very temperamental weather which kept changing throughout the day, which the camera crew did a very good job at embracing!"It was a brilliant shoot and process overall and I couldn’t be prouder or happier to have played a part in helping to bring this song to life.”

Music Video Preservation Society returns to The Prince Charles Cinema in London's West End this Thursday (July 17th) at 8.15pm, with a selection of amazing music videos from the 1980s, 1990s and the 2020s - and special guest, French music video director Colin Solal Cardo.Colin will be showing his work for artists including Charlie xcx, Christine & The Queens, Yseult and Wolf Alice, talking to Promonews's David Knight about his creative process, directing memorable performances from pop stars, and his inspirations from the history of music videos.This meeting of Music Video Preservation Society - the second at the legendary independent West End cinema - will also include an eclectic range of music videos, in particular from the years 1984 and 1995. There will be videos from artists who recently played Glastonbury, examples of extraordinary storytelling, plus outstanding creative work from the past year or so. As well as Colin Solal Cardo, directors who's work may be featured at Music Video Preservation Society on Thursday at The PCC include Lindy Heymann, Spike Jonze, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Charlotte Rutherford, Zbigniew Rybczyński, Stephane Sednaoui, Will Wightman and Hype Williams. Doors open at 8pm for the show that will begin promptly at 8.15pm. Check the link below for tickets.• Tickets for Music Video Preservation Society on July 17th at The Prince Charles Cinema website here

Rita Ora's latest is very appropriately, a beach-set sizzler, directed by Justin Daashuur Hopkins - and the video is just part of a larger campaign of connected visuals.With Rita sunning herself on an LA beach accompanied by a cast of larger-than-life characters - including dowager-age sun worshippers, musclebound weightlifters and retired movie moguls - Daashuur Hopkins assembles a series of humourous vignettes that have translated across formats, from the video to photos to 'Micro Films' that have teased the song Heat on socials."After looking through Rita’s detailed mood boards, I kept coming back to the idea of people watching," he says. "The beach is such a fascinating, equalizing ecosystem. everyone loves the beach, but everyone 'beaches' differently. It’s a place where all sorts of colorful characters emerge: sun-worshippers overdosing on vitamin D, retired businessmen with big bellies and zero shame, bronzed buns and rippling flesh on full display. It’s the absurdity of leisure."We aren't the first to notice this. We were inspired by photographers like Martin Parr and Alex Webb who found beauty and humor in these everyday performances - those candid, unfiltered moments that say so much without trying to say anything at all."[imgtoken data:1]EP and creative director Dilly Gent says it was the plan at the start to make a suite of content for Rita's new track, with the music video being just one element."As we all know the beloved music video that has given so many directors and musicians there creative start in life has lost it’s foothold. What was once the heart of a single release has become a fleeting asset, often forgotten within a week as audiences demand more. That’s why it no longer makes sense to invest the majority of a visual campaign’s budget into the traditional music video."Gent adds that at her company Son & Heir "we specialize in transforming that same budget into a series of visuals designed to live longer, travel further, and resonate deeper. Leading the charge is the small but mighty Micro Film. We recently had the chance to work with Rita Ora and her team, creating a whole series of Micro Films, a music video, press shoot, album and single artwork, plus all the marketing assets. All for not much more than the cost of one music video." [imgtoken data:2][imgtoken data:3]

It's been a tumultuous period for Irish rappers Kneecap - under intense political pressure and immense media scrutiny, gigs cancelled and their appearance at Glastonbury under threat. And now here is a statement - in both the track and the powerful visual by Finn Keenan - about their defiance and resolve. It all came together very quickly, in the days following that blistering performance at Glastonbury, but Keenan's extraordinary visualisation of The Recap - documentary combined with impish animations, political polemic and celebration of their unshakeable support for Palestine - may be the most significant thing that Kneecap have done. And that includes their amazing movie. This is an intense experience, and certainly one primarily for their fervent supporters. But as with Kneecap, as well as the political message there is humour - and also a shoutout to Helen Wilson, the lady in the crowd at Glastonbury who livestreamed the performance to the world. Finn Keenan has commented: “It took a lot of Incredibly talented and passionate people to come together to make this video in just over a week. I can’t believe the trust and support we got from Kneecap and their team. A once in a lifetime kind of job. So grateful to each and every one of yiz. More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara. X”