We love to get Director’s Notes. It’s great to have the director (or directors) to tell us all about the making of the video that we’re featuring. So in this part of our round-up of 2023, we revisit those standout video posts with a pick of the best Director’s Notes of the year, plus some standout BTS features - 25 In all.More often than not, the comments and interviews reflect the incredible efforts put into the work by the creatives involved. And as a result it also gives us another chance to flag up some excellent work that may otherwise have slipped under people’s radar during the course of the year.Our thanks to everyone who made these informative and inspiring stories possible - directors, producers, EPs, heads of music video, PRs and more. We’ve included an extract from the director’s contribution in the original story here, and feature credits for the director and site sponsor involved in making that video. A R I Z O N A 'Moving On' (Director's Cut) by Owen Brown"We spent a year and a half making it to tell the story of working with the Navajo to create the biggest land art ever made in Navajo Nation."Director: Owen Brownhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/12/04/r-i-z-o-n-moving-directors-cut-owen-brown/84275 Ashnikko 'Worms' by Raman Djafari"I probably spent two months on and off working on the character designs. I even finished the last ones when we already started the animation production."Director: Raman DjafariProd co: Blinkinkhttps://www.promonews.tv/interviews/raman-djafari-making-ashnikkos-worms-%E2%80%9Ci-really-wasn%E2%80%99t-sure-if-it-would-work%E2%80%9D/81040 Austyn Gillette 'Leaning Into Your Palms' by David Findlay“I felt romantic relationships are so difficult to depict successfully in such a short amount of time. Somewhere along the way it all came together when I figured these two should be siblings.”Director: David Findlayhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/10/13/austyn-gillette-leaning-your-palms-david-findlay/83581 Autoheart 'Juggernaut' by Joseph Wilson"'I knew that we would set each other free’ was a line that felt like it needed a good juxtaposition, which led me to think of Anna Nicole Smith who married 89-year-old J. Howard Marshall when she was 26..."Director: Joseph WilsonProd company: PrettybirdDirector’s rep: MouthpieceFilm lab: Cinelab Film & DigitalColour grade company: Studio RMhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/08/21/autoheart-juggernaut-joseph-wilson/82902 Chien Méchant 'Étiole Filante' by Kelzang Revach“This exercise was all about turning artificial intelligence into a means of expression.”Director: Kelzang RevachRepresentation: Partizanhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/09/29/chien-m%C3%A9chant-%C3%A9tiole-filante-kelzang-revach/83441 Jessie Ware ‘Begin Again’ by Charlie Di Placido"I’m a massive fan of Jessie's music and this album feels like a seminal musical moment for her - so this was real privilege of a project to work on."Director: Charlie Di PlacidoProd company: Irresistible StudiosDirector’s rep: Carrie Suttonhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/04/27/jessie-ware-begin-again-charlie-di-placido/81304 J Hus ft Burna Boy 'Masculine' by Nathan Miller"We were planning to film the finale at Burna's afterparty that evening, but that got cancelled last minute. So Hus, his friends, and I roamed around London heading to other parties.”Director: Nathan MillerProd company: Biscuit Filmworkshttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/08/17/j-hus-ft-burna-boy-masculine-nathan-miller/82871 Joe Armon-Jones & Maxwell Owin ft Lex Amor 'Grief' by Denisha Anderson"This video is for the millennials, inspired by weird and wonderful storylines and colour pallets of Rockos, Modern Life, to Ren & Stimpy and Doug."Director: Denisha AndersonProd company: Caviarhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/05/18/joe-armon-jones-maxwell-owin-ft-lex-amor-grief-denisha-anderson/81585 Kodaline 'Everything' by Jonathan Irwin“This video was originally pitched as a live-action piece way back, and was on-track to be made…”Director: Jonathan IrwinProd company: Joyriderhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/06/09/kodaline-everything-jonathan-irwin/81893 Mason Collective x Bipolar Sunshine 'People In Love' by Deadhorses"We wanted to take people back in time to an old school house party session, before social media and Spotify, when MTV ruled and all you needed for a solid session was a four pack of cans, 10 B&H, a brick Nokia and a well-fed Tamagotchi!"Director: DeadhorsesColour grade company: DOMAhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/10/31/mason-collective-x-bipolar-sunshine-people-love-deadhorses/83961 Master Peace 'I Might Be Fake' by Freddie Cattaneo“I Might Be Fake is about pretending to be something that you’re not. As such I wanted to place Master Peace in an unfamiliar world which he can only navigate by using deceit.”Director: Freddie CattaneoColour grade company: Black Kite Studioshttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/10/23/master-peace-i-might-be-fake-freddie-cattaneo/83825 Mick Jenkins 'Smoke Break-Dance' by Andre Muir“The song made me think about the different vices or 'highs' we use to escape reality. But they can be double-edged swords...”Director: Andre MuirProd company: SMUGGLERhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/07/12/mick-jenkins-smoke-break-dance-andre-muir/82393 Omar Apollo 'Ice Slippin'' by rubberband.“We wanted the video to be an object that reflected the many different physical pieces of what it means to be a human and what it would take, in the realm of magical realism, to rebuild a human soul.”Director: rubberband.Prod company: SMUGGLERhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/09/06/omar-apollo-ice-slippin-rubberband/83064 Patrick Wolf 'Nowhere Game' by Joseph Wilson"I had come across Beacon Hill Fort a few years ago - [and] I’d been saving it for the perfect project.”Director: Joseph WilsonProd company: PrettybirdDirector’s rep: Mouthpiecehttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/01/30/patrick-wolf-nowhere-game-joseph-wilson/80152 Potter Payper 'Corner Boy' by Troy Roscoe“Sometimes as creatives we overthink our ideas, trying to constantly improve on what’s already out there… sometimes you have to rein it in and realise less is more…”Director: Troy RoscoeDirector’s rep: Marisa Garner Associateshttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/03/30/potter-payper-corner-boy-troy-roscoe/80964 RAYE ft Coi Leray 'Flip A Switch' by Otis Dominique“One of the biggest challenges with a project like this is bringing all the jigsaw pieces together.”Director: Otis DominiqueProd company: KODEDirector’s rep: MouthpieceFilm lab: Cinelab Film & Digitalhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/06/13/raye-ft-coi-leray-flip-switch-otis-dominique/81965 Róisín Murphy 'Fader' by Róisín Murphy"I felt I needed a totally authentic space in which to perform Fader. The song is about life and death and music - and so I went home to where it all started for me.”Director: Róisín MurphyProd company: Object & AnimalColour grade company: Electric Theatre Collectivehttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/06/26/r%C3%B3is%C3%ADn-murphy-fader-r%C3%B3is%C3%ADn-murphy/82114 Royal Blood 'Mountains At Midnight' by Milo Blake"I think in some sense the very reason that it was a departure appealed to me. I was intrigued by the experience of working with a new genre and style of artist."Director: Milo BlakeProd company: SpindleDirector's rep: MouthpieceEditing company: HomespunColour grade company: Black Kite Studioshttps://www.promonews.tv/interviews/milo-blake-royal-bloods-mountains-midnight-i-dont-know-if-its-been-done/81890 Sad Night Dynamite 'Sick Of Your Sound' by Will Hooper"In a group chat that is riddled with voice notes of ideas and thoughts for the video from Josh and Archie, I wrote about being so sick of listening to them that I wanted to kill them both. Which was the thing that prompted the idea."Director: Will HooperProd company: Blinkhttps://www.promonews.tv/interviews/get-grip-how-blink-push-boundaries-and-push-buttons-sad-night-dynamite/82804 Sampha 'Can't Go Back' by Saad Moosajee“I drew inspiration from both magic realism and Afrofuturist literature, imagining a visual style equally stark and surreal, centered around light and shadow…”Director: Saad MoosajeeProd company: SMUGGLERhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/12/11/sampha-cant-go-back-saad-moosajee/84471 Skinny Pelembe 'Don't Be Another' by Jai Moseley"When I listened to Doya’s (Skinny Pelembe) track for the first time, I was really gripped by this very specific tale of human imperfection.”Director: Jai MoseleyProd company: SMUGGLERhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/10/05/skinny-pelembe-dont-be-another-jai-moseley/83542 Stormzy ft Fredo 'Toxic Traits' by Femi Ladi"Stormzy and Fredo found creative ways to show their toxic traits whilst still flossing. This allowed us to exaggerate some of the scenes and be playful whilst still trying to say something real."Director: Femi LadiProd company: Somesuchhttps://www.promonews.tv/interviews/femi-ladi-stormzys-toxic-trait-video-we-could-be-playful-while-still-saying-something/82639 The Chemical Brothers 'Live Again' by DOM&NIC"We created virtual CGI worlds and used long unbroken camera takes, without edits, moving between those different worlds seamlessly with our hero character."Directors: DOM&NICPost production company: UNTOLD Studioshttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/07/19/chemical-brothers-live-again-domnic/82475 Tom Grennan 'Here' by Sayna Fardaraghi“I’ve always wanted to create an intimate connection between complete strangers through shared memories, moments and experiences. A photobooth became the perfect microcosm for that for me.”Director: Sayna FardaraghiProd company: ForeverColour grade company: Electric Theatre Collectivehttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/02/07/tom-grennan-here-sayna-fardaraghi/80277 U2 ‘I Will Follow’ by Shan Phearon“I was thinking about themes behind U2’s debut Boy LP... adolescence, teen angst, coming of age, etc. I thought: let’s reframe these through a modern European inner-city youth lens.”Director: Shan Phearonhttps://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/04/05/u2-i-will-follow-shan-phearon/81079
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