The commercials director, making his very first promo, says a shared experience with the acclaimed actor drove the project - and his love for a classic Gus Van Sant movie. 

Stuart McIntyre's video for the title track of the new Sam Fender album has a lot in common with previous Fender videos - and one important difference.

The singer-songwriter's anthemic songs tends to inspire visuals that are big cinematic experiences, with a strong emotional core. McIntyre's promo for People Watching follows that pattern, and then adds a special ingredient: the main protagonist happens to be played by one of the world's best screen actors.

In various roles - from Sherlock to Fleabag to All Of Us Strangers to Ripley - Andrew Scott has been a mesmerising presence. In the People Watching video he brings his trademark intensity, and compelling ambiguity, to his role as an apparently rootless character, drifting through small-town America, engaging in a series of brief encounters along the way. But this time he burns up the screen without a word of dialogue.

As the song reaches its crescendo, McIntyre brings in other elements, flashbacks to the past - the home movie footage of a young boy, and a sick woman in bed - into a bravura sequence where the Scott character is overwhelmed by their emotional turmoil. It's a remarkable, transcendent moment to express the potentially crippling impact of grief. 

In fact, bereavement runs through the course of the project. It inspired Fender's song, and as Stuart McIntyre explains, it has affected both himself and Andrew Scott in recent times.     

Known for his work in commercials, including work for Apple Music, Louis Vuitton and more, McIntyre made a late start as a director, which came after establishing himself as a successful commercials editor. Now he has belatedly directed his first official music video - which turns out to be very special indeed.

So we got in touch with him to find out the background to the project from his perspective, to find out how it all happened, and about working with Andrew Scott, one of the great screen actors of our time.

The song is about loss, and when it found me, I was already living inside that grief. 

PROMONEWS: How did this project begin for you? 

STUART MCINTYRE: China Presles, my producer at Wanda [in Paris], brought me the project. I had never done a music video before, but we had been talking about it for a while - she was just waiting for the right one to come along. And I guess this was it. The right song, the right story, the right moment. Some projects just feel meant to be.

The brief struck something deep in me. The song is about loss, and when it found me, I was already living inside that grief. My father had passed just weeks before. The weight of it hadn’t settled yet - it was still shifting, still raw, still catching me off guard.

What was the crucial part of the brief that appealed to you? 

SM: What truly resonated with me was how the brief wasn’t focussed on a literal narrative but on capturing the emotional weight of loss - the way it lingers and the way it reshapes you.

Above: Stuart McIntyre (left) with Andrew Scott on the People Watching shoot in San Pedro, CA, on January 8th 2025. 

They referenced Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho - a dreamlike meditation on unrequited love and the endless search for connection. I love this film, not just for its aesthetic or mood, but for its truth - the kind that settles in your bones. The ache of lived experience. I wanted to channel that same vulnerability, the way River Phoenix’s character [in the movie] longs for a sense of home, for belonging. You don’t just hear it in his words; you see it in his face, in the silences, in the weight he carries. That unspoken yearning.

And then there was that moment - 3:27 in the song. The brief singled it out - the swell, the shift, the emotional breaking point. It wasn’t just a climax; it was a reckoning. The challenge wasn’t just to arrive there, but to earn it. To build toward it in a way that made it inevitable, inescapable. That moment had to mean something. It had to hit.

Andrew was already a fan of Sam’s work [but] it was the song itself that truly resonated with him.

And how did you respond to that in your treatment? 

SM: I did my best to put that emotion into words. But I’ve always believed in Robert Bresson’s philosophy on filmmaking - you don’t make just one film, you make three. The one you write, the one you shoot, and the one you edit.

The treatment was just the first step, a blueprint for feeling rather than something rigidly set in stone. I wanted to create space for discovery. For the unspoken moments, for the unexpected nuances that only emerge when you’re deep in the process. The real film comes alive in the in-between, in the way it evolves from page to frame to cut.

Above: Andrew Scott on set of the People Watching video, with DoP Max Goldman.

Can you tell us a bit more about how Andrew Scott became attached to the project?  

SM: Andrew came on board after we were greenlit. I don’t know the exact details of how the label reached out, but my understanding is that Andrew was already a fan of Sam’s work. However, it was the song itself that truly resonated with him. Having recently lost his mother, its themes of grief and remembrance felt deeply personal, and he may have seen an opportunity to explore those emotions through the film.

That personal connection brought an unforgettable authenticity to his performance, making this collaboration all the more meaningful for everyone.

This character is always reaching... grasping for something just beyond his reach.

Was there a lot of discussion between yourself and Andrew about his character before the shoot?

SM: Andrew and I spoke at length about the character - before the shoot and throughout. His motivations, his grief, his quiet longing. But more than that, we talked about our own experiences.

One idea that resonated deeply with both of us was how this character is always reaching - for touch, for connection, for something to hold onto. Whether through hugs, holding hands, even through conflict, he’s grasping for something just beyond his reach. Trying to fill a void. Trying to tether himself to the world. That ache sits inside him, unspoken but ever-present.

Above: Stuart McIntyre (right) filming the deathbed scene.

But the real turning point came when Andrew shared a sketch he had drawn of his mother. The moment I saw it, I knew - that was the heart of the film. That was what he had been chasing all along. Throughout the story, we see him sketching, but we never quite see what he’s drawing, until the very end. That realization gave everything a deeper weight, an emotional throughline that felt inevitable.

It must be said, Andrew gave a lot to this film. More than I could have ever asked for. He allowed himself to be vulnerable, to let the camera see him. That kind of bravery doesn’t happen without trust. And for me, for all of us on set, it was essential to create a space where he felt safe enough to let go, to explore, to give himself fully to the moment.

And you feel it. In every glance, in every silence, in every flicker of his eyes—there’s something raw, something searching. A longing that never quite finds its answer. It’s beautiful. It’s heartbreaking. I’m so grateful.

When Andrew shared his sketch of his mother... I knew that was the heart of the film.

When and where did you shoot the video? How long did you have to shoot it? 

SM: We shot in San Pedro, CA. My very first shoot in LA was there, and I’ve been drawn to it ever since. There’s an honesty to the place, something raw and unfiltered, both in its landscapes and in its people. It felt right for this story, where we wanted to evoke a sense of Americana—the kind captured by Robert Frank’s photographs, John Steinbeck’s stories, Wim Wenders’ road-worn poetry. San Pedro already held the kind of truth we were searching for.

What were the biggest challenges on the shoot, and what were the most memorable moments? 

SM: My most memorable moment was simply working with everyone. Like every artistic journey, challenges arise, but when you’re surrounded by great people - from PAs to renowned actors - those challenges transform into opportunities.

But this wasn’t merely about telling a story. It was about capturing something unspoken.

Producer China Presles believed in this project from the very start, guiding it to the right home with unwavering trust. My closest collaborator, cinematographer Max Goldman, and I immersed ourselves in the story, shaping scenes together, finding meaning in every frame. His poetic eye didn’t just capture visuals—it elevated the soul of the film.

Editor Talia Pasqua took our footage and wove its pulse into an emotional, living story. Her perspective was invaluable; I can’t imagine the film without her instinctive ability to carve out its heart. And behind the scenes, agent Alexa Haywood played a crucial role in bringing it all together, ensuring this project became a reality.

The problem-solving, the shared passion, the unspoken understanding between collaborators - it all blended into something not just enjoyable, but deeply fulfilling. Everyone poured themselves into this film, and you can feel that energy in every frame.

The biggest challenge? Not running out of film! Shooting on 16mm meant I had to be conservative, which is far from my usual approach. I love to let the camera roll, to discover moments organically, but this limitation forced all of us to be intentional, to trust our instincts, to make every frame count. And in the end, that restraint led to some of the film’s most powerful creative choices.

And did you have much (or any) direct communication with Sam Fender during the process? If so, at which point did he make a valuable contribution?

SM: I didn’t have the chance to speak directly with Sam, but I collaborated closely with creative director, Semera Khan, whose insights became a guiding force in shaping the film’s heart. She shared Sam’s vision, his hopes for the piece, and, most importantly, the weight of the song’s meaning - the love and grief intertwined in his tribute to Annie Orwin, his godma.

Sam’s presence was profoundly felt through Samera’s guidance, in every note of the song, and in the raw emotion he infused into it.

Above: McIntyre (standing) talks to Scott between takes, filming outside a motel in San Pedro.

From our very first conversation with Andrew, we kept returning to grief, loss, and the delicate responsibility of honouring those we’ve lost. But this wasn’t merely about telling a story. It was about capturing something unspoken, something that belonged to Sam and Annie yet resonated with all of us. Everyone on set carried their own experiences of loss, their own quiet understanding of its weight. That shared knowing united us, urging us to create something honest, something that mattered.

Since its release, I’ve been overwhelmed by messages from people navigating their own grief, sharing how this film has touched them. It’s a profound reminder of why we create—to connect, to console, and to remind each other that we don’t bear our grief alone.

I’m incredibly proud to have helped bring this story to life, to have crafted something that lingers beyond the screen.

• Stuart McIntyre is represented for music videos in the UK by Alexa Haywood at Free Agent.