Production Company

Academy Films

<h3>In the latest of our new series asking British music video-makers about their experiences last year and thoughts on the coming year, we talk to Elena Argiros - Head of Music at Academy Films.</h3>Elena reflects upon 2022, the year when she crossed over from label side with Sony Music to production with Academy - and her hopes for 2023, including more concepts, comedy - and a yearning to see more video briefs for classic songs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2022How would you describe last year in a few words?&nbsp;Lots of change, lots of fun!&nbsp;What was your favourite project or projects you worked on last year?&nbsp;I’ve loved working with Ethan &amp; Tom. Their live film ‘Bad Day At The Office’ for Jeshi was a really special project to be a part of.&nbsp;We had a screening for it’s release in the Everyman Cinema - a real rare treat for a video.[vidtoken data:0]Above: Jeshi's Bad Day At The Office, directed by Ethan &amp; TomAny other project you enjoyed that deserved more attention, or went under the radar?&nbsp;It's a person rather than a project: one of our new directors at Academy, Candice Lo. Her short film called&nbsp;The Tinted Bloom&nbsp;(below) is a beautiful, brave piece of work. I highly recommend watching it.What were the best aspects of the job last year?&nbsp;The people! At Sony the creative team are like family, so working with them was unbelievably fun.&nbsp;And now over at Academy the team here have been a dream, especially the MV producer Cara Mills.<blockquote>&nbsp;I miss the concept-driven dance videos of the past.</blockquote>What were the most challenging aspects of the job last year?&nbsp;I’d have to say budgets unfortunately. I’m sure we’re not alone in that! It’s the classic main music video issue.&nbsp;Ever-changing shoot dates can be tough too!Best or favourite video or videos last year or so that you weren’t involved with?&nbsp;I love Ebenezer Blanche’s work. His video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/09/10/little-simz-ft-obongjayar-point-and-kill-ebeneza-blanche/72741" target="_blank">Little Simz's Point &amp; Kill</a> is amazing. Valentin Petit’s for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/02/06/rosal%C3%ADa-saoko-valentin-petit/79831" target="_blank">Rosalia's Saoko</a>&nbsp;was brilliant too. And Fa &amp; Fon are really talented – I especially like <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/01/31/m%C3%B8-new-moon-fa-fon/74746" target="_blank">their videos with Mø</a>.[vidtoken data:1]&nbsp;Above: The Tinted Bloom, directed by Candice LoWhat were the trends (creative or otherwise) that you thought were most striking last year?&nbsp;It certainly feels as though we’re seeing a lot of performance videos and less narrative/concept driven ideas. I do enjoy a well-made performance vid but it’d be great to see more variety. I miss the concept-driven dance videos of the past!What was&nbsp;other cultural highlight (or highlights) of the year?&nbsp;I got really into Taylor Swift this year, when Midnights came out, which was a little unexpected.&nbsp;What a good album.&nbsp;&nbsp;Any other personal experience that defines 2022 for you?&nbsp;Moving from Sony over to Academy!<blockquote>I’m hoping for a more creative year than 2022 and a&nbsp;hunger for comedy again!&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote>2023What are you looking forward to in 2023 – both for work and for other parts of your life?&nbsp;I plan to do a&nbsp;boat tour in the Everglades to see an alligator. Not for work&nbsp;though!Have you set work objectives for this year and if so, what are they?To keep making videos for&nbsp;strong&nbsp;tracks! I’m very keen to not only work&nbsp;with the music video directors, but maybe get some of the established filmmakers over here like Seb Edwards to dip their toes into promo world again.Who are the up-and-coming talents that you think will break through this year – or at least deserve to be successful?&nbsp;&nbsp;Ethan &amp; Tom.&nbsp;We’re very proud of their recent MVA win with <a href="https://www.academyfilms.com/portfolio/wu-lu-ten" target="_blank">WuLu's Ten</a>. Candice Lo, our recent signing&nbsp;is really talented.&nbsp;And photographer-turned-director&nbsp;Katie Burdon’s short film Blue Tits is&nbsp;doing brilliantly. So more videos with all of them this year would be great.[vidtoken data:2]Above: Trailer for 'Blue Tits', directed Katie BurdonWhat is your prediction for the direction of the industry in 2023? And what will be the big trends for the year&nbsp;ahead?It already feels like a busy start which is brilliant. I’m hoping for a more creative year than 2022 and a little more hunger for comedy again!Any other comments about the current environment for music video production and music video creativity? What are the issues that we should be most concerned with?&nbsp;I’d love&nbsp;to see more creative risk-taking!&nbsp;We’ve had quite a safe couple of years in the industry – lots of traditional performance videos. I’m always keen to see a bit more humour, pushing the boundaries a bit. I loved AntsLive’s recent Number One Candidate&nbsp;video.I’m a little concerned that there’s a move towards quantity over quality with artists content, including official videos. But this is the current climate. So rather than fight against that, we need to keep pushing for quality and interesting ideas where possible! Great creative massively helps artists' campaigns. So I hope that is considered more;&nbsp;quality, not quantity!<blockquote>I’ve always felt that open-brief dance tracks can be brilliant opportunities.</blockquote>If you could ‘make a wish’, and reform or change the environment in which you work in one way, what would you wish for?&nbsp;I reeeeaally want to make some new videos for old catalogue tracks. I’ve seen that happen a little bit -&nbsp;Academy director Savanah Leaf made a great video for What’s Going On&nbsp;by Marvin Gaye (below) - and I’d LOVE for it to take off even more. &nbsp;Another wish would be a little more budget and lead time given to projects. We’re in quite a reactive period where if a track’s doing well - Tiktok can often drive this - suddenly the label need a video for it fast. Which is understandable. It would be great to have longer lead times on the development artists projects. But some labels are great at that already to be fair!&nbsp;[vidtoken data:3]Above: Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, directed by Savanah LeafWhere are the opportunities in the current environment?&nbsp;I’ve always felt that open-brief dance tracks can be brilliant opportunities! The 90’s was an incredible time for that. The good thing about the current industry is there’s a lot being made. Budgets are generally smaller but there are opportunities there for directors to make work if they’re hungry.Have you made any personal New Year resolutions? And if so, how’s it going?I have made some yes and I’m pleased to stay I’ve actually stuck to them…so far.• Elena Argiros is Head of Music at <a href="https://www.academyfilms.com/" target="_blank">Academy Films</a>. The music video roster is represented by <a href="https://www.mouthpiecerep.me/" target="_blank">Mouthpiece</a>.&nbsp;

Elena Argiros

State of Play: Elena Argiros, Academy Films

Jeshi-'Bad-Day-At-The-Office-(live-Film)'-by-Ethan-+-Tom

THE TINTED BLOOM

Bluetits Documentary Trailer - Academy Films, directed by Katie Burdon

What's Going On - MARVIN GAYE

Candice Lo has joined the directors roster at Academy Films.Lo is a Taiwan-born, London-based director whose work is characterised by a strong visually poetic language. She draws inspiration from female empowerment, day-to-day experiences, and creative culture.Her ability to bring the audience on a journey of intimate connection within themselves is testament to her client list. She has worked with some of the world’s best known brands and artists including: Vogue, Victoria Beckham, Stella McCartney, Dua Lipa, HoYeon Jung, Millie Bobby Brown, Zara, Jo Malone and Adidas.She was selected by Showstudio’s founder Nick Knight as ‘Emerging Fashion Filmmaker of the Year’ in 2017.Academy Films say:&nbsp;"Candice draws inspiration from feminism, day to&nbsp;day experiences,&nbsp;creative culture combined with authentic storytelling. We couldn’t be happier to have her as part of our emerging roster."• Watch Candice Lo's work on the Academy Films website <a href="https://www.academyfilms.com/candice-lo#" target="_blank">here</a>

Candice Lo joins Academy Films

Ethan + Tom direct a terrific 25-minute live film for Jeshi.Encompassing several tracks from his new LP Universal Credit, the video sees the artist in an empty office block, performing alongside musicians&nbsp;Tagara, Eardbuds, Wonky Logic and Loner Muaka.The live performances are creatively and intricately staged, and the guest musicians are interwoven into the concept by appearing as office workers, replacing computers and keyboards with their instruments.&nbsp;

United Kingdom

Sebastian Chan

Cara Mills

Ellie Rimmer

Ethan + Tom

Isabella Culver

Mouthpiece

Ed Pearson

Riaz Ahmed

Fraser Rigg

Rosie Owen

Chris Cole

Tamia Diaz

Tanmoye Khan

Tina Khatri

Connor Coolbear

Electric Theatre Collective

Because Music

Jeshi 'Bad Day At The Office' (Live) by Ethan + Tom

Ethan + Tom direct an introspective promo for Tendai's&nbsp;Time In Our Lives, where we see a man editing&nbsp;film on an old Steenbeck, taking great care of the material as he watches back the negatives and cuts with trained precision.&nbsp;A sense of yearning nostalgia is created by touching upon&nbsp;the physical traditions of moving image production, whilst hinting at a love story gone astray in a tender performance vignette.&nbsp;The video is refreshingly multilayered and clever in its concept, visualising 'time gone by',&nbsp;not only in a single narrative&nbsp;but by offering snapshots of near-antiquated technology and the traditions that are gradually being lost to&nbsp;the passing of time itself.Great work from the director duo, who won at the UKMVAs&nbsp;this year for their video for Wu-Lu's&nbsp;Ten.&nbsp;

Liam Wallace Cook

Laura Manners

Jess Horne

Will Wills

Liam Reardon

Daniel Brewster

Nicola Sheppard

Tendai 'Time In Our Lives' by Ethan + Tom

Tendai--'Time-In-Our-Lives'-by-Ethan-+-Tom

London-based production company <a href="https://www.academyfilms.com/music-video-directors" target="_blank">Academy</a>&nbsp;has announced that Elena Argiros has joined&nbsp;to&nbsp;head its&nbsp;music video division, arriving from Sony Music where she was a senior music video commissioner.&nbsp;In her career as a commissioner at Sony, Argiros worked alongside some major artists to commission their music videos, including&nbsp;London Grammar, Headie One, Mimi Webb, Robbie Williams, Rita Ora and Beardyman - the latter on a video produced by Academy. She was recognised for her work with a Best Commissioner nomination at the UK Music Video Awards in 2021.&nbsp;Argiros's new role as Head of Music at Academy - a company with a rich history in music video production and behind some legendary music videos, from the 1990s onwards&nbsp;- will be to lead the division, acting as executive producer on projects, while&nbsp;unearthing young directors and finding new opportunities within the music video world.“We’re absolutely delighted Elena has decided to join our Academy team," says Academy’s joint owner Medb Riordan. "I first worked with her on a highly creative and ambitious video [for Beardyman], and I knew immediately she had the passion and drive to really push for a director’s vision. She will bring a fresh, creative energy to Academy’s Music department and champion both new and existing talent. I’m really excited to work with her.”On joining Academy, Elena Argiros adds: “Academy feels like both a logical next step and a career goal. Working at a company with such a history of iconic music videos from a roster bursting with talent and depth is just incredibly exciting to be a part of.”• Academy's music video directors' roster&nbsp;<a href="https://www.academyfilms.com/music-video-directors" target="_blank">here</a>

Elena Argiros joins Academy as Head of Music

Katie Burdon directs a contemplative promo for Bonnie Kemplay.&nbsp;Contained in the four walls of her bedroom, we see the artist contemplate life and past relationships, as she practices self-care and waters her houseplant.&nbsp;Watching memories back on an old TV, the anachronistic vibes perfectly suit the grungey alt-pop sound, and the climactic, neon-tinged ending adds an abstract vibe to the concept.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Phoebe Platman

Katie Burdon

Lexi Kiddo

Owaian Morgan

Medb Riordan

Afzal Robanni

Harry Coleman

Gordon Wong

Mel Chatelet

Chloe Rose

Tamara Ishida

Assembly Rooms

Karol Cybulski

CHEAT

Dirty Hit

Bonnie Kemplay '19' by Katie Burdon

Bonnie-Kemplay-'19'-by-Katie-Burdon

Ethan &amp; Tom direct a fresh take on 90's nostalgia in their promo for tendai.&nbsp;Viewers of a certain vintage will remember the excitement and anticipation that came with the TV rolling into the classroom on a school day. Regardless of what was being played on-screen, the whole proceeding was an event, and the director duo have used this as their central concept in the video for Pressure.&nbsp;Shot in a white cyc studio, the understated action happens around this TV, which loops Ceefax-style graphics, revealing lyrics and thematical callbacks to the track.&nbsp;It has the multiformat, inventive trademark that the directors are known for, and achieves an awful lot on limited resources.&nbsp;

Oliver Whitworth

Jamie Hitchens

Pete Bishop

Adam Fox

Scarlett Gardner

Lily Huang

Ethan Hanz

Luke Morrison

Def Jam Recordings

Universal Music Group

tendai 'Pressure' by Ethan & Tom

Tendai-'Pressure'-by-Ethan-&-Tom

Henry Scholfield directs a hypnotic, VFX-heavy extravaganza for Ed Sheeran featuring Lil Baby.&nbsp;The video for 2step shows Sheeran walking down an empty street in Kyiv, as the surrounding characters and environment&nbsp;start to vanish into thin air. This eventually builds&nbsp;to a sensational dance set-piece, and a mind-bending trip through warped cityscapes and slick choreography - which Sheeran enthusiastically dives into himself&nbsp;too, together with co-star Lil Baby.&nbsp;The project&nbsp;opens with a title card with a message from Ed Sheeran explaining that the video was shot in Kyiv before the Russian invasion&nbsp;of Ukraine two months ago, and that profits from the video streaming are going directly to DEC's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.&nbsp;

Aliona Gadzhylova

Kostia Honcharuk

Henry Scholfield

Ash Lockmun

Sasha Shvets

Giuseppe Favale

Maurizio Von Trapp

Antonia Vickers

Aleksei Smoliar

Andrew Smith

Andrew Stepanov

Sergii Harnyk

Oleksiy Zbrozhko

Valera Legosha

Peter Chetveriakov

Shay Latukolan 

Ellie Johnson

TenThree

Alex Gregory

No.8

Jim Allen

Radioaktive Films

Dan Curwin

Atlantic Records

Singer-songwriter

Ed Sheeran ft Lil Baby '2step' by Henry Scholfield

Ed Sheeran - 2step (feat. Lil Baby) - [Official Video]

Ethan + Tom direct an introspective promo for up and coming London-based artist tendai.&nbsp;The video builds upon the director duo's trademark eclectic style, mashing together live action footage with stock imagery and vintage&nbsp;home video cutaways.&nbsp;The use of projection and bold colour in the cinematography elevates the visual, which is contained in its location but unrestrained in its aesthetic.&nbsp;

Louis Simonon

Annie Knight

Ade Udoma

Tommaso Colelli

James Huthwaite

Def Jam

Alternative

tendai 'Lately' by Ethan + Tom

tendai -  Lately, (official video)

Remi Laudat directs a visual extravaganza for Amaarae, with a little help from&nbsp;Kali Uchis and Moliy.The video for&nbsp;Sad Girlz Luv Money is a tongue-in-cheek celebration of women in control, inspired by&nbsp;Nineties pop videos.Inside the Sad Girlz Inc tower, the scammers and hustlers are out there living their best lives, making their mullah, swimming in cash, and making any unwelcome male visitor pay for their sins.With a hyperstylised neon aesthetic, the video blends retro-futurism with contemporary digital flair, and the assured performances of Amaarae, Kali Uchis and Moliy - captured in shoots in London,&nbsp;Los Angeles and New York - take the concept to the next level.[imgtoken data:1]

Remi Laudat

Joshua Noon

Kaname Onoyama

Philips Nortey

Kiira Harper

Thomas Mangham

Bruce Langfield

Black Kite Studios

James Marshall

Luke Tierney

Hanan Cher

Emma Friend

Kate McMillan

Matt Allsop

Krunal Saadrani

Studio Augmenta

Kash Powell

Holly Shearn

Amaarae ft Kali Uchis & Moliy 'Sad Girlz Luv Money' by Remi Laudat

Amaarae - SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY Remix ft Kali Uchis & Moliy (Official Video)

Ethan + Tom direct a&nbsp;Tarkovsky-inspired video for singer-songwriter Ethan P. Flynn - a bold one-take of Flynn's performance in front of a raging inferno.&nbsp;Shot in&nbsp;Kazakhstan, the video sees the artist at first traversing a spectacular&nbsp;landscape: a lake, backdropped by mountainous plains and a dreamy red sky. Flynn is walking towards a light, which is revealed as a small wooden house, engulfed in flames.&nbsp;The video is an external representation of the inner turmoil of the lyrics of the song Father Of Nine, and as Flynn performs in front of the burning house, the camera smoothly drifts wider and then closer, to capture the intensity of the experience. And it's such a powerful&nbsp;image.[imgtoken data:1]

Ali Beisekov

Yan Kasyanov

David Bird

Ethan Barrett

Young

Ethan P. Flynn 'Father Of Nine' by Ethan + Tom

Ethan P. Flynn - Father of Nine

BWTV directs an evocative promo for Bonobo's Shadows, featuring Jordan Rakei, focusing on abstract imagery and graphics.&nbsp;Exploring the power of memory and everyday experience through patterns, shadow and light, the video transcends a traditional structure, instead focusing on repetitive sequences and brief, fleeting moments in time.[imgtoken data:1]"Shadows are reflections of ourselves, our movements, whims, wants and urges - like memories happening in the present; like scars that leave no mark," comment Liam Achaibou and Ryan Vernava - aka BWTV. "They are a creeping measure of passing moments: alive, immediate and fleeting. They stretch and bend to the world around them and they thicken and fade as the days roll on."We wanted to make a video that meditates on these ideas; using found captured and created material to investigate the patterns and visual metaphors that emerge as we experimented with the footage."Using the emotional language of the shadow we began to build sequences and patterns reminiscent of how one might compose a multitrack piece of music. Layers, lots of layers..." &nbsp;

BWTV

Daniel Davies

Carrie Sutton

John Moule

Ninja Tune

Dance

Electronic

Bonobo ft Jordan Rakei 'Shadows' by BWTV

Bonobo - 'Shadows (feat. Jordan Rakei)' (Official Video)

For their previously unreleased song Follow Me Around, Radiohead have a wonderful new video by directing&nbsp;duo Us -&nbsp;Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor - starring Guy Pearce. He plays the hapless victim of a particularly tenacious insect - and we, the viewer,&nbsp;are that pesky bug.&nbsp;A simple idea is transformed by Barrett and Taylor's brilliant employment of up-to-the-minute tech. And indeed, minute tech: the entire video is shot on a&nbsp;tiny drone&nbsp;that speeds through London streets, and through tiny spaces, and finds its way to Pearce's East London home - where the relentless attack&nbsp;by the bug begins. Everything we see comes from insect-POV, as we witness Pearce's increasing desperation and panic.[imgtoken data:1]Us were inspired to look through the mini-critter's eyes, having spent a summer combatting mosquitos. They were also inspired by&nbsp;footage of tiny drones that can go through anywhere at speed.&nbsp;With the brilliant casting of Pearce, Barrett and Taylor have also elevated the concept further, adding a level of ambiguity&nbsp;where surveillance, paranoia and the humble mosquito meet.&nbsp;The formatting of the camera was made to emulate both the period of the song, with its lo-fi 420p resolution, and also the idea of surveillance cameras, as well as the erratic and somewhat flailing camp of vision one imagines a mosquito’s to be. Married with Guy Pearce’s outstanding acting, the sparse visuals are meant to make the viewer feel as uncomfortable as the character on the screen.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]And why is Pearce being targetted?&nbsp;We really can only guess, as the one thing we cannot see is the attacker itself - is this actually an insect, or perhaps another form of Bug...It is of course perfect for the lovely song Follow Me Around, a live favourite which dates back to the era of OK Computer,&nbsp;that Radiohead are only now releasing, on the new Kid A/Amnesiac sessions project. This one goes direct to the pantheon of great Radiohead videos.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Us (Chris Barrett & Luke Taylor)

Georgina Smith

James Sharpe

Molly Manning Walker

Bill Rae Smith

Mark Connell

Katie McGoldrick

Terry Grisdale

Joe Guest

Final Cut

Simone Grattarola

Time Based Arts

Sean Ewins

Mishaal Memon

Guy Pearce

Scott Wright

XL Recordings

Rock

Radiohead 'Follow Me Around' by Us

Radiohead-'Follow-Me-Around'-by-Us-(chris-Barrett-&-Luke-Taylor)

Jordan Hemingway directs a mesmerising visual film for Wolf Alice's new album Blue Weekend.A night out in London - we’ve all had one of those. Trying to work through heartbreak and friendships made and lost, meeting characters good and bad, funny and tragic. A fight here, an embrace there. Singing in toilets, bidding farewell to a lover at a bus stop, before riding home with your mates singing at the top of your voice, until you’re alone again, but not lonely.[imgtoken data:1]You feel love, wrapped in the memories of the mad night that lays behind.Jordan Hemingway’s rendering of such a night, of course, takes twists and turns and exaggerates, making&nbsp;every mundane moment into something magically grotesque. Characters unhinged, colours bursting. Chaos reigns supreme as Wolf Alice’s visual album unfolds, with the music serving as a guide to the imagery, the emotional clock that ticks away to the early hours of the morning.[imgtoken data:2]The project is an absolute tour de force, interweaving Hemingway's hallucinatory&nbsp;vision and a series of breathtaking performances, delivered in grungy locations across the city.&nbsp;Unexpected, daring and vibrant, the abstract imagery and colour-drenched set pieces are elevated by DoP&nbsp;Molly Manning Walker's dazzling cinematography, and a true marriage of craft from every member of the production team.&nbsp;Watch the trailer for the film above, and of course, catch several of the individual videos on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/WolfAliceMusic/featured">Wolf Alice's YouTube channel.&nbsp;</a>[imgtoken data:3]

Jordan Hemingway

Ella Girardot

Kavita Babbar

Irene Maffei

Toby  Mckay

Sam Taylor

Luke Moran Morris

Nick Royal

Erika Freedman

Esme Horn

Jenny Glynn

Louis Hvejsel Bork

Joseph Bicknell

Company 3

Anna Kelman

Ed Blow

Dirty Hit Record S

Wolf Alice 'Blue Weekend' by Jordan Hemingway

Wolf-Alice--'Blue-Weekend-'-by-Jordan-Hemingway

Fiona Godivier celebrates the joy in the everyday, in her hopeful promo for Paul Weller.&nbsp;Heading to the&nbsp;Mediterranean, Godivier presents a series of interconnected vignettes, offering snapshots of day to day life in various character's worlds.Exploring the small moments in life that make the&nbsp;difficult times worth it, the video explores&nbsp;connectedness, relationships and the beauty of crossing paths with strangers, projecting a feeling of optimism and hope.&nbsp;Godivier anchors each of the stories to a striking location, using her keen architectural eye to backdrop the narratives and create the feeling that in every one of these places, a million other special moments are unfolding.[imgtoken data:1]

Academy Films

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