Agile Films is an award-winning, full-service production company based in Shoreditch.

OB Management

Production Company

Agile Films

Mumford &amp; Sons return to action with an irresistibly joyous video by Charlie Robins in which some of the band's most loyal fans listen to&nbsp;their new music for the first time, capturing their instinctive initial&nbsp;reactions.Fans and friends of the band were invited to hear Rushmere - title track of Mumford &amp; Sons'&nbsp;forthcoming new album and their first release in over five years - at an event in London in December. In a stripped-back studio setting and&nbsp;with multiple cameras, Robins' then focusses&nbsp;on each person, filmed individually or as a pair, and finds them reacting in a range of very personal ways to the song.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Opening with a mosaic-like grid&nbsp;of each person at the start of each take, the video then transitions into a glorious rollercoaster of emotions - the dawning&nbsp;pleasure of hearing a song that revives the band's early sound,&nbsp;turning into&nbsp;dancing in some cases, but also quieter, intimate&nbsp;contemplation&nbsp;and even a few tears.[imgtoken data:1]The genuine reactions of discovery from a group of ordinary people with a shared love of the band&nbsp;- some of whom came a very long way to attend - are fascinating and heartwarming to behold, captured in Jack Exton's cinematography and Ed Cooper's insightful edit. A delightful visual that is both affecting and celebratory.&nbsp;"Humans being humans is such a simple concept," explains Robins. "We decided to run with it and do a bit of a forensic study of Mumford’s fans and friends as they encountered the new music."We shot with eight cameras - perhaps slightly OTT but nothing beats good old-fashioned realness. Everything we captured was of the moment and honest and I think it really shows in the final film."What a lovely bunch of people."

United Kingdom

Taise Kerr

Alizee Levrino

Charlie Robins

Ynez Myers

Andre Reid

David Knight

James Duffy

Jack Exton

Myles Payne

Daniel Castro Garcia

Edward Cooper

The Assembly Rooms

Thomas Mangham

Black Kite Studios

Rock

Mumford & Sons 'Rushmere' by Charlie Robins

Mumford-&-Sons-'Rushmere'-by-Charlie-Robins

Earth is under attack and only a long-suffering pub barman - who happens to look different from everyone else -&nbsp;can save us, in&nbsp;James Ogram's terrific promo for South London indie-rock outfit Fat Dog.&nbsp;Ogram finds the sweet spot between satire and cartoon capers in the video for the band's rollicking anthem Earth Song, where a very tall, distinctive-looking alien (played by Peter Lidell)&nbsp;arrives&nbsp;for work in a London boozer, to face hostility and abuse&nbsp;by one of the punters. When the TV news channel reports on a UFO in the shape of giant dog&nbsp;hurtling towards Earth, other drinkers also pile in to blame him for the alien invasion. So he decides to act...[imgtoken data:1]Cue a cool change of visual style to mixed media&nbsp;animated montage, when the alien barman goes to confront the Big Dog in a titanic clash among London skyscapers. Vibrant colours and cut-out textures collide&nbsp;in a King Kong v Godzilla-style fight montage, with painstaking animated elements&nbsp;assembled by animation director Evan Lawday.Following his videos for Honeyglaze, including the UKMVA-nominated <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/06/17/honeyglaze-dont-james-ogram/86876" target="_blank">Don't</a>, this is&nbsp;a big step up in scope and ambition by Ogram, and he rises to the challenge. The video is a pleasure from start to finish - to enjoy for fun&nbsp;and also absorb the underlying message.&nbsp; &nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;"When I first received the brief for this video from Fat Dog, there was one major question to answer: how do I make The Man Who Fell To Earth meet Godzilla on a music video budget?" says Ogram.&nbsp;"It was a little tough. But once I saw Peter (our alien) in make-up, I was confident we could make it work."We filmed Peter against greenscreen, getting him to do karate kicks, punches and all sorts of other bizarre things, so our animator, Evan Lawday, would have something to work with. Peter was a great sport and we managed to get a lot in about an hour."We then had to cram all this story into the remaining two&nbsp;minutes of the music video. We focused on hitting beats and not over-shooting. Spending our time on little looks between Peter and the supporting artists and somehow, I think it all worked out."&nbsp;

Kyla Weldon

Finley Lane Mcelroy

Evan Lawday

Grace Conway

James Ogram

André Reid-McKinley

Kian Altmann

Adam Singodia

Jim Holland

Ali Copland

Ollie Pearson

Ana-marija Ramić

Raphael Arcadios

John O’Riordan

Punderson Gardens

Ben Carey

Agile Studio

Peter Lidell

Domino Records

Alternative

Fat Dog 'Earth Song' by James Ogram

Fat-Dog-'Earth-Song'-by-James-Ogram

Bear Damen directs a charming promo for Royel Otis.&nbsp;The video for If Our Love Is Dead exudes a nostalgic, early noughties vibe, with a central focus on playful camerawork and charismatic performances.&nbsp;Elevated with a grungy yet vibrant grade, it's a great little video that perfectly suits the track.&nbsp;

Jess Sabine

Angie Broomfield

George Traynor

Bear Damen

David Gourlay

John Moule

Massimo Fillipi

Rhys Warren

Anthony Mchugh

Joe Medlock

Joe Corrie

Sharon Chung

Wash

Ourness

Royel Otis 'If Our Love Is Dead' by Bear Damen

Royel-Otis-'If-Our-Love-Is-Dead'-by-Bear-Damen

Geerten Harmens directs a trippy fever dream of a promo for pop-dance duo Sad Night Dynamite, presented through a frantic montage of mobile phone footage, intercut with social media iconography, garish textures and dynamic animation.&nbsp;The video for Sugabby narratively explores the idea of dating an older woman, with the tale unfolding through a&nbsp;menagerie of media and different screen devices. Slipping from reality into an uncanny valley of fantasy, achieved at&nbsp;a breathless speed Harmens and his team provide a srong addition to&nbsp;the off-kilter and blackly comic aesthetic of previous SND videos.&nbsp;&nbsp;"This video has been extremely interesting to figure out," the director&nbsp;explains. "Together with the crew we had to think about a simultaneous social media storyline that all came together in it's own little hyperactive viral cultured way in the edit."We had to work with about eight hours of iPhone footage to compile it in under three minutes. Together with Anders Mills at Trim Editing and the amazing VFX team at Agile we polished and polished to make this video!"[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Noreen Khan

Harry Watts

Suzie Walsh

Geerten Harmens

Sam Seager

Ian Blackburn

George Greenwood

Jaden Dayle

Erika Freedman

Anders Mills

Trim Editing

Jon Dobson

Oana Anghel

Andrius Vizbaras

Alt-Pop

Sad Night Dynamite 'Sugabby' by Geerten Harmens

Sad-Night-Dynamite-'Sugabby'-by-Geerten-Harmens

Pietro Biz Biasia directs an explosive, VFX-powered comeback promo for Bree Runway.&nbsp;Celebrating her newfound independence from her record label, the video for Just Like That is a bold reminder of her formidable presence in the industry.&nbsp;Peppered with experimental cinematography, kaleidoscopic effects and the odd stylistic glitch, the video is a true return to form, anchored by the artist's captivating performance style and some truly eye-catching looks.&nbsp;Just like that,&nbsp;Bree is "motherf*ckin'&nbsp;back" - and this is the perfect video to complement the riotous track.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]

Lucy Isobel-bonner

Pietro Biz Biasia

Jamie Mccallum

Plus Another One

Anique Cox

Chaimuki

Clara Stasia

Charlie J Doherty

Zhanbo Yu

Luke De Borde

Falco Caldeira

Laure Courtellemont

Vodka

Becks

Chelsea Uchenna

Andrew Loughnane

Jacob Van Pelt

Valts Bergmanis

Justin Hwang

Bree Runway 'Just Like That' by Pietro Biz Biasia

Bree-Runway--'Just-Like-That'-by-Pietro-Biz-Biasia

Jake Dypka directs his second video for acoustic duo Memorial, and another life-affirming essay of ordinary folk in Britain.&nbsp;In 2021, for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/06/24/memorial-heros-death-jake-dypka/71581" target="_blank">Memorial's cover of Fontaine DC's A Hero's Death</a>, Dypka documented the holidaymakers at Butlin's resort in Skegness, on the East coast of England. Now for Corduroy, Dypka's subject is the South Wales town of Port Talbot - home to the famous steelworks - and its residents.Even more so than for A Hero's Death,&nbsp;Dypka and his small crew, including DoP Spike Morris, are&nbsp;unobtrusive observers of the everyday in a local working class community, creating wonderfully evocative portraits of the individuals and also capturing the almost unique surroundings: a town hemmed in by sea and hills, where the steelworks and the M4 motorway flyover&nbsp;are nearly always visible.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;"Continuing the theme from our last promo, I wanted to combine a loose documentary approach with very pared-back photography - a combination of control and happenstance," says Dypka.&nbsp;"The aim was to see what I could do with the most minimal tools at my disposal: a camera, a place, and just reacting to what I found on the day."Unlike last time, I wanted to keep my distance and observe my subjects rather than engineer the situation, which I felt would better reflect the emotional experience of the song."The idea for Port Talbot came about from trying to find somewhere that had strong visual contrasts to reflect the emotional contrasts I felt while listening to the music. At first, I thought it was a happy song about having good times in the sun until I spent more time with it. Later, I thought the song was wearing a mask - happy on the surface with something darker lurking beneath. What Memorial did so well was to move seamlessly between joy and sorrow, and that was at the heart of what I was trying to do with the video."[imgtoken data:2]The director adds that budget constraints meant that shooting on film was not an option.&nbsp;"So right from the beginning it was about getting the most organic feel from digital," he says.&nbsp;"Being just me Spike and Joe (producer) we knew it needed to be small and workable to the conditions."In the end it was between Alexa Mini and RED Komodo. I probably would have preferred the former but Spike pushed for the RED and he was right to do so. We used Zeiss Superspeeds which we both knew would be spot on for it."

Jake Dypka

Joseph Edwards

Spike Morris

Zorica ŠaliĆ

Toby Tomkins

CHEAT

Real Kind Records

Memorial 'Corduroy' by Jake Dypka

Memorial-'Corduroy-'-by-Jake-Dypka

Jesse May Fisher reunites with longtime collaborator Etta Marcus, meditating&nbsp;on friendship in the promo for Girls That Play.With a constrained colour palette and playful camera movement, the video is a bold, confident take on the track, and instantly memorable in the way that it addresses the multiple layers of emotion and meaning that exist within the framework of friendship among girls.&nbsp;&nbsp;"The visual world for Girls That Play is inspired by the complex intimacies of female friendship, as well as cinematic iconographies of femininity," says Fisher."Girls That Play depicts a menacing, mysterious and ritualised version of girlhood."

Oksana Steblyk

Tomas Katter

Jesse May Fisher

OB42

Louis Danckwerts

Salvadore Gomez-lopez

David Foulkes

Elsa Grace

Luke Jefferson

Lucas Campain

Dasha Taivas

Ben Elkaim

Myles Bevan

Studio RM

Polydor

Indie

Etta Marcus 'Girls That Play' by Jesse May Fisher

Etta-Marcus-'Girls-That-Play'-by-Jesse-May-Fisher

Jesse May Fisher directs an evocative&nbsp;promo for singer-songwriter-producer Erika De Casier's new track Lucky, taken from her upcoming album Still.&nbsp;Blending abstract coastal shots and beachside performance, the video feels dreamlike and transcendental in its approach.&nbsp;Fisher uses coruscating lights and fog to give&nbsp;the video a photographic, almost surreal style, complementing the experimental vibes of the track.&nbsp;"I wanted to make something euphoric and magical for Erika," she explains. "The imagery for Lucky takes inspiration from the drama and sensuality of perfume ads."[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

Ellie Walker

Sophie Hall

Rob Sheers

Natasha Duursma

Oliver Bingham

James Huthwaite

Trim

Karol Cybulski

Erika De Casier 'Lucky' by Jesse May Fisher

Erika-De-Casier-'Lucky'-by-Jesse-May-Fisher

A young woman attends a séance, where events take an even stranger turn than expected, in this riveting cinematic spectacle, co-directed by&nbsp;Emile Rafael and Joe Connor for the pair's own synth-based music project, Supermodel.Set in a grand hotel, with a cast of characters gathered in their finery to engage in the séance, the narrative element of the video for the pulsating Push moves into a dreamlike world, where the participants are engulfed in sensory overload - visally expressed in charged blur of colour and choreography.It's an intense&nbsp;and mesmerizing experience, with superb cinematography (by Michal Babinec), editing (by Liv Ay at Trim) and VFX work (at Agile Studio). It means that Emile Rafael and Joe Connor's first collaboration as directors is easily as successful as their musical partnership.&nbsp;&nbsp;We spoke to the pair to discover more about how they started making music together, and how they made the video.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>For me it’s a story about grief.</blockquote>&nbsp; PROMONEWS: How and when did you start making music together? And when did it get serious and you wanted to release it as Supermodel? JOE CONNOR: I’d been trying to write another sad folk album (after my first one in 2017), but I was really uninspired. I just wasn't that sad anymore. I started messing around with synths and drums to find a new sound. Emile, I think, was doing a similar exercise, just exploring music that chimed with a kind of post-Brexit decay we both felt. We started passing tracks back and forth and out of that, we got one of our first releases, Have You Forgot. It was a miracle process and we decided to keep going with it.&nbsp;EMILE RAFAEL: Yes, it was Covid and we all were at home and not being able to shoot and we were depressed along with everyone else (I actually secretly enjoyed the lack of any FOMO).&nbsp;This is when I got a few dusty synths out and started working on some sketches. I was a big fan of Joe’s music already. I spent a whole job in Toronto once listening to it on repeat. We had a few chats and then I sent him one of the music ideas and the lyrics that came back were just so right. Then a friend of ours, Steve Spiro liked it and decided to release it on his small label. And suddenly we thought to ourselves: wow, is this thing real? Can it become serious?&nbsp;Then we were at a film party and Joe said “What about SUPERMODEL as a name?” and I said 'yes' right away. Two hours later at the same party I was telling people how I’m in a band called Supermodel.&nbsp;But we still have no memory of how we actually met.&nbsp;JC: I think Sing J Lee introduced us….but then, I can't really remember.[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;Now you’ve made a video for Push, as a directing collaboration. What was the process? Did you come up with the idea together - and did that happen after the song was completed?JC: Emile actually came up with the concept. I thought he was mad. Turns out he is mad. He had the idea of setting the track to a seance, and we just developed the video from there.We both worked on the styling, casting, and storyboarding together - and then the shoot day was unique. I have a different approach to Emile, I like to plan like crazy and then have the space to improvise. Emile, quite rightly, likes to plan and then follow the plan. I can’t blame him. I blame myself.&nbsp;ER: Yes, the song was done, and we knew this was the big one. Co-directing I think was a big interesting event for both of us. I mean Joe is the insane one. It’s like dealing with pure creative chaos to my very intense focus.&nbsp;In music we both occupy a bit of our own space that sometimes intersects. In directing we realized we are very similar in our taste, but we get there in a very different way. I think we learned a lot from each other while seriously putting each other on edge a few times. I think you can definitely feel that in the video and it needed that intensity.It’s a very abstract and dreamlike narrative. How would you explain the story? How does it relate to the song?ER: I had an idea for a bit about a séance after seeing some very old pictures of people with ectoplasm and glowing things. It was all very early manipulation of photography that must have been incredibly hard to pull off. Or was it?&nbsp;&nbsp;[imgtoken data:3]<blockquote>Creating visuals for our own music...&nbsp;makes total sense. We’re building the whole world.</blockquote>But once we started developing a story I think we injected a lot of things for both of us. For me it’s a story about grief. The main character comes to the séance&nbsp;to try to reconnect with her lover that died in an accident that they’ve been in together. And so is everyone else, trying to connect to people that are gone. And then in this ritual she gains a sense of power over her grief, or at least let’s go in some way letting go. The hugging is all of them giving each other comfort.&nbsp;How does it relate to the song? What’s the song about Joe, again?JC: The song is about being stuck. Grief is a pretty apt vehicle to explore stasis. Stuck in a rut, stuck in stasis, stuck in-between places. I think we've all experienced that post-2020.&nbsp;It looks amazing - a big expensive production. So how did you pull it off? Where (and when) did you shoot it? JC : We’ve both been in the industry long enough that all our friends happen to be exceptionally talented. The technical crew on this film is a list of close collaborators, friends and family who all gave their time to help us realize this vision. We were really proud of what we managed to achieve with the resources we have.Which I must also say, shout out to Agile, Arts &amp; Sciences and Rogue (our respective representatives) who got behind the project and helped us realize it, and in the case of Agile Studio and Agile Post, really gave a lot of time and love to finish the project off.&nbsp;ER: It was mostly me telling Joe “watch me make this happen” and then not taking no for an answer from everyone.&nbsp;JC: You took a lot of ‘no’s’ but…I applaud you.[imgtoken data:4]You’re both solo directors, so what was it like to co-direct this? Did you divide responsibility, so Joe in charge of one aspect and Emile another, or just went all-in collab on everything?JC: We did a bit of both. Obviously, our working practices are different, but the reason we collaborate on music is they kind of complement each other. We can both direct, produce, post-produce, write&nbsp;and compose. So for each project, we divide and conquer some elements and collaborate on others. So in the instance of Push, Emile really led the producing, and budgeting. While I&nbsp;swaggered around drinking coffee and dancing with the cast.&nbsp;Co-directing isn't something I've ever thought about. But in the case of creating visuals for our own music with Supermodel, it makes total sense. We’re building the whole world.&nbsp; ER: I agree, I put this whole thing together and it was very nice for Joe to grace us with his presence on the day. In all seriousness it was nice that at least he wasn’t on his phone the whole time.&nbsp;JC: Let's be honest, I make this whole thing look and sound great.&nbsp;&nbsp;ER: You do. The biggest reason I’ve plunged into this with you.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Emile Rafael

Joe Connor

Matouš Marcinko

Alžběta Novosadová

Michal Babinec

Liv Ay

Kristina Tukan

Tereza Kopecka

Phil Noiraude

Matěj Kos

Matěj Bláhovec

Filip Kettner

Jirka Vrana

Daniel Vagenknecht

Arwa Salmanova

David Horsburgh

Izaak Buffin

Tom Mangham

Jade Denne

Rogue Films

Arts & Sciences

Alexa Haywood at Free Agent UK

Electronic

Supermodel 'Push' by Joe Connor and Emile Rafael

SUPERMODEL - PUSH (Official Video)

Charlie Robins directs a tranquil promo for Holly Humberstone.&nbsp;Relaxing next to an indoor pool with a group of her best friends, Humberstone gives a laidback performance that exudes a calm, peaceful energy.Focusing on the&nbsp;minutiae of the moment, the cinematography picks up on dreamy abstract cutaways, intercut with fun clips of the group diving in the pool and having an all-round fun time together.&nbsp;"This was one of the most enjoyable shoots in a long time," Robins mentions.&nbsp;"The aim was to shoot Holly’s performance in a way that felt natural and authentic while also capturing that sense of youthful freedom."Essentially, it’s Holly and her best mates being themselves. The energy was so laid back all day, there were times when I forgot we were making a video. I think it really shows in the final film."

Ethan Jacobs

Amy Holden-Brown

Sarah Kirby

Dani Castro Garcia

Austin Phillips

Oliver Pearson

Lluc Mestremas

Michael O'gorman

Chess Thornton

Emma Regan

William Pope

Megan Lee

Electric Theatre Collective

Polydor Records

Holly Humberstone 'Into Your Room' by Charlie Robins

Holly-Humberstone-'Into-Your-Room'-by-Charlie-Robins

Maisie Peters laments the toxic cycle of bad relationships,&nbsp;in&nbsp;Avesta Keshtmand's absorbing promo for Run.&nbsp;The video for Run sees the artist sprinting through an endless woodland landscape with several other characters, all trying to outrun their frightful past relationships.&nbsp;The video is simple in concept but executed perfectly, and the themes of the track are perfectly visualised in both the visuals and Peters'&nbsp;intimate performance.[imgtoken data:1]"It was a pleasure to be able to channel Maisie’s message of no more clowning around in love again," says Keshtmand.&nbsp;"I wanted to shoot in the woods and show the immensity of green space rather than distract from it with classic motifs of horror in haze and blue lights."Working with Maisie and Dan [Curwin] at Atlantic always makes me feel good. They’re receptive to challenging traditional approaches and support me in trying to push what a video can be and do for an audience."