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Black Butter

Kalina Pulit directs an effervescent time-travelling mini-blockbuster starring singer Mae Muller and DJs Billen Ted for their dance-pop anthem When You're Out.&nbsp;With the Billen Ted duo breaking free from enforced isolation to clubbing freedom courtesy of their time-travelling DeLorean - complete with Back To The Future accessories - Pulit builds a playful, all-action narrative, employing 360 camerawork to enhance the storyline, and Mae Muller's charismatic performance.It's a big breakthrough into mainstream pop videos for the director, whos work for the likes of Harry Edwards and Schafter has tended towards the more experimental. But that proves to be an advantage here as she interprets this infectious summer hit through a distinctive lens.&nbsp;&nbsp;We spoke to Kalina Pulit about the experience of making the video.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>We got our hands on the most accurate&nbsp;Back To The Future&nbsp;Delorean Time Machine...</blockquote>Pn: How did you get involved in the project? KP: It was one of those projects that caught my eye for several reasons. It came through Emily Rudge, an amazing EP. We’ve been meaning to work together for a while. Billen Ted guys have laid out a compelling foundation to build on within the brief. Also, the track pays homage to a classic Don’t Think I’m Not&nbsp;by Kandi, so there’s an element of reworking something nostalgic, which I found interesting.How did you develop the time-travel idea for the video? I think it’s important to make work that resonates. I imagine a lot of us daydream occasionally about time travelling - either to the past or future- especially when going through such a period of reflection as the one brought via the pandemic. The aim was to address the transition from a home rave to a club one, and we took that quite literally. The base for it came from Billen Ted and I’ve just built on top of that and developed it further.I love working with music artists that have a vision for the visual aspect of their work and this was a great opportunity for capturing the playfulness of Billen Ted duo and Mae Muller’s empowering energy.[imgtoken data:2]<blockquote>We aimed to address the transition from a home rave to a club one - we took that&nbsp;literally.</blockquote>Your directing work in videos has generally been for more leftfield artists. How did you adapt to directing a video for a pop banger? There was something about pop music bringing joy to the masses that Sia spoke about during her podcast with Louis Theroux, which has stuck with me. I felt like bringing some positive vibes into our Covid-fractured reality.Also, I like to be versatile with my work and I’m particularly interested in things I haven’t explored yet. More consideration went towards the audience on this one. I wanted to create something that would&nbsp;be cinematic, and at the same time reflect some of the trends generated on platforms such as TikTok.Linear narrative is not usually my thing, I’m more into non-linear storytelling. Working with a more commercial song required a compromise on that front. I like to layer messages in my work rather than force a certain literal interpretation, so that the viewer can take what they want from it. In this case it might be Mae’s powerful performance, Billen Ted duo being fun, the energy of a much longed-for night out and the DeLorean looking cool.And if you want to read into it more, there’s inter-dimensional time travel, duality of worlds, escapism from mundane reality, disco ball and plethora of other circles within the frame and camera style, symbolising movement and things being forever in flux.[imgtoken data:3]<blockquote>360 camera technology...&nbsp;seemed like a perfect vehicle for transitioning between the two worlds.</blockquote>Where did you find a DeLorean with proper Back To The Future tech? Could that be the original car? We were extremely lucky to get our hands on the most accurate&nbsp;Back To The Future&nbsp;Delorean Time Machine - with some of the parts used from the vehicle in the movie. Kudos to the DMND CLR production team for making that happen.I have a thing for peculiar cars - but this one was like nothing I’ve seen so far. Literally out of this world experience. The design, the details, the condition of it, the sound it made. One of the highlights of the shoot for the crew and onlookers, and rightly so.What was the thinking behind shooting some of the footage on a 360 camera? I’m always on the lookout for something that will provide a framework for storytelling and an opportunity for visual experimentation, whether that’s working with analogue film, datamoshing, CCTV cameras, projection art or 360 cameras - depending on what fits the narrative best.I was drawn to 360 camera technology as it’s still fairly new and unexplored. I was curious to see what we can do with it. Plus it seemed like a perfect vehicle for transitioning between the two worlds – the ‘current’ and the ‘club’ reality.[imgtoken data:4]What were the big challenges on the shoot - and on the production as a whole? We’ve had a really great day on set -&nbsp;lovely crew, amazing atmosphere. We worked within a very tight schedule, due to the multi-camera set up, amongst other things. I think the biggest challenge was to facilitate the environment for the 360 cameras element – as everything gets in the shot when using these. It took some meticulous planning, balanced with plenty of improvisation.What has been your biggest takeaway from making the video? The biggest takeaway from making the video is perhaps easing more into the art of relinquishing control over the final outcome and adapting to work within certain limitations, whether that be technology, time, or resources available.There’s plenty of things that turn out to be much better than intended and some that don’t work at all on projects with that level of experimentation so training that flexibility muscle and staying on course is key.

United Kingdom

Kalina Pulit

Dijian Eccles

Radical Media

Emily Rudge

Andre Wooz

Danny Rumbelow

Arran Green

Orlando Morris

Sam Kemp

Kristof Szentgyorgyvary

Ella Violetta

Vlad Barin

CHEAT

Denova Media

Katie Dolan

Dmnd Clr

Rupert Peddle

Jaime Jarvis

James Loach

Lisa Laudat

Zara Ali

Ola Christian at LEVILE

Jake Hunte

Oonah Anderson

Andre Reid-McKinley

Dance

Billen Ted ft Mae Muller 'When You're Out' by Kalina Pulit

Billen Ted - When You're Out (Official Video) ft. Mae Muller

Chris Chuky directs a breezy dance-focussed promo for Shaybo, featuring Haile.&nbsp;The video takes place&nbsp;in a contemporary apartment,&nbsp;adorned with luscious plants and fresh art direction, and a palpable energy in the air.&nbsp;Switching between low-key performance vibes and a small house party, the artists thrive in the concept, and the glossy cinematography rounds off the chilled aesthetic.&nbsp;

Chris Chuky

Jordi Estapé

Creativs Label

Tony Longe

Jack Green

Rhys Warren

Oliver Munks

Felix Wildey

Conrad Russell

Lottie Toon

Toni Blaze

Monique Monroe

Morgan Perry

Darnell Depradine

Daniel Levy

Rascal Post

Nadya Persaud

Jamie Tarr

Alex Twaney

Alize De Mange

Hip Hop

Shaybo ft Haile 'Friendly' by Chris Chuky

Friendly-'Shaybo-Ft-Haile'-by-Chris-Chuky

Young T &amp; Bugsey channel their inner car salesmen in KLVDR's trippy promo for New Shape.&nbsp;Opening with a&nbsp;lo-fi throwback to 90's public access television, where amateur videographers ruled the waves, the visual soon switches into something decidely more pro and glossy - though with the same tongue-in-cheek attitude and aesthetic.Playing out as part hip-hop promo and part sketch show, the feelgood video is bang on-trend with kaleidoscopic AR shots and plenty of subtle VFX. But it's the hilarious performances that really make this promo shine.&nbsp;

KLVDR

James Cross 

Pulse Films

Rik Green

Alice Pitt-carter

Jonathan Sidwell

Stefan Yap 

Benji Kirkman 

Nathan Lloyd 

Lee Brinkley 

Liz El-kadhi Brown

Alize Demange 

Monique, Chris O'toole

Monique 

Rich Woolway

Homespun

Jonny Thorpe

Glassworks

Athene Aristocleou

Ikki Dhesi

Marisa Garner Associates

Jacqui Moore

Grant Sandy Phillips

Young T & Bugsey 'New Shape' by KLVDR

Young-T-&-Bugsey-'New-Shape-'-by-Klvdr

Hector Dockrill directs a powerful promo for Bakar's 1st Time.&nbsp;The peaks and troughs of young love are studied through fly-on-the-wall, sporadic vignettes, aided by&nbsp;Rich Woolway's adrenaline-pumping edit.&nbsp;DoP&nbsp;Jaime Ackroyd uses&nbsp;intimate framing juxtaposed with jarring camera techniques, to take the viewer on a visual journey through a modern day relationship.

Hector Dockrill

Bruno Loureiro

Ty Hack

Jaime Ackroyd

Lee Parfit

Chloe Brady

Jamie Judd, Elliot Long (bakar Stylist)

Robyn Rowan

Jason Wallis

Electric Theatre Collective

Bakar, Razan Nassar

Indie Rock

Bakar '1st Time' by Hector Dockrill

Bakar-'1st-Time'-by-Hector-Dockrill

Director James Arden -&nbsp;aka The Trash Factory -&nbsp;takes us on a surreal, sunlit frolic through the marshlands in Tayo Sound's apathetically cool new promo.Across a series of offbeat vignettes, Tayo acquires a wonderfully odd series of props, and finds a way to include them in&nbsp;his understated, feel-good performance.&nbsp;It's a breezy three and a half minutes with plenty of charm, elevated by DoP&nbsp;Joseph Gainsborough's atypical perspectives and shot choices.&nbsp;

The Trash Factory

Connor O'Hara

Lowkey Films

Jamie Gamache

Micheal Newton

Joseph Gainsborough

Beth Roberts

Megan Lee

The Mill

OB Management

Charlie Drinkwater

Bedroom Pop

Tayo Sound 'Someone New' by The Trash Factory

Tayo-Sound-'Someone-New'-by-The-Trash-Factory

Shaybo is on top of the world&nbsp;in KC Locke's video for Come For Shay.&nbsp;Elevated on a floating stage, Shaybo delivers a quickfire performance as the camera tracks her every move.&nbsp;The use of perspective&nbsp;is inspired, switching between the stage and the floor,&nbsp;where featured artist Snap Capone is first introduced.&nbsp;DoP&nbsp;Stefan Yap builds a hyperactive energy through relentless camera movement and&nbsp;coruscating lighting, creating an enigmatic and sharp aesthetic.&nbsp;

KC Locke

Lewis Nicolson

Swords & Eagles

Marisa Garner

Ella Taylor-Palfrey

Ben Eve

Stefan Yap

Danny Usman

Ben Eckersall

Jenny O'Sullivan

Toni-blaz Ibekwe

Leyone Banda

Amy Jeng

Jamil Shaukat

Friendly Dictator

Alex Gregory

We Are Covert 

We Are Defigo

Shaybo ft Snap Capone 'Come For Shay' by KC Locke

Shaybo-Ft-Snap-Capone-'Come-For-Shay'-by-Kc-Locke

Crowns &amp; Owls direct a brooding visual&nbsp;for Octavian's Rari, featuring Future.&nbsp;Known for balancing a fashion-forward aesthetic with boundary-pushing visuals, the moving image trio place Octavian in a sequence of abstract vignettes, mirroring the bittersweet emotion of the track.&nbsp;Bloody and breathtaking, the video pays homage to&nbsp;retro 1980's aesthetics such as&nbsp;synthwave&nbsp;and&nbsp;outrun,&nbsp;the latter taking its name from the 1986 arcade game, and popularised through images of glitchy sunsets and neon gridlines.&nbsp;The performances are spot-on, and Future's remote setup&nbsp;intercuts perfectly, a testament to the restless effort of the creative team on both sides of the Atlantic.&nbsp;

Crowns & Owls

Greg Smith

Noir

Javier Alejandro

Daniel Smith

Olan Collardy

James Hamilton

Simon Bourne

No.8

Trap

Octavian ft. Future 'Rari' by Crowns & Owls

Octavian-Ft.-Future-'Rari'-by-Crowns-&-Owls

Directing trio Crowns &amp; Owls transport Octavian to a surreal wonderland in the hypnotic visual for Poison, negotiating a world between love, lust... and something much darker.&nbsp;Utilising four cameras - including the FLIR thermal camera - the visual is a tapestry of experimental setups, each shot in a stylised, hyper-exaggerated way. Turning traditional rap videos on their head, performance is still very much the focus of the video, yet Kaname Onoyama's mind-bending cinematography adds a standout unique flair and polish.&nbsp;CROWNS &amp; OWLS:“It was rad to build a world around this tune, and to have had the trust from Octavian to try something we’re not really seeing in UK rap videos. There’s some really nice themes going on in the song, but we focused on playing with the central idea of lust and imagining that as a poisonous substance."Using a custom rig we were able to use a dual camera system; one capturing reality whilst the other was simultaneously capturing a thermal version of the same shot. This allowed us to seamlessly slip between two worlds as we’re following the artists through a fever dream."The video was shot just before the UK Covid-19 lockdown, with post happening remotely during quarantine. We’re so thankful to all of the amazing individuals who helped this video come together during such strange times.”[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>This is the result of using four cameras - two Alexa Minis, a Flir thermal camera and an Insta 360.</blockquote>KANAME ONOYAMA (DoP):“This music video, which we shot in one day, is the result of using four cameras (two Alexa Minis, a Flir thermal camera and an Insta 360) and many different setups and lenses. Crowns &amp; Owls are a trio of directors/photographers, skilled both artistically and technically, and with a precise vision of what they wanted for this music video."It was very interesting to look with them for the right setups to make this vision a reality; and, in spite of the very little time we had to prep everything, I am hopeful that we managed to create something as crazy, disturbing and beautiful as they had in mind.”

Daphne Do

Kaname Onoyama

Silvio Bersani

Jomar O'Meally

Will Lyte

Danny Hayward

Ciaran Linden Beale

Nicole Vernon

Shamara Roper

Mata Marielle

Bissane Kim

Paume

Jonny Tully

Big Buoy

Hannah Whitehall

Alex Sossah

Zoe Rose Davies

Molly Fleet

Alternative

Octavian ft Take A Daytrip, Obongjayar & Santi 'Poison' by Crowns & Owls

Octavian-Ft-Take-A-Daytrip,-Obongjayar-&amp;-Santi-'Poison'-by-Crowns-&amp;-Owls

Big house party vibes as Octavian links with Skepta in Lyle Lindgren's video for Papi Chulo.Camouflage Louis V mink jackets mix with icy jewellery cooling off in the sink in this darker Director's Cut. With cameos from Michael Phantom, A$AP Nast and A$AP Ferg, with whom Lyle is currently collaborating on a longform project.

Lyle Lindgren

Julie Machin

Metallic Inc

Tsvetelina Tomova

Spencer Wilson

Adam Feeney

Esther Edusi

William Pope

Y-lan Lucas

Mata Labs

Remi Aaron

Tim Smith

Monomania

Matt Allsop

Grime

Octavian ft Skepta 'Papi Chulo' by Lyle Lindgren

Octavian-Ft-Skepta-'Papi-Chulo'-by-Lyle-Lindgren

K-Trap brings the heat in Dir. Lx's glossy video for Off White.&nbsp;Set within a nondescript warehouse, the artist performs alongside featured artist Nafe Smallz, backed up by a group of models in branded garments.&nbsp;Switching up the current trend of nostalgia and Nineties aesthetics, Lx&nbsp;looks towards the future instead, utilising neon palettes and high-end, monochromatic set design.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Black Butter

Label

16 videos featuring Black Butter

2021 (2)

2020 (9)

2019 (3)

2017 (1)

2016 (1)

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