Post production company

Black Kite Studios

They have been making great videos for decades, and arguably&nbsp;the greatest music video band of all time. No pressure then, for Rich Hall, to direct a worthy addition to the great canon of work for Depeche Mode. But he has risen to the challenge.For People Are Good, the latest single from the latest album Memento Mori, the Riff Raff Films-based director&nbsp;has faced down the weight of 40-plus years of Depeche Mode music video history, with a promo which nods to the visual style that has become their hallmark, while establishing its own heartfelt identity.Combining stylishness, brilliant film craft with a considered&nbsp;exposition of the theme of the song, Hall has created a series of intensely dramatic vignettes, shot in black and white by DoP Martin Ruhe, in a heightened cinematic, dreamlike reality.[imgtoken data:1]In each one we are confronted with a seeming act&nbsp;of wrongdoing or human frailty - expressed in the human pile-up of a riot, a woman digging a grave, a confrontation of&nbsp;macho gang bosses, and so on - each taking palce in front of a white wall. Then the true reality in each situation is gradually revealed. It's a counterpoint to Dave Gahan's somewhat ambivalent vocals for People Are Good.&nbsp;The video&nbsp;is evocative and bold, exploring the complex nature of human beings in a unique and distinctive way. And it really is a worthy addition to the pantheon - all the more impressive for the short amount of time that Rich Hall and his team had for pre-production and the shoot itself.[imgtoken data:2]“It’s equal parts an honour and daunting when making a video for Depeche Mode," says Hall. "Not only do they have music video royalty behind them, but even Riff Raff have churned out some outstanding videos themselves for the band in recent times (Personal Jesus, Wagging Tongue). Throw a world class DoP like Martin Ruhe into the mix, 8 days prep and 1 shoot day then you’ve got a real mind f***."I wanted to make an idea that changes multiple times during the video, as if unravelling with the song and our understanding of it. The song reminded me of the fragility of human relationships, how easy we forget, how easily we’re misled. So, I came up with the idea to somehow immortalize those every day, human interactions, in front of a white wall and heighten them to the extent that they feel like art (well, sort of)."It wouldn’t be possible without the unwavering support of Riff Raff, Black Kite, and the good people at Columbia US. Not to mention the amazing crew, especially the ones who were unloading dirt into a fake grave at midnight - you know who you are.”&nbsp;

United States

Rich Hall

Martin Ruhe

Manoela Chiabai

Precious Mahaga

Natalie Arnett

Louis Simonon

Chris Kelly

Leanne Flinn

Mikey Boateng

Riff Raff Films

Ellie Walker

Dasha Taivas

Homespun

Ben Corfield

Rich Fearon

Hands 

Rock

Electronic

Depeche Mode 'People Are Good' by Rich Hall

Depeche Mode - People Are Good (Official Video)

Kassandra Powell and Joe Wood collaborate to direct an alluring gothic fantasy for the debut single by Raven Numan - daughter of synth-pop legend Gary Numan.&nbsp;The midnight blue and silver-hued video for My Reflection is set in a dark netherworld - art directed by Alan Scott - adorned with&nbsp;candelabra and cracked mirrors.&nbsp;Anchored by a charismatic performance from Raven, it's a suitably enigmatic visual with plenty of visual appeal for the plaintive goth-pop track.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

United Kingdom

Alan Scott

Joe Wood

Kassandra Powell

Zoe Gunn

Alexa Haywood at Free Agent UK

CAMP Productions

Joe Hunt

Benjo Leggett

Francesca Woods

Shania Yasmin

Harry Guest

Horia Cojan

Arie Priede

Dee Iskrzynska

Phoebe May

Thomas Mangham

Alt-Pop

Raven Numan 'My Reflection' by Kassandra Powell & Joe Wood

Raven-Numan-'My-Reflection'-by-Kassandra-Powell,joe-Wood

Freddie Cattaneo's latest video for indie-rapper Master Peace resists the mundanity and repetition of modern life - and our 'stay at home' culture - for Start You Up.Set in a post-Covid family household in which everyone works, socialises and exercises from home using technology the video echoes the&nbsp;claustrophobia of lockdown times. But Master Peace briefly escapes this domestic prison by reaking into an involuntary dance.His infectious energy affects those around him, who too are given respite from these monotonous activities, through the power of music and dance.[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

Lee Hoy

Lewes Bridson

Alice Secchi

Freddie Cattaneo

Kate Shelley

Adam Trzcinski

Cassius Kane

Billy French

Teddy Udsholt-clayton

Arthur Polescuks

Thomas Kumeling

Remeaise Irish-Downes

Alex Grant

Morayo Adeagbo

Master Peace 'Start You Up' by Freddie Cattaneo

Master Peace - Start You Up (Official Video)

Future Islands follow the launch of their new album People Who Aren't There Anymore with a marvellous music video for The Thief directed by Ivana Bobic: a celebration of the process of creating a contemporary dance piece.Filmed at Sadlers Wells in London and featuring choreographer/dancer Ted Rogers and dancers&nbsp;Akti-Magdalini Konstantinou,&nbsp;Maren Fidje Bjørneseth and&nbsp;Anna Engerström, the film investigates the painstaking and enchanting journey from first steps of developing the choreography to increasingly intense&nbsp;rehearsal to actual show.&nbsp;It is an utterly inspirational viewing experience, particularly as&nbsp;Ivana Bobic binds the visuals and the track together by completely integrating the different phases of the creative process. Editor Geri Docherty&nbsp;matchcuts from Rogers' and the other dancers' rehearsals to the actual performance and the effect is euphoric.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As she explains, Bobic's creative starting point was the&nbsp;People Who Aren't There Anymore album cover, and she was given inspirational brief notes from the band.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]"This was an amazing opportunity to make a dance dance video and lean into my love of movement and performance," she says. "The Thief is my favourite kind of pop track – the minor chord unrequited love song. It sounds epic and celebratory, but the lyrics are about loneliness and desire and that bittersweet tone is an interesting ambiguity to explore.&nbsp;"My idea was about breathing life into the album artwork – imagining it in motion and then making those characters flesh and blood.&nbsp;The band’s references were a total dream: avant-garde choreographer Martha Graham and the modernist sets of Isamu Noguchi. It really elevated the project to have such unashamedly nerdy, chic inspiration."There was also a lot of trust and understanding working with the band, management and everyone at 4AD and I’m really grateful for their support. And of course, as always, a lot of love and patience from Riff Raff. It’s the key to making exciting films.[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;<blockquote>We cast dancers who have experienced life and aren’t afraid to express it on screen.&nbsp;</blockquote>"I worked with choreographer Ted Rogers, my prolific ally and collaborator, to create very specific movements around the breath – the foundation of Graham’s work. For her everything was about contraction and release. So we based the choreography on this contrast."Balletic control and precision look so graceful but are incredibly gruelling on the body. So as the track goes on, we wanted to dismantle the perfection, pushing the dancers to extremes. We watch them unravel and free themselves. It’s as if the music changes them. We’re big believers in casting dancers who have experienced life and aren’t afraid to express it on screen.&nbsp;"I also wanted to convey the dancer’s off-screen moments: sweaty rehearsals, nerves and process. We see the transition from off-stage to performance&nbsp; – like we’re in Birdman or Cassavetes’ Opening Night.&nbsp;"A big part of visualising the album cover was the costumes. I worked with knitwear designer Céline Bouaziz (JW Anderson, Gucci) to create this moment – experimenting with fabric construction to make the loose, connected garment. It was a fun human puzzle to work out!&nbsp;[imgtoken data:3]&nbsp;"I wanted to shoot in Sadlers Wells and wouldn’t take no for an answer – it’s the home of contemporary dance in the UK and felt really significant. It made the whole film feel like a celebration of craft.&nbsp;"On this film I got to work with the amazing cinematographer Nanu Segal again – she is so intuitive with movement and narrative."It really came to life in the edit with Geri Docherty, seamlessly knitting together the on and off screen moments of performance to make something really captivating. Working with dance can be really intricate in the edit, so we put a lot of love into articulating the moves and making it shine."&nbsp;

Ted Rogers

Akti - Magdalini Konstantinou

Maren Fidje Bjørneseth

Anna Engerström

Jack O'mullane

Ivana Bobic

Ob Reprobates (us)

Ob42

Casper Mills

Edward Heredia

Nanu Segal

Nathan M. Legger

Max Burgess

Sam Johnson

Céline Bouaziz

Geri Docherty

The Quarry

Richard Fearon

4AD Records

Alternative

Future Islands 'The Thief' by Ivana Bobic

Future Islands - The Thief (Official Video)

Ozzie Pullin directs an entrancing promo for DJ/producer Tourist, taking us into the world of an amateur Artistic Swimming Team.&nbsp;The video for Valentine presents&nbsp;an&nbsp;expression of love and freedom, through the movement of this team of young women, engaged in what has latterly been described as synchronised swimming - and has been a favourite theme of filmmakers since the early days of Hollywood.&nbsp;In this case, Ozzie Pullin adds another dimension to the subject - an element of documentary and an almost poignant tone, that works with the track. So as well&nbsp;some spectacular water work and great cinematography by DoP Spike Morris - both above and under the water -&nbsp;the inclusion of individual portraits of the swimmers gives additional depth and meaning&nbsp;to their work and performance as a team.&nbsp;Cinematic and utterly captivating, Ozzie Pullin has created a marvellous visual accompaniment to Tourist's uplifing track.[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;

Ella Marafini

Jamie Mccubbin

Ozzie Pullin

Pete Wilson

DadBod Films

Nick Palmacci

Harry Newman

Spike Morris

Rob Wildsmith

Rose Esme Lucas

Neil Blakesley

Paul Mamonne

Milo Brown

Susan Innes

Neil Ednie

Sam Bould

Final Cut

Tom Mangham

Tmwrk

Rob Hill

Dance

Tourist 'Valentine' by Ozzie Pullin

Tourist-'Valentine'-by-Ozzie-Pullin

Sarah Dattani Tucker directs a liberating and riveting&nbsp;promo for Lola Young, reinvigorated with a refreshingly spikier&nbsp;edge for Wish You Were Dead.The video sees the artist perform the track in an empty launderette, joined by her band, with a new 'indie-girl' look and radiating confidence on screen as she delivers a banger of a song.&nbsp;&nbsp;Exuding an infectious energy, the video is anchored by Young's impish&nbsp;charisma and DoP Henry Gill's atmospheric camerawork, which blends surreal colours and dynamic movement&nbsp;to create a distinctive&nbsp;aesthetic.&nbsp;It's a standout promo from Tucker, who brings fun and immediacy to Lola Young's exciting new musical direction.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Joe Munro

Lily West

Sarah Dattani Tucker

Rosa Galvin

Forever

Conrad Russell

Henry Gill

Sasha Nixon

Sam Barnham

Ben Ceeley

Harry Coleman

Olivia Colchane

Saorla Houston

Island / Universal

Alt Pop

Lola Young 'Wish You Were Dead' by Sarah Dattani Tucker

Lola-Young-'Wish-You-Were-Dead'-by-Sarah-Dattani-Tucker

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

Trim Editing

Noreen Khan

Kristina Tukan

Tereza Kopecka

Phil Noiraude

Matěj Kos

Matěj Bláhovec

Filip Kettner

Jirka Vrana

Daniel Vagenknecht

Arwa Salmanova

Agile Studio

David Horsburgh

Oksana Steblyk

Izaak Buffin

Jade Denne

Agile Films

Rogue Films

Arts & Sciences

Supermodel 'Push' by Joe Connor and Emile Rafael

SUPERMODEL - PUSH (Official Video)

Charlotte Rutherford pays homage to mid-Noughties aesthetics in this dreamy&nbsp;promo for&nbsp;Pinkpantheress, featuring Central Cee.The video for Nice To Meet You boasts bright white backdrops, lo-fi graphic elements and era-specific fonts, giving the visual a nostalgic, vibrant vibe that toes the line between slick and tongue-in-cheek.&nbsp;Sickly sweet and sentimental, the visual references are on-point, the flying paper plane device through the video adds a postmodern touch as it finally breaks through the fourth wall of the studio-set video.But most impactful of all is the&nbsp;fiercely energetic&nbsp;choreography&nbsp;by UKMVA winner Shay Latukolan. You could break into a sweat just watching it.&nbsp;

Lydia Chan

Sarah Adewunmi

Hannah Ruddleston

Charlotte Rutherford

Natalie Steiner

Danny Herman

Dom Mckiernan

Leopold Naessens

Oscar Oldershaw

Sam Holmes

Sam Davey

Jo Thompson

Philips Nortey

Shay Latukolan 

Georgia Hope

Sara Faulkner

@s1m0nc3ll0

Indie

Pinkpantheress ft Central Cee 'Nice To Meet You' by Charlotte Rutherford

Pinkpanthress-Feat.-Central-Cee-'Nice-To-Meet-You'-by-Charlotte-Rutherford

Eleanor Grace Hann directs a moody and&nbsp;atmospheric promo for&nbsp;D Double E's collaboration with Hamzaa - a distorted mix of performance, choreography and conceptual setups, coming together to explore the themes in&nbsp;the track.Within a largly dark space, illuminated with shafts of light, the video for Lifeline tantalysingly flitters between its performers and two dancers who represent the characters mentioned in the song, the&nbsp;challenges faced by young people&nbsp;in society and the difficulty of breaking cycles without guidance.&nbsp;With unsettlingly fast&nbsp;editing which also reflects the song's subject, this is a strongly artistic meditation by director Eleanor Grace Hann on the world we live in - and how experience provides its own perspective. That becomes clear at&nbsp;the four individuals gather at the end and its evident the youngsters could be the artists' younger selves.[imgtoken data:1]

Eleanor Grace Hann

Cheyenne Enninful

Untold Studios

Matthew Hoosh

Louis Lasa-tarbuck

Simone Chiavini

D Double E x Ten Billion Dreams ft. Hamzaa 'Lifeline' by Eleanor Grace Hann

D-Double-E-Ft.-Hamzaa--'Lifeline'-by-Eleanor-Grace-Hann

Directing duo Sophia &amp; Suzie direct a heartfelt promo for Nick Wilson, featuring actor Jack Parr as a man struck by grief, silently processing a mysterious event as the camera lingers in an intimate way.&nbsp;Focusing on the subtle thunderstorm of emotions that come with grief and loss, the video progresses towards&nbsp;a more hopeful note, as the character makes a phone call he had been avoiding.&nbsp;Beautifully shot with a distinctly human perspective, the video is a fitting match to the track.&nbsp;

CBA Casting

Sophia & Suzie

Angela Mulhern

Sonny Horwell

Jamie Korn

Dominika Besińska

Tom French

Josh Mannox

Jack Parr

Believe Music

Nick Wilson 'Way Back' by Sophia & Suzie

Nick-Wilson-'Way-Back-'-by-Sophia-&-Suzie

Master Peace goes to the dogs,&nbsp;in&nbsp;Freddie Cattaneo's entertaining promo for&nbsp;I Might Be Fake.He's a fish out of water, and possibly getting lured onto someone else's hook, when Master Peace joins old school working class Londoners at their leisure, at a greyhound race meeting, in scenes reminiscent of those&nbsp;Guy Ritchie movies.&nbsp;"I Might Be Fake is about pretending to be something that you’re not," says Cattaneo.&nbsp;"As such I wanted to place Master Peace in an unfamiliar world which he can only navigate by using deceit."The infamous, controversial world of greyhound racing seemed fitting as it’s associated with white, working class Britain and also offered the prospect of Master Peace being tipped off on fixed races. In addition, the track has a hyper, manic energy which I felt would be aptly personified in scampering liveliness of the greyhounds and the volatile nature of betting itself.[imgtoken data:1]"To create comic irony, I decided to juxtapose Master Peace’s braggadocious attitude in I Might Be Fake&nbsp;with a narrative where, despite expecting the opposite, everything goes awry."Early Guy Ritchie films, Lock Stock &amp; Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, were referenced in terms of how to build a world in the underbelly of British society with a comic, heightened tone."

Freya Osborne

Adam Trz

Master Peace 'I Might Be Fake' by Freddie Cattaneo