Director of Photography

Gregg Houston

Gregg Houston directs a punchy performance&nbsp;promo for Wunderhorse.&nbsp;Shot in an empty office building, the video focuses solely on performance, without frills or superfluous additions - and that's what makes it so spectacular.&nbsp;Imbuing the visual with a sense of high-energy vigour, the band are completely absorbing from every angle, and the gritty textures of the 16mm film lends a rawness and intimacy to the concept.&nbsp;"These guys are earning a reputation for intense live shows and so for this music video we kept things very simple and let them do their thing," Houston says.&nbsp;"We found a pleasing location and got as much 16mm film as we could afford. What else do you need! With roughly one take per angle, the gentlemen gave it their all from the first moment. This is the director's cut so we were allowed to indulge ourselves with some 6fps footage and other flashes that took our interest."

United Kingdom

Jai Mhach Durban

Dan Matthews

Ramshackle Productions

Charlie Shawcross

Luke Chambers

Jed Darlington-Roberts

Scott Griffiths

Montgomery Smith

Daniel Levy

Rascal.post

Communion Records

Rock

Wunderhorse 'Leader Of The Pack' (Director's Cut) by Gregg Houston

Wunderhorse--'Leader-Of-The-Pack-(directors-Cut)'-by-Gregg-Houston

We may have just left behind the hottest day on record, but that doesn't stop Lizzie Reid showing off her impressive jumper collection, in Gregg Houston's promo for Warpaint.&nbsp;As Lizzie performs, the jumpers are launched at her from off-screen. She takes it all in her stride, matching the reflective themes of the track, making for a&nbsp;refreshingly simple yet absorbing visual. But it wasn't as simple as it looks, as Gregg Houston explains.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]"Warpaint is probably the most upbeat song I've heard from Lizzie so my taste for having artists remain like statues in a video wasn't going to work as well here," he says. "Speaking with Chris at the label we decided that as well as showing a fun side - whatever that means -&nbsp;we should also try and show her lovely array of woollen jumpers."It turned out that Lizzie actually had a bit of a phobia about putting jumpers on and things around her neck. I only learnt that on the day. Being a great sport she pressed ahead and we decided to attempt it only three times."When she is struggling in this video it is most certainly real! I find those moments the most revealing and likeable and am so pleased that we got to keep them in."

Jonathan Donovan

Lizzie Reid

Babysweet

Chris Mccourt

Matt Rozier

7476

Lizzie Reid 'Warpaint' by Gregg Houston

Lizzie-Reid-'Warpaint'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston directs a hopeful promo for Memorial's Honest.&nbsp;The video centres upon a character (played by Jeremy Zinunu) who seemingly has it all, but is numb and lost in life. Memorial - consisting of best friends&nbsp;Ollie Spalding and Jack Watts - appear in a series of vignettes, intermittently recording each other's performance on a boom mic, providing light relief to the character and opening his mind to the potential of a catharsis.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>The band providing a short term relief for the character...</blockquote>"When I first heard the song the line 'I know neither of us have the right to be here'&nbsp;really stood out to me," says Houston. "I applied it to the idea that 'here'&nbsp;could be referring to happiness/contentment and the issue that some people don’t feel they have the right to be happy."People regularly distract themselves from their problems. They look for short term fixes to make them feel complete ie a new car, jumper, gadget or whatever. It gives them a shot of contentment but inevitably that feeling doesn't last. I would interpret the video as the band providing a short term relief for the character in this case. The character is lifted by these musical interludes but inevitably the music doesn’t solve their issue.[imgtoken data:2]"It's only when on the boat that the character doesn’t get distracted by the band. At that moment they are looking for more. When we see all of them in the car at the end the band are barely playing - they can’t distract the character any more."He needs to face up to whatever his issue is. It is only when the character sees the long term fix in the distance, that they can find happiness."

OB Management

Lucy Rose

Peter Wilkinson

Jeremy Zinunu

Real Kind Records

Alternative

Memorial 'Honest' by Gregg Houston

Memorial--'Honest'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston directs a short visual for singer-songwriter Kathleen Francis - one of a series of video-portraits&nbsp;by the director&nbsp;to accompany the release of Frances's&nbsp;debut EP&nbsp;Through The Blue.Taking place on the open water, the short length of the piece doesn't dilute the emotional pull of the visual for the song Boy, which consists of Frances staring straight ahead as the camera slowly zooms into her face, an ambiguous look that perfectly suits the downtempo track."In her stills and imagery there has always been a really beautiful and simple approach that I have found really intriguing," says Houston, who was approached by Kathleen Frances's label 7476 to create the portrait series to sit alongside snippets of four tracks from the EP."The use of film in her imagery made 16mm the natural choice for this series. This is the second portrait to be released and possibly my favourite of the four. I just love the way Kathleen stares down the camera with such a powerful force as the river was gushing around us."Jed Darlington-Roberts really delivered for me and I am forever grateful. If we had enough film I would have liked it to run for the entire performance with Kathleen staring down the lens. That feeling of intrigue I got from her in the stills I had seen translated here to me in the moment and it was a wonderful experience."&nbsp;

Oliver Whitworth

Luke Morrison

Electirc Theatre Collective

Singer-songwriter

Folk

Kathleen Frances 'Boy' by Gregg Houston

Kathleen-Francis-'Boy'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston directs a poignant promo for Remember Summer on the meaning of loss.&nbsp;The video for Out Of Hand is a poetic interpretation of the track's lyrics, and at only one and a half minutes in length, shines brightly and quickly before dissipating suddenly, representing the fragile spark of a relationship.&nbsp;Across several poised setups, we see the dreampop duo with tears in their eyes, holding dried flowers, reflecting on memories that are fading away, captured through intimate closeups and delicate camera movement."To me the video feels like a mourning to your past lives," says Houston.&nbsp;"There have been times I have felt sadness of never being able to go back to a certain moment with certain people. The memory is strong and it feels like I can almost touch it but it is forever resigned to being just put of reach.[imgtoken data:1]"The lyrics from the song are, 'I miss the country roads, where you were born, the house we knew'. I am far from a nostalgic person. I always feel the best days are ahead and still do. However those words really got me and I projected my thoughts on how Angelina and Paddy [of Remember Summer] must feel when looking back on the imagery from their past."The video is a series of portraits, the individuals accompanied by the dried flowers and many old photographs, and filmed in Angelina's living room, where she has spent much of the past two years, as she has been shielding from Covid.&nbsp;<blockquote>To me the video feels like a mourning to your past lives.</blockquote>"Over the last two years I have had countless conversations through the window with her," reveals Houston. "So shooting a video in that space I'd looked into so much felt like a triumph in itself. This project was all about the favours and generosity from folk who are too good to me."It had been too long since I had worked with Darren Ladbury and by coincidence he had got in touch about wanting a purely creative project, regardless of budget. He was in. My friend who has started a dry flowers business had recently told me how her house had become overwhelmed, and so I offered her slight relief by taking a sixth of what is usually in her living room away for the day."I really want to thank Oliver Whitworth at ETC for fitting us in last moment to working with generously bearded Connor Coolbear, and to Jed Darlington Roberts for sorting me out with some smoke grenades which I was shaking with fear about using for some reason."

Darren Ladbury 

Connor Coolbear

Electric Theatre

Remember Summer 'Out Of Hand' by Gregg Houston

Remember-Summer-'Out-Of-Hand'-by-Gregg-Houston

Curse Of Lono vocalist&nbsp;Felix Bechtolsheimer goes on a journey of rediscovery, in Gregg Houston's thought-provoking promo for&nbsp;Let Your Love Rain Down On Me.&nbsp;The abstract narrative unfolds slowly across the three and a half minute runtime, and leaves plenty of room for interpretation.&nbsp;Bechtolsheimer is shown digging something up and taking it to a new destination, but this is all that is given away.&nbsp;The slick cinematography, paired with gritty film textures and a lonely nighttime setting, create an otherworldy vibe throughout the video, which feels as if it could be in a parallel world or somewhere not quite anchored in our reality.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Submarine Cat Records

Indie

Curse Of Lono 'Let Your Love Rain Down On Me' by Gregg Houston

Curse-Of-Lono-'Ley-Your-Love-Rain-Down-On-Me'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston directs a gently melancholic&nbsp;promo for Lou Price, who ventures around East London in a motorcycle helmet armed with his trusty electric guitar performing new song Figure It Out.&nbsp;Shot in and around various locations&nbsp;- including newsagents, off licences and chicken shops - the video for the artist (who Houston has previously worked with as a member of bands Kowalski and Swimming Tapes) pays homage to hazy nights exploring the city, and the magic of the everyday.&nbsp;The artist wears a motorcycle helmet lit from the inside, echoing ideas of space exploration and astronaut vibes, albeit in a much more understated fashion.&nbsp;Charmingly intimate and absorbing, the footage&nbsp;switches between different frame rates to distort the passage of time, leaning into the themes of the concept and track.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Chris Bell

Creep Post

Catia Abreu

Lou Price 'Figure It Out' by Gregg Houston

Lou-Price-'Figure-It-Out'-by-Gregg-Houston

Former Bond girl Susie Vanner is captured in a stunning one-shot video by&nbsp;Gregg Houston, performing Cry Me A River from her debut album release.&nbsp;Bathed in golden light, Vanner soaks up the electric energy of the performance, confidently showcasing her musical chops.&nbsp;DoP&nbsp;Darren Ladbury and team do a great&nbsp;job with the blocking and camera movement, allowing the concept to unfold organically throughout the four-minute runtime.&nbsp;

Oliver Munks

Carl Ward-reid

Leopold Naessens

Jenny Ray

Richard Engler

classic

Singer songwriter

Susie Vanner 'Cry Me A River' (Live) by Gregg Houston

Susie-Vanner-'Cry-Me-A-River-(live)'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston takes a trip down memory lane in the newly-edited live video for Bear's Den, from a show a couple of years ago.&nbsp;Actually shot in 2018, this&nbsp;presents&nbsp;an emotional, introspective performance of the song Above The Clouds Of Pompeii, from the band's shows at&nbsp;EartH in Hackney, which had just opened, accompanied by an orchestra.The cinematography is minimalist yet incredibly effective, capturing the event from several angles, with dramatic lighting cascading over the musicians.&nbsp;

Communiom

Folk Rock

Bears Den 'Above The Clouds Of Pompeii (Live)' by Gregg Houston

Bears-Den-'Above-The-Clouds-Of-Pompeii-Live'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston directs a stripped-back, ethereal visual for Remember Summer's Work of Art.&nbsp;Taking place within a stationary car, the duo's performance has a transcendent feel, punctuated by unusual cutaways and slow zooms.&nbsp;DoP&nbsp;Oliver Cross plays with perspective and composition to elevate the otherworldly aesthetic, creating an unsettled yet strangely familiar vibe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Oliver Cross

Angelina Dove

Dream pop

Remember Summer 'Work Of Art' by Gregg Houston

Remember-Summer-'Work-Of-Art'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston and James Smith return with a third live collaboration, this time for an acoustic version of the wistful track Say You'll Stay.&nbsp;

Luke Pradi

Charlie Cowper

Acoustic

James Smith 'Say You'll Stay' (Live) by Gregg Houston

James-Smith-'Say-You&#039;ll-Stay-Acoustic'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston captures Kawala on 16mm for the sombre live video for&nbsp;Heavy In The Morning.&nbsp;Set in a contained and intimate recording space, the visual is both haunting and nostalgic&nbsp;with an overarching&nbsp;otherworldy vibe.&nbsp;

Joshua Bourke

Bulman Arshehit

Indie pop

Kawala 'Heavy In The Morning' by Gregg Houston

Kawala-'Heavy-In-The-Morning'-by-Gregg-Houston

James Smith performs a heartfelt acoustic version of Rely On Me, directed by Gregg Houston.&nbsp;Set in an&nbsp;isolated brick room with only Smith and the pianist, the&nbsp;visual is intimate and engaging whilst highlighting the considerable talent of both performers. Shot in one take, the focus is solely on the music, and it's executed perfectly.&nbsp;

Aristide Russo

John Hayward

Adele Sanderson

James Smith 'Rely On Me' (Live) by Gregg Houston

James-Smith-'Rely-On-Me-(acoustic)'-by-Gregg-Houston

Later this month Two Door Cinema Club headline the O2 in London for the second time. This is what happened the first time they played there in 2013 - through the prism of tilt-shift photography.This Lego-fied version of the gigantic arena, as the crew prepare the stage, the build-up and the actual event was devised by Gregg Houston - who also shot the show in a more conventional manner - and photographer Matt Wicks.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Melissa Meadows

Matt Wicks

Two Door Cinema Club 'A Small Film About A Concert' by Gregg Houston

Two-Door-Cinema-Club-'A-Small-Film-About-A-Concert-'-by-Gregg-Houston

James Smith introduces an acoustic version of Hollow, in this live session directed by Gregg Houston.&nbsp;Packed full of raw emotion, DoP&nbsp;Darren Ladburry utilises the abundance of natural light and grungy interiors to mirror the themes of the track, creating a hollow space in which Smith can work out his emotions, and try to build himself up again after a run of disappointment.

Darren Ladburry

Franki Napoli

James Smith 'Hollow (acoustic)' by Gregg Houston

James-Smith-'Hollow-(acoustic)'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston follows Foy Vance across the recording process of his new album&nbsp;To Memphis&nbsp;in this new mini-documentary, and it is stirring stuff.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shot&nbsp;at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, To Memphis&nbsp;is Vance's&nbsp;new 10-track album of classic Americana. Poignant and powerful, the longer running time of the visual allows us to get a real insight into his process, and the magical work Vance and his team do.

Steve Bursky

Foundations Management

Gingerbread Records

Ryan Anderson

Foy Vance 'To Memphis' by Gregg Houston

Foy-Vance-'To-Memphis'-by-Gregg-Houston

Teen pop singer Keelie Walker teams up with&nbsp;Gregg Houston for this studio performance of&nbsp;her song Not You.Walker performs the song nonchalantly, in front of a series of backgrounds and environments, while the simple choreography is almost trance-like. That gives&nbsp;an otherworldly vibe to the entire visual.Occasional zoom shots on the "Not You" lyrics are also effective. Lucky that's the case, as the zoom lens reportedly weighed about as much as the small crew.A nice video that keeps things simple and authentic, and&nbsp;is all the better for it.&nbsp;

United States

Bryan Todd

Ralph Messer

Liam Meredith

Keelie Walker 'Not You' by Gregg Houston

Keelie-Walker-'Not-You'-by-Gregg-Houston

Joseph J. Jones has a mournful look around his hometown in Gregg Houston&#39;s clip for&nbsp;Gospel Truth.Wandering through his hometown of Hornchurch before he embarks on the next chapter of his life, Jones sits in various locations that are personal to him - the family living room, the local pub, and the greasy spoon cafe.&nbsp;The atmosphere is contemplative and the intercut performance sees him mostly draped in harsh shadow, making for an aesthetically striking contrast to the soft, even light of the every day. The past versus the future.

Paul Kendler

Danny Hayward

Helen Simms

Communion

Joseph J. Jones 'Gospel Truth' by Gregg Houston

Joseph-J.-Jones-'Gospel-Truth'-by-Gregg-Houston

Gregg Houston aka Babysweet keeps things simple and dreamy in this kaleidoscopic performance clip for Swimming Tapes.Armed with nothing more than a kaleidoscope filter and ninety minutes, Babysweet manages to create a performance video with a throwback to television of the 50s and 60s, complete with authentic-looking titles and a grainy, washed-out aesthetic.

Annelise Yyte Keestra

Hand In Hive

Swimming Tapes 'Tides' by Babysweet

Swimming-Tapes-'Tides'-by-Babysweet

Gregg Houston and his crew have pulled off this stunning,&nbsp;one-shot live session, located at Clubs 2004 in Hornchurch, Essex - a&nbsp;working men&#39;s club frequented by the singer&#39;s father, and one which he himself&nbsp;has performed in&nbsp;many times over the years.In this video, Joseph manages to&nbsp;deliver a great performance while Steadicam op&nbsp;Josh Brooks walks around him, capturing it all live.&nbsp;And Gregg Houston says that it was no easy task to achieve.&quot;On the night we had everything set up before the regulars arrived. In order to get the take we had to turn the football off [the TV], and so there was a certain amount of pressure to get the performance nailed as soon as we could. We ended up doing three takes although Joseph nailed it in one and the first take is the first one used here.&quot;

Toby Goodger

Pete Carrier

Thomas Mangham

The Mill

Josh Brooks

Joseph J. Jones 'Whisper To A Hurricane' by Babysweet

Ariana takes a drive around London&nbsp;at night in her video for Dirty Dancing, in which Gregg Houston (aka Babysweet) transferred the footage he shot from digital to film in order to create that unmistakeable film look, and also physically manipulate the images by scratching into the emulsion.&nbsp;&nbsp;The result is a subtle but distinctive visual effect.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Johnny Blue Eyes

Holly Silius

Idaillies

Ariana And The Rose 'Dirty Dancing' by Babysweet

Ariana-And-The-Rose-'Dirty-Dancing'-by-Babysweet

Live performance specialist Gregg Houston (aka&nbsp;Babysweet) has directed a smooth, nicely-executed&nbsp;performance&nbsp;video of this live session for Cloves&#39; song Don&#39;t You Wait,&nbsp;filmed in Paul Epworth&#39;s Church Studios, and beautifully shot by DOP&nbsp;James Rhodes.

Gregg Houston

Director of Photography

22 videos featuring Gregg Houston

2022 (4)

2021 (3)

2020 (4)

2019 (6)

2017 (1)

2016 (3)

2015 (1)

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