Director

James Ogram

James Ogram directs an enrapturing promo for Lauren Auder.The video for I Would Die 4 U sees Lauren perform in a&nbsp;community hall, alongside a group of contemporary dancers.&nbsp;DoP Sam Hooper's painterly composition and sunset-soaked frames set the scene for the concept, which feels almost anachronistic in its presentation, contrasting traditional aesthetics with modern dance and movement.&nbsp;Another sterling effort from Ogram and team, marking the UKMVA-nominated director as one to watch this year.“I’ve always been struck by Bob Fosse’s approach to musicals," explains Ogram. "The dances are always located where they’d actually be, in rehearsals, at home or on stage. Lauren’s approach to the track was so intimate and honest that I felt her performance should be too.”[imgtoken data:1]

United Kingdom

Hannah Mason

Grace Conway

Red Hot

Alex Magill

Sam E. H. Hooper

Orlando O’Mahooney

James Huthwaite

Viktor Pylat

Lauren Auder 'I Would Die 4 U' by James Ogram

Lauren-Auder-'I-Would-Die-4-U'-by-James-Ogram

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

Ynez Myers

André Reid-McKinley

Agile Films

Kian Altmann

Adam Singodia

Myles Payne

Jim Holland

Ali Copland

Ollie Pearson

Ana-marija Ramić

Raphael Arcadios

John O’Riordan

Punderson Gardens

Ben Carey

Agile Studio

Peter Lidell

Domino Records

Rock

Alternative

Fat Dog 'Earth Song' by James Ogram

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

James Ogram directs&nbsp;an ambitious and expansive promo for London-based indie band Famous, ahead of their debut album.The video for What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life is structured like a trailer for a road trip movie. Different vignettes play out, providing snapshots of character and story - written by Ogram with Famous frontman Jack Merritt -&nbsp;with a focus on the feeling of the scenes, rather than sticking to a strict narrative.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]“It was an unusual production,” explains Ogram. “The video itself was probably made over the course of about six months, whenever we could all get together. Jack and I would write new scenes, then we’d go out with Mike, our DP, our actors and capture more images that we felt continued to suggest this larger, ambiguous story."The video was shot by DoP Mike Pain on a limited amount of film stock. “So we had to be very sparing with what we captured," adds Ogram.&nbsp;"We’d probably spend a few hours preparing a set-up, to then turnover for about thirty seconds.”[imgtoken data:2]But focussing on an abstract, irregular structure has opened up the visual to some special moments. The performances by actors&nbsp;Billy Jacobson&nbsp;and Anais M are charismatic, taking viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions alongside these characters, and Ogram's skill at directing actors shines brightly throughout the video.&nbsp;

Ava Gore

Alex Carswell

George Cooper

Cosydrive Pictures

Alex Putman

Louis Nicholls

Stanislaw Proszowski

Faye Connor

Michael Fokias

Nicole Hewes

Mike Pain

Kieran Poynter

Adam Jasinski

Lluc Mestremas

Danyal Kadir

Electric Theatre Collective

Billy Jacobson

Anaïs M.

Untitled (recs)

Indie

Famous 'What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life' by James Ogram

Famous-'What-Are-You-Doing-The-Rest-Of-Your-Life'-by-James-Ogram

James Ogram directs a second promo for Honeyglaze, following the claustrophobic and frenetic <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2024/06/17/honeyglaze-dont-james-ogram/86876">Don’t</a>.The video for Pretty Girls is the polar opposite of the first video - poppy, spacious and playful.&nbsp;The whimsical concept sees a dog at the video shoot escape and&nbsp;embark&nbsp;on an adventure to a local beauty pageant, where it is hilariously and unexpectedly crowned the winner.&nbsp;Orgram teamed up with DP Mike Pain again to bring the video to life on a very low budget, whilst Honeyglaze's&nbsp;own Anouska Sokolow served&nbsp;as the production designer.Another brilliant collaboration between the director and band, with a tongue-in-cheek, breezy vibe throughout.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Anouska Sokolow

Dominic Compton

Iona Rae

Liam Van Rooyen

Fat Possum Records

Honeyglaze 'Pretty Girls' by James Ogram

Honeyglaze-'Pretty-Girls'-by-James-Ogram

James Ogram directs an explosive new promo for London group Honeyglaze.The video for Don't features&nbsp;vocalist&nbsp;Anouska Sokolow as a boxing champion harangued by paparazzi, defiantly fighting her way through the crowd.&nbsp;Boasting energetic camerawork from DoP Mike Pain, the video uses suffocating close-ups and frantic movement to capture the overwhelming nature of the concept, cut together with a breathless edit also by Ogram.&nbsp;A simple concept executed to perfection on a small budget and tight timescale, the visual marks Ogram as one to watch on the promo directing scene.&nbsp;

James Ogram

Director

2025 (1)

2024 (4)