Director

Jamie Whitby

Jamie Whitby takes on a trip to the Psychedelic Views Hotel in his video for Sad Night Dynamite - a hallucinatory POV journey, where logic falters and goats roam free...Whitby references previous SND videos - the ones where they roam around in a stretch limo - and brings a strangeness to proceedings through clever use of visual effects and animation, to enhance the woozy, sleazy atmosphere.

George Telfer

Agile Films

Sana Khan

Precious Mahaga

Kevin Cheung

Ty Hack

Jamie Harding

Karl Hui

Nina Mangold

Jorge Higgins

Jabez Bartlett

Suzie Walsh

Lauren Webster

James Bradley

Alex Gregory

No.8

Agile Studio

OB Management

Ellen Wilson

Kit Falck

Sam Seager

Parlophone

Sad Night Dynamite 'Psychedelic Views' by Jamie Whitby

Sad-Night-Dynamite--'Psychedelic-Views--'-by-Jamie-Whitby

Things are looking up for Jamie Whitby. The 31 year old director's new short film&nbsp;Smoker's Delight, a surreal comic-drama starring Jordan Stephens to mark the 25th anniversary of the release of the classic Nightmares On Wax album of the same name, came out a few days ago - and has picked up a nomination at this year's UKMVAs.&nbsp;This residen of Hackney in East London&nbsp;has largely built his&nbsp;profile in music videos&nbsp;with his visually conceptual work for the likes of Yellow Days, Colt3rane, Gengahr, Glass Animals and others, as a director at Agile Films.With Smokers Delight revealing a new aspect of his directing skills, it seems&nbsp;like a very good time for&nbsp;Jamie to tell us some more about his Work, Life, and everything that makes him tick.WORK:&nbsp;How long have you held your current position? What were you doing before this? I’ve been making music videos for about two and a half years, with Agile Films for about half of that time. Before that I was part of a director duo, but we made commercials. So I’ve kind of done the whole thing backwards.<blockquote>Channel 4 funded my first project - as&nbsp;long as I promised to stop sending them TVs.</blockquote>What was your first job, or first significant break in the industry? My first real break came via&nbsp;Random Acts.&nbsp;I spent weeks unsuccessfully nagging them to watch <a href="https://vimeo.com/460093994/4401018fb7" target="_blank">my taster tape</a> and eventually got so fed up I mailed it to them on a video cassette tape contained inside an old CRT TV-VCR combi. The package weighed about 30 kilos, it cost a fortune to get in the post, and then got stuck in bomb screening at the Channel 4 building. When it finally found its way onto the desk of the commissioner they funded my project as long as I promised to stop sending them TVs. It all sort of took off from there.&nbsp;Name one music video that inspired you that get involved in making music videos?&nbsp; The one that sowed the seed was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0cS1FaKPWY" target="_blank">Chris Cunningham’s video for Bjork’s&nbsp;All Is Full Of Love</a>. Then <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2013/10/11/gesaffelstein-hate-or-glory-fleur-manu/22249" target="_blank">Fleur &amp; Manu’s video for Gesaffelstein’s&nbsp;Hate Or Glory</a>&nbsp;triggered the germination. Both masterpieces in world building and atmosphere, by directing outfits I wish were still active.[vidtoken data:0]Name one project you’ve done that was significant as a learning experience – and why?&nbsp; Out of respect for the people at the label who I have a lot of love for,&nbsp;this project will remain nameless. But there was one artist who saw the first cut of a video I made and straight up said they hated it. It really messed me up for a long time because I loved it and I was really happy with it. I started questioning everything I was doing. But eventually it was released in a form that was pretty loyal to the original, the response was positive, and I’ve subsequently seen briefs from artists including it as a reference. And that sort of love is all you can really ask for from a video.I guess that taught me that while filmmaking should be an inherently emotional process you shouldn’t take things too personally. People have different tastes and all that really makes you unique as a director are your own gut instincts. You have to find a way to trust them.<blockquote>While filmmaking should be an inherently emotional process, you shouldn’t take things too personally.</blockquote>What are your favourite music video-related jobs of the past year or so - and why?&nbsp; I just finished a narrative short, commissioned for the 25th anniversary of the Nightmares On Wax album&nbsp;Smokers Delight&nbsp;for Warp Records. That was a unicorn of a brief, and the whole crew who worked on it were just the loveliest, most talented people, purely in it for the love of making films. There wasn’t a single grumble over three consecutive night shoots.[vidtoken data:1]That album is steeped in stoner culture so we had to track down this guy Marko (at<a href="https://sugavision.com/"> Sugavision)</a> who’s the Leonardo Da Vinci of fake weed props for the film &amp; TV industry. It turned out he was a massive fan of Nightmares so he pulled out all the stops and made us a bespoke 4ft female with purple buds, along with custom purple kush.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>Marko at&nbsp;Sugavision&nbsp;is the Leonardo Da Vinci of fake weed props... and&nbsp;a massive fan of Nightmares.</blockquote>Then there was also working with Col3trane on the video for Rendezvous -&nbsp;just because that guy is insanely talented with an amazing energy and I loved spending time with him.[vidtoken data:2]What are you currently working on?&nbsp; I’m currently in the process of adapting a novel into a TV mini-series with the development arm of Agile. But I will say no more for fear of jinxing things.What kind of work would you like to be doing in future?&nbsp; Uncompromising work that refuses to stoop to derivation or mediocrity.&nbsp;What advice would you give someone entering your field?&nbsp; My man George VDB aka Yellow Days has a stick-and-poke tattoo that says "be good". I initially interpreted that as “be kind to people”, but it could also mean “don’t be average”. Both are applicable here.<blockquote>All that really makes you unique as a director are your own gut instincts. You have to trust them.</blockquote>LIFEWhen you’re not working, what do you like to spend time doing? I spend a lot of time telling people we should go fishing. But we never do, and I’ve still never been.Tell us something that we don’t know about you... My Dad was a documentary maker and one of his early films was called&nbsp;The Beyond Within, about the rise of LSD. While making it he stumbled upon a piece of archive footage that had been hidden away behind four or five locked doors and various 'DO NOT AIR'&nbsp;warnings at the BBC. It was of a standing MP taking mescaline on film, and it is absolutely hilarious [about 22 minutes in].[vidtoken data:3]Where did you go on your last holiday (or vacation)?&nbsp; I went camping in Dorset a few weeks ago and we accidentally pitched next to a tank firing range. Naturally that coincided with a schedule of night-time war exercises with live ammunition.And where would you love to visit?&nbsp; There’s a village called Harie in Japan where the canal forks off into every individual house. You drop your dishes in your own personal river and the carp do your washing up for you. I think that’s lovely.What are your favourite currently-running TV shows? I have such a backlog that it’s rare I watch anything current. I loved&nbsp;Adventure Time&nbsp;when it was on. Apart from that&nbsp;Police Squad&nbsp;is probably my favourite show ever.[vidtoken data:4]What’s the best movie (or movies) you’ve seen recently?&nbsp; Recent would probably be&nbsp;Waves, which editor Jack Williams put me onto. I can’t believe how little hype it had. It’s such a Hollywood-friendly story but for some reason it never seemed to really hit the mainstream.[vidtoken data:5]&nbsp;In terms of older stuff I also recently watched&nbsp;The Colour of Pomegranates. It’s a Soviet film with some of the most extraordinary imagery I think I’ve ever seen on screen. Like&nbsp;The Holy Mountain&nbsp;good.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:6]What are your favourite music videos by other people in the past year?&nbsp; 1) Zak Marx’s video for Monster Rally’s Adventure. It currently has 5.5k views on YouTube which is absolutely criminal. You can palpably feel the love that went into it - it does more world building than most films with twenty times the money. Such a good lesson in finding creative ways to overcome the challenges associated with low budgets (I particularly approve of their solution to not being able to afford a low-loader).[vidtoken data:7]2) King Krule’s self-directed video for ‘(Don’t Let The Dragon) Draag On’. We need way more of these simple, intriguing, atmospheric pieces in the world I feel.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:8]3) Hiro Murai’s latest video for FKA Twigs. Watching it I mostly found myself feeling incredibly irritated that an American had come along and made London feel so much better on camera than any of us natives.[vidtoken data:9] &nbsp;Favourite music artists&nbsp;in the past year? Dreamcastmoe just dropped&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyGfB-vuPfE" target="_blank">my single of the year</a>.&nbsp;Aside from that I have been listening to a lot of King Krule, Flatbush Zombies, and Yaeji.&nbsp;<blockquote>Biden 2020... a sliver of light at the end of this sewage pipe of a year.&nbsp;</blockquote>Best book you’ve read, and/or best exhibition you’ve seen recently?&nbsp; Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark - it’s a non-fiction book exploring the future of AI. It’s also an accidental horror story, and should have all of us fearing for our jobs.[imgtoken data:2]Over lockdown I also got very into <a href="http://www.davidmjester.com/" target="_blank">David M Jester</a>, who does these amazing paintings of naked men in swimming pools.&nbsp;Favourite food and/or favourite restaurant(s)?&nbsp; There’s a fast food chain I went to in Austin called <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g30196-d10031108-Reviews-Torchy_s_Tacos-Austin_Texas.html" target="_blank">Torchy’s Tacos</a>. I think it’s only in Texas. I only managed to go once but I think about it all the time.[imgtoken data:3]What’s your favourite political or charitable cause, and why? Biden 2020, if only because it offers a sliver of light at the end of this sewage pipe of a year.&nbsp;Best recent purchase (send photo, if poss)? A carbon dioxide monitor for my desk. Multiple reputable studies have shown that breathing in an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 1000ppm leads to a 15% drop in cognitive function. That’s something that often happens just by being alone in a small room indoors. So yeah, keep those windows open.[imgtoken data:4]&nbsp;Work &amp; Life - balance/ imbalance out of five (1 for imbalance; 5 for balance)?&nbsp; I find it kind of impossible to separate the two. Is that a 1 or a 5?• Jamie Whitby is with Agile Films in London for music videos and commercials, and represented for music videos by OB Management

Work & Life Q&A: Jamie Whitby, Agile Films

Gesaffelstein - "Hate or Glory" (Official Music Video)

Nightmares-On-Wax-'Smokers-Delight'-by-Jamie-Whitby

Col3trane-'Rendezvous'-by-Jamie-Whitby

LSD - The Beyond Within

Police Squad Greatest Moments

Waves | Official Trailer HD | A24

The Colour Of Pomegranates (1969) TRAILER [HD 1080p]

Monster Rally - Adventure [Official Music Video]

King Krule - (Don't Let The Dragon) Draag On

Fka-Twigs-'"sad-Day"'-by-Hiro-Murai

Jordan Stephens, once of Rizzle Kicks, plays Tiger, the inveterate stoner who finds himself on a weird, weed-related voyage of discovery in Jamie Whitby's marvellous short film to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a landmark Warp Records release - Nightmares On Wax's Smokers Delight.&nbsp;When Tiger discovers he has been locked out of his flat&nbsp;after a night of serious toking with his mates, it triggers a series of increasingly outlandish&nbsp;episodes - which moves from stoner-noir to full-on acid trip when our hero tumbles into full 2D animation.Music from Nightmare On Wax's classic 1995 album is an unobtrusive motif throughout the film, written as well as directed by Whitby. It is something of a departure&nbsp;from his largely conceptual work in music videos, but it shows that comedy-drama, mixed with a splash of pure surrealism, is his forté. He gets great performances from a talented cast, led by Stephens - possibly channelling Jeff Bridges&nbsp;in Lebowski - and has been rewarded with a nomination at this year's UKMVAs, in the&nbsp;Best Special Video Projects category, for his efforts.

United Kingdom

Scarlett Barclay

Hayley Williams

India Bradshaw

Spike Morris

Rob Hawkins

Bulman Arshehit

Hélio Ribeiro

David Hamilton

George Buxton

Natasha Lawes

Myles Payne

Jack Williams

Edward Coope

Assembly Rooms

The Mill

David Horsburgh

Jordan Stephens

Warp Records

Harry Chambers

Rachel Bashford

Fionn Hutton

Jamie Hitchens

Alternative

Nightmares On Wax 'Smokers Delight' by Jamie Whitby

Jamie Whitby embraces thermal imaging technology and complex motion control in his&nbsp;video for Glass Animals' Your Love (Déjà Vu).&nbsp;With an unusual colour palette and experimental post-production work, the visual is a vibrant, mixed-media trip with a futuristic aesthetic.&nbsp;

Callum Harrison

Tom Wymborne

Raul Menendez

Studio Augmenta

Jason Wallis

Electric Theatre Collective

Eamonn Blake

Chloe Hayward

Richard Grewe

Polydor

Rock

Indie

Glass Animals 'Your Love (Déjà Vu)' by Jamie Whitby

Glass Animals - Your Love (Déjà Vu) - Official Video

Col3trane and featured artist Miraa May explore shadowgraphy in Rendezvous, directed by Jamie Whitby.&nbsp;For anyone not familiar with the term, shadowgraphy is the act of creating silhouettes on a wall- most of us have experience making dogs, cats,&nbsp;etc with a torch when we're kids. There's none of that here. It's much cooler... and darker.From shadow reenactments of heists to energetic performances, the struggle between light and dark is represented in a clever and innovative way, weaving live action setups with the silhouettes through exciting transitions. Great work from the team and artists.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Freddie Barrass

Lucas Harding

Focus Puller

Eamonn Blake, Sebastian Zaniewski

Maria Lane

Jake Whitehouse

Alternative R&B

Col3trane ft. Miraa May 'Rendezvous' by Jamie Whitby

The arresting sight of a man in pyjamas playing a&nbsp;flaming piano in a cornfield develops in a series of joyfully summery scenarios, in Jamie Whitby's technically brilliant imagining of an Utopian English summer.Its' for The SLP - the new solo project by Sergio from Kasabian - and the video for the gorgeously summery Nobody Else is Whitby’s first music video since joining Agile Films.&nbsp;

Javier Alejandro

Jerome Franc

Jomar O’Meally

Ciaran Beale

Luci Ellis

Jess Summer

Louis Burke

Charles Stanton-jones

Elena Argiros

Sony Music

The SLP 'Nobody Else' by Jamie Whitby

The-Slp-'Nobody-Else'-by-Jamie-Whitby

Jamie Whitby directs this glistening cut for LA rapper Yoshi Flower. Hidden away in the mountains with his fortune, Yoshi still can’t shake the emptiness. The man’s sitting on so many diamonds, there’s nothing left to do but piss them away. Literally.Whitby takes shots at materialism with his wispy, playful style. Look out for the triumphant return of the star diffractor, an unfairly maligned piece of kit that now seems custom made for Yoshi’s diamond-encrusted luxuries (created by art director Lauren Kim).

United States

Ben Narich

Couscous

Salim El Arja

Jordan Cardoso

Marita Gomsrud⁣

Javier Montoya ⁣

Christopher Ripley

Jacob Perry⁣

Greg Loebell⁣

Lauren Kim

Emily Desimone

Penelope Strintz

Kay Cunningham⁣

Henry Kaplan

Kristopher Smale

Kevin Marien

Hanan Cher⁣

Hip Hop

Alternative Rap

Yoshi Flower 'Empty' by Jamie Whitby

Yoshi-Flower-'Empty'-by-Jamie-Whitby

A beautifully-crafted low budget video for Yellow Days by Jamie Whitby, which takes this jazzy combo&#39;s frontman George from his garden deep into his subconscious, via a hole in the lawn.&nbsp;It was all made possible by some excellent art direction by Jabez Bartlett, and weeks of careful stitching of the descent through the rooms of George&#39;s mind at The Mill. Meanwhile, the very promising up and coming director Jamie Whitby has just joined&nbsp;OB Management for music video representation.&nbsp;

Tim Daukes

Jarome France

Laura Clayton

Yellow Days 'How Can I Love You?' by Jamie Whitby

Yellow-Days--'How-Can-I-Love-You?-'-by-Jamie-Whitby

James Whitby&#39;s live action/animation hybrid for Gengahr mixes analogue and digital techniques to replace one of the partners in each of three genuine relationships, so they become&nbsp;abstracted cutouts.Combined with a band performance - where the insturments are similarly replaced by cutouts, creates a charmingly homemade and authentic visual for I&#39;ll Be Waiting - which is Whitby&#39;s follow-up video for Gengahr the Casablanca-set promo for <a href="http://www.promonews.tv/videos/2018/02/13/gengahr-sunrise-jamie-whitby">Before Sunrise</a>.

Try Hard

Sorcha Bacon

Emile James, Alexandra Yellop, Pippa Sa, Chloe Knight, Tiegan Rice, Khariis Ubiaro

Mike Harounoff

Transgressive Records

Gengahr 'I'll Be Waiting' by Jamie Whitby

Gengahr-'I'll-Be-Waiting'-by-Jamie-Whitby

James Whitby documents Moroccan teenage stunt bikers the Anfa Riders for Gengahr.Referring to themselves as stunteurs, the Casablanca-based Anfa Riders have found their own take on the #bikelife movement with the help of a national glut of cheap import mopeds.&nbsp;They gather in huge groups on the outskirts of the city, away from the authorities who confiscate their bikes on sight.Whitby&#39;s absorbing video for Gengahr&#39;s Before Sunrise is a fanastic snapshot of their universe. As he says, &quot;it&#39;s a celebration of the sense of freedom and weightlessness that we seem to lose as we get older &ndash; found in a corner of the world where you might not think to look.&quot;

Jamie Whitby

Director

1 interview featuring Jamie Whitby

9 videos featuring Jamie Whitby

2021 (1)

2020 (2)

2019 (3)

2018 (3)

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