Alexa Haywood @ Free Agent Uk

Director

Joe Connor

<h3>He has made an awesome black and white surfing film for singer-songwriter Isakov - a passion project, shot in Ireland, that stands comparison with&nbsp;a certain famous ad.&nbsp;It was time to ask the Rogue Films director some questions.&nbsp;</h3>Joe Connor Likes to push himself.&nbsp;The director, who has worked with artists including The Rolling Stones, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Coldplay and Placebo, as well as brands like Louis Vuitton, Volvo and Land Rover, became hooked on the terrifying beauty of big-wave surfing during a chance trip to Hawaii - the sheer scale of the waves and the fearlessness of those who chase them.Connor is a versatile creative - director, photographer, and musician (one half of the UKVMA-nominated electronic duo Supermodel) - who made the leap from the theatre, where he ran his own company and directed productions, to film over ten years ago. Last year he also&nbsp;directed his first feature, A Message To You, a documentary about The SpecialsHe also continuously engages in personal projects to challenge himself. So&nbsp;when his longtime friend Gregory Alan Isakov shared an early copy of his new album, which includes the sun-soaked track Mistakes, Connor recognised a chance to realise his latest visual mission. Instead of returning to Hawaii, Connor chose to take an unconventional route by focusing on Mullaghmore in Ireland. This location is known for its dramatic big waves, providing thrilling 50-foot peelers under the right conditions, allowing him to infuse his signature atmospheric visual style into the project.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:0] In the resulting video, surfer Ryan Watts carves through these apocalyptic waves on a lone quest, crashing through monstrous barrels and wiping out into the abyss. Rendered in black and white, the stunning footage juxtaposes the ocean’s menacing ferocity with the fragility of man - the thrill and the danger of the sport.It's amazing, and we wanted to find out more how Joe Connor achieved it.<blockquote>I wanted to&nbsp;capture surfing authentically,&nbsp;convey how&nbsp;terrifying these waves can be, whilst also telling an emotional story.</blockquote><h3>PROMONEWS: How did this project happen? Did it originate with a music video commission or start life as a personal project (or some other way)?</h3>JOE CONNOR: This project came about completely organically. I met Greg about 12 years ago in a little bar in Brighton. He was touring the UK [at the time]. We became friends, kept in touch, and always caught up when he came through the UK. We'd always talked about doing something together.He sent me his album&nbsp;before it came out to see if anything resonated with me. Aside from being an astounding piece of work, Mistakes&nbsp;struck me as something beautiful. Once I'd settled on the track, a sequence of coincidences led me to Mullaghmore Head in Donegal. It's a mythical place, and I think that comes across in the film.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>Mullaghmore&nbsp;has a reputation as a dangerous and unpredictable mutant wave. A wipeout here can kill.&nbsp;</blockquote><h3>P: How knowledgable are you about surfing? Have you been a surfer, ever filmed surfing before?</h3>JC: I'm actually not a surfer - I've never surfed. There weren't many waves in Manchester when I was growing up. But I tend to hyper-focus on subjects that catch my interest.Last year, while staying on Hawaii's North Shore watching people surf Pipeline, I became obsessed with the mentality required to surf such an incredibly dangerous reef. I'd never known waves could be lethal the way Pipeline can be - it's truly terrifying. I just became obsessed with surfing - I'd fall asleep watching surf films every night.When this song came up, I wanted to challenge myself not only to capture surfing authentically and convey how utterly terrifying these waves can be whilst also telling an emotional story through it. To go beyond mere documentation and find something more eternal that resonated deeper.&nbsp;I think people are yearning for work that stays with them longer.[imgtoken data:2]<blockquote>The key piece of this project was the surf cinematographer, Clem McInerney...&nbsp;a genius.</blockquote><h3>P: When (and how) did you cast your surfer, Ryan Watts? What’s Ryan’s backstory?</h3>JC: The key piece of this project was the surf cinematographer. I needed someone who knew the waves, knew the landscape, knew the surfers, but was also an artist who could capture the ocean in a dynamic, poetic way. That person was Clem McInerney, and Clem was the one who proposed Ryan.I can't really describe Ryan, he's a mythical creature. Some say he's still out there surfing now.<h3>P: You would be forgiven for thinking this was shot in California, Hawaii, etc. But its shot in County Donegal. What were the factors that led you to shoot there?&nbsp;</h3>JC: Gregory's voice is magic - it sends you into a dream state - but his lyrics&nbsp;have a depth that gets into your bones. I knew sun-kissed Californian or Hawaiian landscapes wouldn't do the song justice; the sea needed to be powerful, dangerous, terrifying, cold, brutal. You had to feel like the&nbsp;surfer was on a&nbsp;knife edge,&nbsp;a lonely tightrope with real consequences.[imgtoken data:3]<blockquote>I became obsessed with the mentality required to surf such an incredibly dangerous reef.</blockquote>I'd travelled up the west coast of Ireland just before Covid and remembered hearing about these waves as big as houses. Mullaghmore&nbsp;has a reputation as a dangerous and unpredictable mutant wave. A wipeout here can kill,&nbsp;it's not a joke. As soon as I started to think about this project, I knew It needed to be shot there.&nbsp;<h3>P: When did you shoot the video, and how many days were you shooting? Did you know when you went to Donegal that the conditions would be ideal for what you wanted to achieve?</h3>JC: We planned this shoot meticulously but kept it simple. With just myself and Clem as crew, we could move nimbly with the ocean and find calm spots for underwater work.The timing worked perfectly. The big weather storms in the States meant plenty of swell was crossing the Atlantic. Clem is a master at getting himself in the right places at the right times. The guy is a genius. I leant on his experience, expertise, knowledge and skills a lot over this project and the final film is a testament to his work.[imgtoken data:4]<blockquote>I knew sun-kissed Californian or Hawaiian landscapes wouldn't do the song justice.</blockquote><h3>P: So how did you organise the shoot? When Ryan is surfing through a wave, where are you/DoP Clem shooting from? What cameras are you using? (Is it as tricky as it looks?)</h3>JC: We broke down the shoot into controllable locations to capture specific story beats and moments that complemented the big wave surfing. Working in calm water, we focused on getting compelling performances and details that elevated this beyond mere documentation into a cinematic narrative.This approach allowed us to build layers of visual storytelling - from the raw power of nature in the big wave sequences to intimate moments that revealed the psychological and emotional aspects of facing such formidable conditions.Clem worked underwater while I was on the cliffs getting battered by the sea. For the wave work, Clem operated from various positions. Sometimes on the back of a jet ski, other times in the water managing the swell and currents to get the perfect angle at the perfect moment. I really can't stress how impressed I am with this guy's skill - and he's a great laugh as well. A total pleasure to spend two days with.[imgtoken data:5]<blockquote>Ryan is a mythical creature. Some say he's still out there surfing now.</blockquote><h3>P: Was the fact you’re shooting in a northern ocean off Ireland the main reason you finished the project in black and white?</h3>JC: Shooting in natural light across multiple days in uncontrollable environments - with sea conditions varying from gin-clear to foggy - meant finding a look that balanced all the footage would be challenging. I had a feeling black and white would be the way to go, as it would unify the project and focus attention on the story rather than the changing conditions.That being said, the grade done by my longtime partner-in-crime George K at Black Kite is astounding. Black and white may look easy, but it's incredibly difficult for a colourist to achieve the right tonality, contrast, shape, balance, and feeling in monochrome. They don't call him the prince of darkness for nothing.<h3>P: Is your surfing footage better than the surfing footage in that famous Guinness ad?</h3>That's a big statement. To have my work mentioned in the same sentence as the master is a compliment I'll take.• Joe Connor is based at Rogue in the UK, and represented for music videos by Alexa Haywood at Free Agent; more of his work <a href="https://www.roguefilms.co.uk/directors-roster/joe-connor" target="_blank">here</a>.

Rogue Films

Alexa Haywood at Free Agent UK

Joe Connor on capturing Ireland’s giant waves for Gregory Alan Isakov's Mistakes: 'You had to feel the surfer is on a knife edge.'

Gregory Alan Isakov - Mistakes (Official Music Video)

Joe Connor captures surfer Ryan Watts' mastery of the waves pounding the North West Ireland coastline in his extraordinary video for&nbsp;Colorado-based singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov.Connor collaborated with specialist cameraman Clem&nbsp;McInerney to shoot New Zealander Watts riding the pipeline through huge Atlantic Ocean waves crashing into the rocky coast of County Donegal.&nbsp;Watts's skill and enigmatic presence&nbsp;provides a highly effective accompaniment for Isakov's plaintive track Mistakes.It's astonishing footage - graded to a silvertone-tinged black and white by George K at Black Kite. Arguably the best ever shot for a music video.&nbsp;

United States

Clem McInerney

Jacques Simon

Trim Editing

George K

Black Kite Studios

Singer-songwriter

Gregory Alan Isakov 'Mistakes' by Joe Connor

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;

United Kingdom

Emile Rafael

Matouš Marcinko

Alžběta Novosadová

Michal Babinec

Liv Ay

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

Tom Mangham

Jade Denne

Agile Films

Arts & Sciences

Electronic

Supermodel 'Push' by Joe Connor and Emile Rafael

SUPERMODEL - PUSH (Official Video)

The <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3n1n2G7KP3TmQl3oDjd7Bm?si=ffd1d66e80504889&amp;nd=1" target="_blank">latest episode of The Promonews Podcast</a> has just been released, with&nbsp;David and Rob of Promonews in conversation with one of the UK's leading music video directors - Joe Connor.In a&nbsp;career now spanning more than a decade, Connor&nbsp;has directed videos for an eclectic range of artists, and consistently challenged himself to break new ground - even when working with big names, like Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, and in his latest video for Ellie Goulding.In a wide-ranging conversation he talks about his path to directing, from growing up in Warrington, going to drama school in London - after an accidental interview - and forming his own theatre company; and learning to love film through a job as a cinema projectionist.&nbsp;Then his breakthrough with first promos&nbsp;for the likes of Band of Skulls and Feeder, to his groundbreaking videos for The Maccabees, filming in Myanmar for Elbow, to his poignant video for Coldplay that almost failed to see the light of day.On the Promonews Podcast - produced in association with&nbsp;<a href="https://looptalent.co.uk/" target="_blank">Loop Talent</a> - Joe Connor also explains&nbsp;how he explores the boundaries of technology with his Like A Saviour video for Ellie Goulding, by creating a desert in the virtual production studio. Very Mandalorian.<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3n1n2G7KP3TmQl3oDjd7Bm?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe>This is the latest episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" target="_blank">The Promonews Podcast: Talking Music Videos</a>. The past year has seen the Podcast interview a range of creatives who are active making music videos right now,&nbsp;including Charlie Sarsfield, Noel Paul and Ali Kurr.&nbsp;Recent interviewees include Aoife McArdle discussing her path from music video director to director and producer on Apple TV+ show&nbsp;Severance; and pioneering music video&nbsp;director Andy Morahan talking about working&nbsp;with Guns 'n Roses, on the 30th anniversary of his legendary video for November Rain.Other Promonews Podcast interviewees in the past year or so include KC Locke, Sam Brown,&nbsp;Rick Joaquim, Milo Blake,&nbsp;Sophia Ray &amp; Mayling Wong, Fred Rowson, Nathan James Tettey,&nbsp;Kasper Haggstrom, Olivia Rose and Sam Davey.• Listen to&nbsp;The Promonews Podcast&nbsp;with Joe Connor on&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3n1n2G7KP3TmQl3oDjd7Bm?si=ffd1d66e80504889&amp;nd=1" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and other platforms.

The Promonews Podcast: new episode with Joe Connor out now!

Joe Connor directs an innovative and beguiling promo for Ellie Goulding's Like A Saviour.Set against a desert backdrop cycling&nbsp;through different times of day, we see Goulding and a set of dancers perform slick choreography&nbsp;whilst the environment around them transforms.&nbsp;Making use of the latest production technology, the entire video was shot against a virtual LED screen, with the sand set built right in front (and on top)&nbsp;of it, allowing the creative team to completely control every aspect of the visual.&nbsp;Aside from the magic of the technology, Goulding and the dancers hit every mark, creating an evocative video that perfectly complements the emotive track.&nbsp;"Ellie came to me with a brief that dared me to think a little differently," explains Joe Connor. "I&nbsp;wanted to throw myself in front of the latest technology and play with what was possible using the large Virtual Production Volume screens."We’ve all seen the images of the Mandalorian, but I felt that there was so much room to use this technology for artistic expression. I wanted to create a desert space where time constantly shifted, from day to night and back to day again. This felt like a really exciting and dynamic starting point to work from.&nbsp;"Working with D-Neg studios, we built a large-scale, 3D desert in Unreal Engine and then built a detailed, real-world foreground using tonnes of sand to blend into our 3D world. The ability to shift through the time of day was enhanced by David Procter’s real-world lighting, which was synchronised with the constantly changing lighting on the screen.&nbsp;"What the team has created is a video which feels unlike any other Ellie Goulding video. It’s a great example of cooperation and collaboration in the pursuit of a singular visual idea."&nbsp;

Fred Bonham Carter

Just Fred

Amanda Tuckwell

David Proctor

Oliver Hogan

Daniel Alwell

Chris Kelly

James Soldan

Ellie Goulding 'Like A Saviour' by Joe Connor

Ellie Goulding - Like A Saviour (Official Video)

We spoke to Joe Connor about how he came to work with Japanese superstar Hikaru Utada, how they bonded over their&nbsp;shared love of the works of Carl Jung - and why he flooded the music video shoot for Bad Mode.Joe Connor has worked with numerous big artists - The Rolling Stones, Rag 'N Bone Man, Biffy Clyro, Mumford &amp; Sons, to name a few. But it still came as something as a surprise that Connor's latest video is for a Japanese pop legend.Hikaru Utada certainly has that status, the American-Japanese singer-songwriter being a huge star in Japan since the Nineties. But she indeed turned to Connor to help launch her latest album Bad Mode with the video for the album's title track. The result is a sumptuous performance video&nbsp;with a surprising twist.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In one of several performance set-ups, a&nbsp;reflective Hikaru contemplates a new love affair while she sits&nbsp;waiting&nbsp;in a taxi rank&nbsp;- which is then flooded, and transformed into a pool, seemingly when the fishtank in the office overflows.[vidtoken data:0]With cinematography by Alex Jamin, and production design by Luke Moran-Morris, the look of the video is as glamourous&nbsp;as befits an artist of this stature. But Moran-Morris's production design&nbsp;is also ingenious: he built the main set on stilts above an underwater tank, then lowered the set into the water tank at a studio in Basildon during the shoot.So we spoke to Joe Connor about the project, and how he ended up in Essex with a Japanese pop queen...&nbsp;How did the project start? Were you surprised to be asked to write a treatment for a top Japanese artist?This particular&nbsp;project came about in a very strange and unusual way. I was contacted almost out of the blue by a representative for Hikaru who wanted to know more about my process, how I work with an artist. We struck up a really good relationship and before you know it, half of Tokyo was flying out to an underwater tank in Basildon.[imgtoken data:1]Even though I hadn't worked with Hikaru before I knew she had worked with Rina [Yang, the DoP] and I'd actually randomly recommended a friend of mine to Rina, to be a lighting designer of Hikaru's tour a few years ago. So&nbsp;there were some strange connections. It must be fate.&nbsp;<blockquote>I wrote the idea thinking the room was purgatory - an inner space where the main character is stuck.&nbsp;</blockquote>How did you come up with your idea? And how does it relate to the song, Bad Mode? What sort of references did you include in your treatment?This is the first time I've written&nbsp;an idea for a track without knowing the meaning of the lyrics. I'm a lyric-focused director, not in the sense of replicating the exact meaning, but in looking behind them and finding the emotional state of the artist writing them. It was almost impossible to do that process on this, as the translation into English doesn't quite work. There are Japanese slang terms that are only really understood by those that know.[imgtoken data:2]That being said, I got a very deep feeling of someone caught in limbo, held in a space unable to move or progress forward. That feeling formed the basis of the idea; waiting for a taxi that never comes, and waiting so long the room floods. I wrote the idea thinking the room was purgatory - an inner space where the main character is stuck.When I pitched it to Hikaru I thought she'd laugh me out the room.&nbsp;But it turns out we both have the same Jung books on our respective bedside table. Once you know someone is a fan of Jung you can move ideas into a dream space without fear that it'll be too 'out there'.Hikaru is an amazingly perceptive person and we resonated really well. My interpretation of the track captured how she felt when she was writing it, and once we had that understanding it all just fell into place.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:3] Was there much communication with the artist ahead of the shoot? Did they have requests or requirements about how they wanted to video to look and how they wanted to be filmed?I had a lot of chats with Hikaru but they were more focussed around how the video needed to feel, rather then specifics regarding looks or filming style. I knew I wanted to push this video and be a bit looser with the operation then I'm used too.I love focussed and composed photography but it felt like this one was crying out for Dutch framing, handheld camerawork, and a bit more looseness. It was unusual territory for me&nbsp;but my DoP Alex Jamin, brought so much to the party that it kept me from wanting to nail everything down. It was a very free and alive project in that sense.[imgtoken data:4]<blockquote>Luke Moran Morris... really brought some A-grade execution to this project.</blockquote>Where (and when) did you shoot the video? Flooding a set is always going to be a tricky business - how did you achieve it?I knew I wanted to build the set on a water tank. I've shot at Basildon for The Maccabees and more recently with Biffy Clyro, so I know the limitations of that facility. Writing ideas for specfifc&nbsp;locations is always helpful - it allows me to know what I can achieve and still surprise people with a bit of a creative twist.I must say that working out the set, how to build it on stilts, how to light it, how to lower it was all down to the genius of Luke Moran Morris and his team. He really brought some A-grade execution to this project.&nbsp;&nbsp;[imgtoken data:5]We then shot the&nbsp;dry section&nbsp;of the video before lunch, then lowered the set over lunch and while we were shooting the other set-ups (they were partly in there to give me that buffer while the set was sunk, allowing me to keep shooting without losing time) and then once the set was submerged we shot the second half of the video.The main challenge was containing the potential for chaos. A project like this can easily spiral as water starts to flood the set. So my main consideration was keeping the focus, keeping it fun and getting what we needed in the time we had.&nbsp;• Joe Connor is based at <a href="https://www.roguefilms.co.uk/" target="_blank">Rogue Films</a>, and represented by Alexa Haywood at <a href="https://www.freeagent.uk.com/" target="_blank">Free Agent UK</a> for music videos.&nbsp;More work <a href="https://www.roguefilms.co.uk/directors-roster/joe-connor" target="_blank">here</a>.

Joe Connor on Hikaru Utada's Bad Mode: 'I had a feeling of someone caught in limbo.'

Hikaru-Utada-'Bad-Mode'-by-Joe-Connor

Hikaru Utada 'Bad Mode' by Joe Connor

Joe Connor has directed a gorgeous video for legendary Japanese pop star Hikaru Utada - using in-camera ingenuity to flood the space where she dramatizes the heartfelt track Bad Mode.The video is something of a departure in style for the director, but in creating an alluringly dreamlike edge to proceedings, Hikaru comes over as both proper pop star and intriguing artist - enigmatic,&nbsp;sensitive and strong.It's courtesy of great work not only by Connor, but also DoP Alex Jamin and production design by Luke Moran-Morris. And you'll ultimately find out why the main set was built on stilts over a water tank.

Japan

Luke Moran-Morris

Alexandre Jamin

Andrew Rawson

Rag 'n' Bone reflects on societal pressures and the idea of belonging, in Joe Connor's monumental promo for Alone.Backed up by his full band, the video follows a group of outcast personalities&nbsp;looking for meaning in their lives, who transcend their realities and embrace the light that surrounds them.&nbsp;Shot in a clandestine mega-structure, the location is as much of a character as the cast members, and lends a larger than life feel to the enigmatic concept.&nbsp;

Alexa Haywood

Chris Malin

Alex Jamin

Tim Allan

Steve Cameron

James Rose

The Quarry

George Kyriacou

Dan Millar

Rag 'n' Bone Man 'Alone' by Joe Connor

Rag-'n'-Bone-Man-'Alone'-by-Joe-Connor

Joe Connor and Tim Mattia collaborate over the pond, in the video&nbsp;for&nbsp;Rag 'n' Bone Man &amp; P!nk's collab on Anywhere Away From Here.Working together to create a seamless production, the UK section of the video was shot in&nbsp;The Duke Of York’s Theatre in the West End, where nature has overtaken every inch of the space, with plants growing from the stalls and wild animals stalking the stage.&nbsp;For the US section, seasoned industry vets P!nk and Mattia create&nbsp;magic in an understated yet affecting way, bringing a remarkable dynamism and presence to the project.&nbsp;It's a great collaboration, anchored by top-notch performances and picture perfect cinematography, from Patrick Meller in London, and Justin Moro in the US. And&nbsp;Joe Connor explains that the origins of his idea for the video came a long time ago.&nbsp;"I wrote in a journal once that I wanted to plant a real cornfield in a theatre when I was training at Royal Central School London," he reveals. "And we managed to do it. It's mad how things manifest years later."&nbsp;

Tim Mattia

Billy Payne

Patrick Meller

John Clarke

Marty Moore

Iain Whitewright

Tenthree Editing

George Kyriacou @ Black Kite

B.art.vfx Studio

Sony Music

Cinedyne Films

Natasha Jenkins

Justyn Moro

Rag'n'Bone Man & P!nk 'Anywhere Away From Here' by Joe Connor & Tim Mattia

Joe-Connor-+-Tim-Mattia-'Anywhere-Away-From-Here'-by-Joe-Connor-+-Tim-Mattia

Joe Connor directs an old-school musical number for Jamie Cullum's swinging new Christmas track, Hang Your Lights.&nbsp;The promo opens with Cullum leaning on a lamp post in an empty studio space, before whip-panning to a couple dancing. The concept soon evolves into an explosive collision of choreography, performance and feel-good fun.&nbsp;Charming and highly watchable, art director&nbsp;Marty Moore transforms the studio into a brilliant, high-energy environment, packed with a variety of practical lights and props.&nbsp;The amalgamation of creativity and the spirit of the&nbsp;festive period makes this a must-watch in preparation for the holidays. And after a year like this, it's great to see something unabashedly joyous and merry.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Chloe Lamford

Ellie Johnson

TenThree

Robbie Canale

Emma Farnell Watson

Jazz

Jamie Cullum 'Hang Your Lights' by Joe Connor 

Jamie-Cullum-'Hang-Your-Lights'-by-Joe-Connor-

Joe Connor shares his powerful video for Celeste's Hear My Voice, the soundtrack of upcoming Netflix release The Trial of the Chicago 7.&nbsp;The video interweaves&nbsp;poignant moments from Aaron Sorkin's&nbsp;film - which centres upon countercultural protests in Chicago in 1968, and seven defendants accused of conspiracy by the federal government - and a handful of stunning performance vignettes.&nbsp;Celeste has tremendous&nbsp;presence on-screen, bringing a warmth and vulnerability to her performance as she traverses an empty courthouse. The use of lingering shots and crossfades allows viewers to reflect on the themes present in the concept, and strikes a perfect balance between snapshots of the film and shots of the artist.&nbsp;

MrMr

Kate Taylor

Wayne Bentley

Aaron Reid

Brendan Harvey

Loren Filis

Damien Ansell

Semera Khan

Andrew Bainbridge

Alternative R&B

Soul

Celeste 'Hear My Voice' by Joe Connor

Celeste-'Hear-My-Voice'-by-Joe-Connor

Joe Connor directs a wet and wonderful promo for Biffy Clyro's Space.&nbsp;Sitting in a car under thunderous downpours, vocalist Simon Neil is lost in thought alongside his partner, played by Jasmine Chiu. Moving from the vehicle into a black infinity studio space, the pair dive into passionate choreography as the unrelenting rain soaks them through.&nbsp;Starting as a minimalist dance concept, the video moves into deep water&nbsp;as Neil and Chiu finds themselves submerged, their movements strikingly graceful and&nbsp;poetic.&nbsp;DoP&nbsp;Ruben Woodin Dechamps contrasts the warm glow of the headlights and lamp with cool, icey blues, representing the fluctuating emotions and abstract energy of the concept.&nbsp;

Ruben Woodin Dechamps

Tanmoye Khan

Pete Bishop

Jasmine Chiu

Richard Savage

Alternative Rock

Biffy Clyro 'Space' by Joe Connor

Biffy-Clyro-'Space'-by-Joe-Connor

Joe Connor captures the eeriness of public spaces under lockdown, in the video for The Rolling Stones' Living In A Ghost Town.&nbsp;For the iconic rock group's latest release, Connor briefed&nbsp;photographers around the world (and Margate) to capture&nbsp;the changing landscape of iconic streets and buildings, while he recorded a desolate, empty London himself.Intercut with intimate studio footage, the lo-fi fisheye aesthetic used more or less throughout the piece is particularly fitting for the current situation, shot off-the-cuff whilst traversing various roads, underground stations and trains.

Richard Fearon

Polydor Records

XCIV (Cape Town)

Samantha Milligan (Osaka)

Nick Walker

Amer Chadha-Patel

Kristian Engelsen

Janick Laurent (Toronto)

Rock

The Rolling Stones 'Living In A Ghost Town' by Joe Connor

The-Rolling-Stones-'Living-In-A-Ghost-Town'-by-Joe-Connor

The Courteeners return with the thrilling final instalment of their&nbsp;Better trilogy, directed&nbsp;by Joe Connor.&nbsp;Written by&nbsp;novelist&nbsp;Emma Jane Unsworth as a short film and split across three videos,&nbsp;the final segment focusses on main protagonist Lauren,&nbsp;who has an out of body experience as a handful of surgeons operate on her. Vivid hallucinations fill the screen as her chest opens up into a black hole, and the further she delves into her&nbsp;labyrinthian mind, the weirder her experience&nbsp;becomes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Haunting and surreal, the visual ends where <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8KWL4Mj1o4&amp;list=RDhe2zwSwTrK0&amp;index=2" target="_blank">the first video for Heavy Jacket</a> started, suggesting a variety of possible explanations, from a full-on drug trip to some kind of purgatory.&nbsp;The trilogy's consistent strand,&nbsp;tying together the three segments, is the band performance set-up, once again taking place in front of a retro-futuristic window in a club environment - full of energy and with a knockout performance from Corteeners' frontman Liam Fray.&nbsp;

Nick Crossley

Chief Productions

Joel Honeywell

Ian McLaughlin

Paul McKee

Alternative, Indie Rock

Courteeners 'Hanging Off Your Cloud' by Joe Connor

Courteeners-'Hanging-Off-Your-Cloud'-by-Joe-Connor

Lief&nbsp;Vollebekk traverses the Icelandic countryside in&nbsp;Joe Connor's video for&nbsp;Apalachee Plain.Aesthetically reminiscent of old home movies - this was shot partly on Super 8mm - the black and white visuals are beautifully authentic and rich. Set against moody skies and breathtaking landscapes, Leif delivers an emotional performance surrounded by nature and wild animals, unfiltered and totally at ease in his surroundings.

Canada

James Henry

Liam Bachler

Indie Folk

Leif Vollebekk 'Apalachee Plain' by Joe Connor

Leif-Vollebekk-'Apalachee-Plain'-by-Joe-Connor

Joe Connor celebrates the rituals of getting ready for a big night out, in his hallucinatory&nbsp;video for Georgia's 24 Hours.&nbsp;Stuctured in split-screen throughout, we see various vignettes of people&nbsp;preparing themselves for the evening ahead&nbsp;- drinking and dancing whilst they count down the clock in anticipation. Intermittent shots of a car racing around the Berlin streets creates an electric sense of urgency, a clever juxtaposition to the more relaxed vibe inside the characters' homes. And DoP&nbsp;Giuseppe Favale also experiments with different frame rates, stretching and manipulating time to represent the partygoers' foggy and dazed state of mind.A powerful performance from Georgia on a drum machine, bathed in red light, neatly rounds off the concept, acting as an anchor to the frenetic variety of characters within the concept.&nbsp;

Giuseppe Favale

Georgia '24 Hours' by Joe Connor

Georgia-'24-Hours'-by-Joe-Connor

Joe Connor does a classic London thing&nbsp;with a twist in his charming video for Leif Vollebekk.The Canadian singer-songwriter is&nbsp;taking an early morning trip on a nearly deserted open-topped double decker bus around London landmarks in the video for Blood Brother.&nbsp;Intriguingly, he happens to be handcuffed to his seat.So there are a few questions that pop up immediately, but they quickly fade when it's evident Vollebekk is accepting of his situation. And he certainly attracts an admirer, as the only other passenger becomes his enthusiastic ally, breaking into an endearingly&nbsp;supportive dance routine.Feeling both vintage and contemporary at once, the universal aspects of the concept translate perfectly to screen, and bring the upbeat ballad to life in a colourful and quirky way.

Blain

Sylvester Yiu

Yolande Haynes

Alice Burridge

Kip Johnson

Leif Vollebekk 'Blood Brother' by Joe Connor

Leif-Vollebekk-'Blood-Brother'-by-Joe-Connor

Georgia strolls through a desert wilderness in this simple, celestial video by Joe Connor.On a breezy evening, Connor took a skeleton crew of five to the Jordanian desert, a decision that gives Georgia free rein of a sublime, dramatic landscape. Then he placed the footage in the capable hands of Black Kite Studios, who delivered the stellar sky work.The team used Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night as a guiding principle, and in the closing moments of Never Let Me Go, the video conjures the spectre of that painting with a magical, billowing skyline.

Callan Green

Felix Pickles

Chris Roebuck

John Moule

Domino Records

Synth Pop

Georgia 'Never Let You Go' by Joe Connor

Georgia "Never Let You Go."

Joe Connor gives Jess Glynne with a suitably elegant video to accompany the reflective sentiment of her song Thursday - co-written with Ed Sheeran.The song declares that Thursday is the day that the singer gets to be herself - no makeup, drinking from the can (not in the American sense). It's a declaration of self-love, and with the video Connor provides Jess Glynne with situations to explore new ways to present herself, and ideas of beauty.Perhaps most notably this includes Jess in an oversized suit, surrounded by Greek-style statuary. Very 90s Madonna...&nbsp;

Jeremy Goold

Anneliese Meisel

Mark McPadden

Atlantic Records

Zoe Klinck

Flaura Atkinson

Jess Glynne 'Thursday' by Joe Connor

Jess-Glynne-'Thursday'-by-Joe-Connor

Joe Connor has directed a classic pop video for Sam Smith&#39;s Pray, filmed in one of the most spectacular locations seen in a music video for a long time.The video begins with Sam Smith&nbsp;travelling in a classically stylish&nbsp;speedboat - soon revealed to be speeding across the beautiful Lake Como in Italy. From then on, the video takes place in one of the grandest houses on the shores of the Lake.Performances by the singer and rapper Logic are captured in its&nbsp;exquisitely furnished rooms, together with supplementary performances by dancers as Connor starts to subvert the perfection of the location with memorably bold imagery.&nbsp;As Connor explains below, after the powerful lyrics of the song his inspirations came from Edgar Allan Poe and Caravaggio.This is the second video that Joe Connor has directed for Sam Smith, with the previous one for One Last Song shot within London&#39;s most iconic theatre, The Palladium. But that seems like a mere aperitif&nbsp;to the breathtaking majesty of this one.[imgtoken data:1]

Colin Offland

Happy MC

Dom Murgia

Michella De Rossi

Georgie Winter

Sam Smith ft Logic 'Pray' by Joe Connor

Sam Smith - Pray (Official Video) ft. Logic

Joe Connor&#39;s video for Sam Smith starts on stage at the London Palladium. But this begins where the public performance ends.The video for One Last Song reflects the intimacy of the message by having Smith perform it as he&#39;s walking backstage through this iconic London theatre in a near one shot. A bravura, wonderfully choreographed piece, in which Connor has Britain&#39;s premier pop balladeer&nbsp;ending up on the roof - and somewhere else entirely.