OB Management

Production Company

Lowkey Films

<h2>Tara Bartlett is the new Head of Music at Lowkey Films. We talk to her about her plans, and find out how her experience making different types of creative work for artists will impact on her role.</h2>&nbsp;She began in music video production, involved in some groundbreaking work at Partizan. Then she went into a different, all-encompassing type of production of creative at WMA&nbsp;- working on '360' content&nbsp;for a number of leading music artists.Now she has joined&nbsp;Lowkey Films, one of London's most forward-thinking music video production companies, as Head of Music.&nbsp;And its fair to say that her previous job - Global Director of Film and Photography at WMA - means that Tara Bartlett is bringing a distinctive perspective to her new one.&nbsp;In that job, Bartlett was involved in both video and stills shoots for artists including&nbsp;Louis Tomlinson, Olivia Rodrigo, Easy Life and more. She was also helping to redefine what we used to think of as content.So we talked to Tara about her plans at Lowkey - and how the humble music video can prosper in the complicated landscape of creative content.<blockquote>There's a question of what music videos are going to end up being in the next five years.</blockquote>PROMONEWS: How would you describe your new role at Lowkey Films?TARA BARTLETT: I feel like it's a perfect blend of everything that I've been doing up to this point. Music has always really been what's driven me throughout my career!&nbsp;My first in-house production job was at Partizan, where I worked about seven years ago, and I was primarily working on the music videos in my just under two years there. Then in my recent job, at WMA (Weller Media Agency), which is a 360 digital creative service agency for music artists [including Olivia Rodrigo, below], I was heading up the film and photography department, and working on multi-platform creative content.Lowkey, with both its progressive approach to the work we create and how we create it, felt like the perfect place for me to bring these two worlds together, and expand even further with the expertise Lowkey has in the long form space.&nbsp; Head of Music felt more appropriate than Head of Music Videos as there is so much creative to be made in the music space and across so many formats - music videos, photography, short form content, music documentary - the list goes on.[imgtoken data:1]Above: Olivia Rodrigo, client of WMA where Tara Bartlett&nbsp;was Global Director&nbsp;of Film &amp; Photography<blockquote>There's an amazing space for music videos, to use&nbsp;social platforms to our benefit - and create assets that can extend the creative or narrative of the main promo video, in an exciting and purposeful way.</blockquote>How are you bringing your experience to your new job at Lowkey?TB: Lowkey is already established in the music video space, with our great roster of directors, and making powerful narrative work in the feature world.&nbsp;What I'm so excited about with Lowkey, as well as a continued focus on music videos - is to expand our music offering across multiple platforms. With my experience across digital creative, and Lowkey’s expertise in narrative and feature, I’ll be expanding the department across content, photography, and in longer form music documentaries and narrative pieces. There’s a huge appetite from streaming platforms and independent distributors, for music documentaries, where pre-existing audiences already exist.There’s lots of conversation industry wide on how we can best navigate the landscape right now, but I think there's an amazing space for music videos, to use social platforms to our benefit - and create assets that can extend the creative or narrative of the main promo video, in an exciting and purposeful way.&nbsp;I'm personally so excited about what we can all achieve. [Lowkey co founders] Connor [O'Hara] and Jamie [Gamache] are so supportive, and of the direction for the department. Our directors we already have on the roster, are also all multidisciplinary creatives in their own right - in that a lot of them are already also photographers, designers or DOPs, so also really understand the landscape we’re working in - I think we’re all really excited about where we can push it, with considered creativity at the forefront always.&nbsp;How do you feel things have changed in the music video world?&nbsp;TB: I think people in the industry are definitely questioning what the music video will end up being in the next five years. It's quite exciting for me to come at it with fresh eyes -&nbsp; having gone from solely music video production, to focusing on creative in the digital space, and to now be in a position where we’re all thinking about how we can blend the two.It’s definitely more social consumer and engagement focused now as audiences are wanting bespoke content across all different platforms. Therefore, we as creatives have to think further than just the 'cut down' and consider a wider content approach upfront - ensuring that the main music video can be promoted in the right way to achieve success.[vidtoken data:0]What were your highlights of working&nbsp;at Partizan?TB: There were loads of exciting stuff in the music space happening, which luckily I&nbsp;got to be a part of. Dexter Navy had just signed to Partizan, and we did the A$AP Mob&nbsp;music video for Money Man/Put That On My Set -&nbsp;featuring A$AP Rocky, A$AP Nast, Yung Lord and&nbsp;Skepta - which&nbsp;ended up being a twelve minute short film. That's a favourite.We also did <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2017/02/06/nines-ft-j-hus-high-roller-nines-chris-day/45938" target="_blank">Nines and J Hus</a>, Sean Paul and Clean Bandit's Rockerbye, <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2016/09/01/jax-jones-ft-mnek-mike-dunn-house-work-ozzie-pullin/43355" target="_blank">Jax&nbsp;Jones ft MNEK</a>, Alma - and more! It was definitely my crash course into production - and lots of hilarious moments and often very stressful! But I&nbsp;learned so much and got to work with so many amazing people in production, and also with directors doing incredible things.<blockquote>[The job] changed very quickly, as content became so much more important in the music space.</blockquote>What were your big projects while working at WMA?&nbsp;TB: There were lots of projects at different scales that I worked on in my five years there - development projects to global artist campaigns, every one was so different. When I started in 2017, the creative team was servicing a lot of the more ‘content creation’ projects as we understood it at the time - anything from behind the scenes, to stills and shorter form video shoots for various platforms. But that changed very quickly, as content became so much more important and considered in the music space.&nbsp;A big part of my role was also working really closely with the talent that we had, both in-house and on our global network. A lot of them went from content creators and photographers initially, to now incredibly established directors and photographers, all doing amazing things in the music and brand space today.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]We produced and shot a lot of big artwork shoots, for the likes of Aitch and Louis Tomlinson [above], worked a lot with Ellie Goulding on her wider marketing content - capturing and creating stills and video assets, often captured on the set of her music videos, that carried out the creative campaign across platforms. We also did a big campaign with Mumford &amp; Sons. One of our photographers at the time, Louis Browne, captured an amazing photo series with them, which was plastered all over the tubes in London, which I know was such a fun project and a nice moment for him to see that work stretched in so many places.We worked with global music talent, but also with developing artists to actually build their&nbsp; creative direction from scratch. We’d come into early conversations with management and label, working collaboratively to shape a creative lane for them, which would eventually become their creative identity as an artist, and influence all creative output across their campaign - stills, music videos, social content.<blockquote>I think we're going to crack TikTok very soon - so artists can avoid the trends, and we can create wicked content for them.</blockquote>More recently we did full creative direction for artist Jack Newsome, including all stills - social, press, single and&nbsp;album artwork - and three music videos across the album campaign - including Arms, directed by Louis Browne - logo and artwork designs, live sessions, social&nbsp;content, etc.&nbsp;We also did full creative direction for Olivia Lunny - again including all stills and three&nbsp; music videos across the campaign - including the one for Sad To See You Happy (below).&nbsp;[vidtoken data:1]So do you think that in general music videos need to fit in with a bigger '360' picture&nbsp; better than they have done in the past?&nbsp;TB: Well, in general, yes. I think a nice example of this are the recent videos for The 1975, by Samuel Brady, which as a consumer you really feel like you’re being told a story over the course of the videos, which is what so many albums sonically or lyrically want to do - so it makes sense for the creative to do this also. The videos are also incredibly cohesive with the entire creative direction of that campaign, so any assets you see - instantly take you to that intended visual world.&nbsp;I think especially where the albums themselves tell a story, there's an interesting opportunity for the promos, and wider content, to be able to do the same through the visuals. Almost treating music videos like mini-movies! You can have vignettes of the characters you see in the video’s, living on Instagram, or other platforms that give your audience a deeper dive into the world and narrative. We as creatives can have so much fun with that.&nbsp;There is absolutely still a space for those one-off, out-there, crazy promo videos that almost purposefully feel out of character from an artists recognised creative identity - I love those - and that’s what gets people talking. But largely, I think it’s important to look at an artist's creative more holistically, and for the music videos to feel like a considered part of that - as that’s what gets an audience really understanding them.[vidtoken data:2]Is TikTok-based content part of this larger content landscape?&nbsp;TB: TikTok is an interesting one! Not surprisingly, it was something that I had a lot of&nbsp; conversations around at my previous job, being in the content space, and am continuing to have with labels now.&nbsp;I think there's much more exploration to do from a creative side, because it is still very much a user-generated space, and very personality-led - so it often feels harder to blend into a creative direction that is more visually led on other platforms.&nbsp;Saying that, I think there's still a massive space for it, and it may almost just need some reframing from a music perspective. Video lengths on the app are getting longer, and I’m seeing more and more creativity in the content on there than ever. I think we’re going to crack it very soon - so artists can avoid the trends and we can create wicked, organic content for them![vidtoken data:3]&nbsp;Above: Bartlett worked with&nbsp;Equinox and The Dalai Lama&nbsp;to celebrate his album release of Innerworld&nbsp;and the track Humanity, released for The Dalai Lama's 85th birthdayAre you looking to expand the roster? Any&nbsp;new signings?Absolutely - whilst we’ll always want to keep the roster small and considered, to allow the directors to really thrive, but that’s a real focus for me over the next six months. I have already been having some great conversations with some incredibly talented directors and creatives, so that’s definitely something that’s in the works.We've also just signed the brilliant&nbsp;<a href="https://lowkeyfilms.co.uk/director/lusha-alic" target="_blank">Lusha Alic</a>, who is another multidisciplinary artist, who has shot artists like Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky and Tyler the Creator. I’m so excited to be working with Lusha and transitioning her further into the world of music videos. She's already been pitching, and there’s a lot of excitement around her in conversations that I’ve been having - so hopefully we’ll be able to share something very cool from her soon.• See the music video roster at Lowkey Films <a href="https://lowkeyfilms.co.uk/directors" target="_blank">here</a>

Tara Bartlett

Tara Bartlett joins Lowkey Films as Head of Music - "It's an exciting time for music videos to marry up with the content world."

A$AP Mob - Money Man / Put That On My Set ft. A$AP Rocky, A$AP Nast, Yung Lord, Skepta

Olivia Lunny - Sad to See You Happy (Official Music Video)

Jack-Newsome-'Arms'-by-Louis-Browne

Inner World: Dalai Lama x Equinox

The Trash Factory AKA James Arden directs a charming throwback to 80s television, in his video for Inhaler.&nbsp;The video for Love Will Get You There sees the group frolic through several late-night concepts, from The Late Late Show to a gunge-tastic gameshow.&nbsp;Packed full of personality and little easter egg throwbacks, it's an upbeat vision for an instantly catchy track - with plenty of playfighting and faux drama to create some conflict.&nbsp;"We shot this entirely on 40-year-old broadcast cameras that I’m honestly shocked we were able to get our hands on," Arden says. "I wanted to recreate the feeling of a world when terrestrial television ruled the airwaves and you could spend an evening skipping between channels."Visually, I was inspired by 1980s late-night talk shows, like Gay Byrne’s in Ireland, tacky game shows I used to watch after school and, of course, performances on The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops."The best memories were always when things got a bit out of control live on air… this promo is about those infamous chaotic moments."

Benny Cassey

Yasmine Sabri

Trash Factory

Elva Zhu

Emily Jeffery

Semera Khan

Harrison Newman

Rui Jiang Ong

Jamie Gamache

Danny Stoker

Soraya Wright

Chrissy

Elaine Lynsksey

James Arden

Katie Dymmock 

Coffee & TV

Ellie Pannett

Adam Galbo

Polydor Records

Inhaler 'Love Will Get You There' by The Trash Factory

Inhaler-'Love-Will-Get-You-There'-by-Trash-Factory

Vasilisa Forbes continues her collaborative streak with Pale Waves, directing the theatrical promo for Clean.The video is set in a theatre, and explores the contrast between the intimate backstage world, (the inner-self) and ‘putting on a show’.Inspired by cabaret and Old Hollywood glamour, we see vocalist Heather backstage, draped in pearls and luxury styling, before appearing on stage with the band, playing to an empty room.&nbsp;Amplifying the dichotomy of reality and fiction, the video is peppered with surrealist moments - such as an homage to the iconic red rose sequence in American Beauty - and traverses the line between fantasy and the real world.&nbsp;

United Kingdom

Vasilisa Forbes

Alessia Lendrum

Rae Lemeshow

Tom Nowell

Ruaraid Achilleos

Vanessa Mc Donnell

Ella Ezeike

Joshua Jacobs

Andy Gonsalves

Josie Rafter

Ernest Tu

Joel Spence

Isabel Alsina

Ellie Bond

Rebecca Cawthra

Daniela Rotaru

Glassworks

Dirty Hit

Indie

Pale Waves 'Clean' by Vasilisa Forbes

Pale-Waves-'Clean'-by-Vasilisa-Forbes

Bjorn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta direct a stirring promo for Henry Jamison's Make It Out, featuring Maisie Peters.&nbsp;In the midst of a volatile riot, two opposing sides find a moment of calm, which allows them to connect on a human level.&nbsp;As ever with the directing duo's work, this is&nbsp;beautifully shot, while the concept is universally relatable and thought-provoking - especially in a society as strained as the one we live in right now."Why can’t we just hug it out instead of fighting? We loved the idea of taking a high octane hostile environment and slowing it right down finding a beautiful moment where it’s not meant to be," explain the directors.&nbsp;"Maybe they might just make it out, maybe not but there is certainly hope in there somewhere."&nbsp;

CBA Casting

Franklin and Marchetta

Gina Burns

Bee Happy Media

Spencer Kelley

Sonny Horwell

Bjorn Franklin

Johnny Marchetta

Tom Thain

Mac Praed

Chloé Pack

Jack Parr

Savannah Forbes

Ultra Music Official

Henry Jamison ft Maisie Peters 'Make It Out' by Franklin and Marchetta

Henry-Jamison-'Make-It-Out-(feat.-Maisie-Peters)'-by-Franklin-And-Marchetta

The Trash Factory (aka James Arden)&nbsp;continues his collaborative streak&nbsp;with Dylan Fraser, with&nbsp;this transcendent ride for Vampire.The hypnotic visual&nbsp;sees Fraser holding onto featured artist Alaska&nbsp;Reid, as they ride a motorbike through coruscating lights and an abstract otherworld.&nbsp;The theme&nbsp;of showing your worst self in front of a loved one is&nbsp;visualised by a bold step into horror at the end, which acts as a perfect climax to the haunting yet surprisingly intimate promo.&nbsp;

Joshanne Dar

Renäta Fabri

Kim Jarrett

Krunal Saadrani

Ronnie McQuillan

Joshua Jacob

Anna Brooks-beckman

Chay Mcgill

Rafal Rakoczy

Kristiana Zhekova

Eliza Clarke

Shaquilla Alexander

Alex O'Brien

Nomad Editing Company

Atlantic Records

Dylan Fraser ft Alaska Reid 'Vampire' by Trash Factory

Dylan-Fraser-'Vampire-(with-Alaska-Reid)'-by-Trash-Factory

Nicolee Tsin directs a hyper-energetic promo for Tom Santa's Rainfall (Praise You).&nbsp;Sampling the iconic Mary J Blige hit, the track is a bouncy amalgam of nostalgic&nbsp;and contemporary beats, and the video plays with this same contrast.&nbsp;We see a group of friends discover an old video camera, and proceed to document every aspect of their lives and adventures, interspersed with stylish photography and freeze-frames of the action.&nbsp;Tsin travelled to her home city of Hong Kong to direct the visual, with a local crew across a week of madness, in collaboration with local production company Pissbaby.&nbsp;

Hong Kong

Nicolee Tsin

Kitty Yeung

Carmen Cheng

Silvia Ng

Etienne Leung

Tsang Pui Ki

Tai Tsz Hin

To Chan

Yeung Tsz To

Kate Cheung

Edmond Y

Fmlik

Tsang Wai Hang

Lai Tin Ho

Christopher Hui

Dance

Tom Santa 'Rainfall (Praise You)' by Nicolee Tsin

Tom-Santa-'Rainfall-(praise-You)'-by-Nicolee-Tsin

Edem Wornoo brings us into a hazy, blissed-out world of super-chilled and silver-hued folk for singer-songwriter Ash Carvell, aka&nbsp;Quarry.Warnoo's video for Sound Of Your Summer&nbsp;has taken a while to see the light of day. It's significant as it marks the start of his journey as a music video director - which has seen him go on to work with the likes of Dave and Stormzy."Two and a half years ago, I was broke doing whatever I could to get on set and applying for any job I could find with 'creative'&nbsp;in the title - I didn’t get a single one," he recalls.&nbsp;"Then, one faithful day, I got a completely random email from Connor O'Hara and Jamie Gamache at Lowkey Films telling me that they were fans of my work (which at the time was a few super low budget shorts and music vids). We started pitching on videos and the first video that we landed was this."The video&nbsp;was in purgatory for two years and just when I thought it’d never come out, it dropped online. This videos special to me because it has what I can only describe as a magical thread that’s woven throughout every scene that I still strive for till this day. I couldn’t thank Connor, Jamie and everyone else at Lowkey enough for the adventures we’ve had making crazy vids in even crazier circumstances."

Germany

Isabel Forbes

Monique Jonas

Oliver Whitworth

Danielle Goldman

Edem Wornoo

Rachel Bashford

Edel Gardner

Nathalie Pitters

Connor O'Hara

Michael Newton

Joe Starrs

Tom French

Zach Brown

Catharina Scarpellini

Lou Macnamara

Esme Horn

Rebecca Hampson

Charlie France

Andi Chu

Electric Theatre Collective

Sony Music Gemany

Horia Dragoi

Singer-songwriter

Quarry 'Sound Of Your Summer' by Edem Wornoo

Quarry-'Sound-Of-Your-Summer'-by-Edem-Wornoo

Vasilisa Forbes follows up her video for Pale Waves' <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/05/18/pale-waves-lies-vasilisa-forbes/76477" target="_blank">Lies</a> with a starkly monochromic performance piece for Jealousy.The high-contrast cinematography is inspired by the work of taboo-busting Irish photographer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Carlos_Clarke#DVDs" target="_blank">Bob Carlos Clarke</a>, and gives the promo an editorial-meets-punk aesthetic.[imgtoken data:1]The minimalist art direction and expansive white cyc backdrops create a glossy, luxurious feel, which is perfectly balanced by the rougher textures and frenetic camerawork.&nbsp;"I wanted to take Pale Waves into a punk and minimal world," says Forbes.&nbsp;"Chains represent&nbsp;suppression and being held back by jealous thoughts and emotions - caging, carrying a weight, oppression and breaking bonds."

Morgan Sinclair

Vanessa Mcdowell

Sam James Fullerton

Nacho

James Huth

Katie Dymmock

Laura Gamezzz

Indie Rock

Rock

Pale Waves 'Jealousy' by Vasilisa Forbes

Pale-Waves-'Jealousy-'-by-Vasilisa-Forbes

A sparky, colour-coded confection for Pixey by Vasilisa Forbes,&nbsp;bringing a summery Britpop vibe to the early summer of 2022 for Come Around.&nbsp;&nbsp;"I was inspired by the lead lyric in Come Around&nbsp;which referenced a sunny day, and immediately saw Pixey in a world of glowing light,"&nbsp;says Vasilisa Forbes.&nbsp;"Each set up is an ode to a sunny day, artistic recreations of what makes me happy -sunshine. Sunset gradients, hot white light, dawn, a deep blue sky, and Pixey herself as a sun-flower growing in the lush earth."Everything is circles and circular movement, repetition, rising and falling, dark to light, and a super-fast-fun edit."

Katya Borvis

Phoebe Butterworth

Edward Heredia

Howard Mills

Vanessa Mcdonnell

Nacho Munoz De Leon

Chenai Duru

Carlo Avena

Lauren Websterr

Dominic Phipps

Chess Club Records

Pixey 'Come Around' by Vasilisa Forbes

Pixie-'Come-Around-'-by-Vasilisa-Forbes

Vasilisa Forbes directs a stylish performance promo for UK rock outfit Pale Waves.Interweaving her fashion sensibilities with portraiture-style vignettes, Forbes uses lighting and art direction to visualise the compelling track.&nbsp;Shot in a studio, the video for Lies spans three contrasting setups which each&nbsp;offer a conceptual take&nbsp;on the lyrics.[imgtoken data:1]"(The track) spoke to me of heartbreak and frustration, yet with punchy empowerment," says Vasilisa Forbes.&nbsp;"I wanted to create a striking performance-focused video for Pale Waves with Heather at the forefront; in a lighting and colour driven studio environment."A blue diamond shape is repeated through a performance cube where we mirror ceiling and floor, and a diamond studio formation ‘inversion’. Shadows and mysterious lighting-tonality speak to me of ‘LIES’ - covering up, hiding, sinister details...thoughts taking place in the shadows."Playfully the heart motif is presented and repeated through the use of blood-red tones, and heart cut-out lighting frames."&nbsp;

Vanessa Mcdonnel

Samuel Fullerton

Nacho Guzman

Pale Waves 'Lies' by Vasilisa Forbes

Pale-Waves-'Lies'-by-Vasilisa-Forbes

The Trash Factory lives up to his director moniker in this excellent video for Dylan Fraser.&nbsp;In the video for&nbsp;Apartment Complex On The Eastside, we see the artist in a sea of trash, getting pushed around by passing pedestrians until he breaks out into a much roomier exterior space.From the custom set design through to the inspired colour palettes, it's a simple concept that is imbued with passion and creativity, which elevates it to a whole new level.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>I wanted Dylan to be physically overwhelmed...</blockquote>"[The video is about]&nbsp;feeling like the world is fucked, that you're just a passing person in an indifferent urban sprawl, but finding some freedom in that pessimism," says James Arden - aka The Trash Factory.&nbsp;"Built around the thought-provoking opening lyric - 'Someday I will lay beneath some new apartment complex on the Eastside'&nbsp;- I wanted Dylan to be physically overwhelmed by rushing pedestrians who don't give a shit about him. So, continuing my fondness for burying musicians in their own music videos, we decided to throw trash at Dylan until he was engulfed completely.&nbsp;"Visually, this video was heavily inspired by 90s Radiohead promos, the absurd films of Roy Andersson, and one specific shot in Spiderman 2 where Peter Parker is bashed around picking up his books on campus, that I became obsessed with and wanted to include in a video. I'm glad it found its home."&nbsp;And so are we.&nbsp;

The Trash Factory

Reprobates

Black Kite Studios

Alternative

Dylan Fraser 'Apartment Complex On The Eastside' by The Trash Factory

Dylan-Fraser--'Apartment-Complex-On-The-Eastside-'-by-The-Trash-Factory

Vanessa Mc Donnell has been running the music video division at <a href="https://lowkeyfilms.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lowkey Films</a> for the past six months, and from the moment she arrived it's been non-stop.&nbsp;But as the year draws to a close, Vanessa has finally found some time to have a little catch-up with Promonews.Lowkey's&nbsp;Head of Brands &amp; Music and EP for music videos, was born and raised in&nbsp;County Tipperary in Ireland. After studying Visual Communications in Limerick, she went&nbsp;to London for "a three month break". That was nearly ten years ago. Since then Vanessa, 29, has been working up the ladder of&nbsp;production roles in London - and for a few years before joining Lowkey, she was producing music videos for the likes of Thomas James, Silent Tapes and others.Having lived in vibrant Camden Town for most of her time in London, she recently moved across North London to&nbsp;Crouch End. "A&nbsp;very chilled change of scene, to say the least," she says.&nbsp;As it's been a very full year, she is looking forward to chilling out too this Christmas. She's even threatening to throw away&nbsp;her phone...<blockquote>I think everyone has felt the intensity of work the last few months.</blockquote> WORK:How long have you held your current position? What were you doing before this? I joined Lowkey in the middle of May this year as an EP and their new Head of Brands and Music.&nbsp;It’s been unreal since day one. It's also felt way longer than that!&nbsp;I think everyone has felt the intensity of work the last few months. It's so crazy to think of the amount of work we’ve produced in a short space of time, it feels like I’ve been with the team much longer.Before joining, I was producing freelance, working for a mix of production companies, agencies, and labels for the last three years. And before that I was in-house producing for a few years with a production company.What was your first job, or first significant break in the industry?&nbsp; I knew no one when I came here, and managed to jump on a friend’s shoot, who was making it as a director, and we shot an indie band in his back garden. I was hooked! I kept at it as a runner, and nagged and stalked who ever would let me on set. And I kept that up while getting and job at an e-commerce studio where I managed the photography studio, organised shoots, stock, and casting models. It was definitely my first glance at production and I continued working on sets working my way up with different companies and clients.[imgtoken data:1]Above: Vanessa on set.<blockquote>Anything that allows me to&nbsp;shoot something different... is always a win for me.</blockquote>Name one music video that inspired you before your career started?&nbsp; I couldn’t put it down to just one. I remember not having loads of channels as a kid and loving going to my friend’s house and watching all the music video channels for hours on end, after school and all my summers. I’ve always been obsessed with music videos for as long as I can remember and always knew I wanted to make them.Everything early 2000’s was just crazy exciting to me. They were so excessive, colourful and conceptual - I would love watching BTS videos with the directors and how they did it. Anything Hype Williams, Sophie Muller and Jake Nava touch; I was/am in love with it all. [So here's one of those early Noughties classics by Jake Nava! ed][vidtoken data:0]Name one project you’ve done that was significant as a learning experience – and why?&nbsp; Oooh, where to start?&nbsp;Quite a few to choose from, but one I think I’ll never forget was with the incredible Thomas James, who I have produced for a few years now, and has become a dear friend. We created a really special dark piece of content for a new absinthe brand&nbsp;Ditch [launched by Jonas Åkerlund, no less - ed]. A mini-film in essence, called Twisted Rituals. We both pushed ourselves to our limits on that one,&nbsp;with a tiny budget.&nbsp;Everything that could have gone wrong did leading up to the shoot, and we were constantly bouncing back and fixing problems just for new crazy ones to come up. But we made something really beautiful from it and it's still my favourite piece I’ve produced to date. All the hard work paid off and were both really proud of it.[vidtoken data:1]What are your favourite music video-related jobs of the past year or so, and why?&nbsp; Due to the effects of Covid on production, and the difference of before and after -&nbsp;is there an after? - I think I'd go for two things that are very different.I produced a Jonas Blue and Paloma Faith video&nbsp;in Latvia just before lockdown, with exploding walls and lots of fun with the locations and art direction. Special love for OB Media, and Münchhausen Productions for making it all so lovely. Anything that allows me to&nbsp;shoot something different and in a new country with new people is always a win for me.[vidtoken data:2]Covid was mental for production. I definitely got to do a few fun Covid videos, which had to be done with just the artist, director and DOP, in the artist’s apartment, to cover all guidelines and safety bubbles. Couldn’t get any other crew involved so it was just as full on. I think nearly everyone has one of these videos now though.<blockquote>I'm excited for where we're at with our directors and their development and next stages.</blockquote>More recently I had a blast shooting a few different projects for Bastille which are out now - multiple live sessions and their latest promo, for No Bad Days - which was co-directed with Lowkey’s Trash Factory and Dan Smith from the band. It’s a tribute to all things sci -fi and was so much fun to film and collaborate on..&nbsp;[vidtoken data:3]We’ve just released Calum Scott’s new video with Franklin and Marchetta, which is the first video in a while to make me cry. So excited for that one.&nbsp;I'm honestly very excited for where we're at in-house with our directors and their development and next stages.[vidtoken data:4]What are your favourite other jobs of the past year or so?&nbsp; We’ve just released a gorgeous campaign piece with Ted Baker, covering live performances of Joy Crookes, Jungle, Alicai Harley, Little Simz and Bastille. It was live filming meets festival stage, meets runway.It was quite the mental few days. With just over 150 people on set each day over three days of filming and crazy turnarounds with set design and lighting. A special thank you to [director] Edie Amos and [producer] James Cross on that one. It was a really good one to secure after just starting working here - and showing people what Lowkey can do.[vidtoken data:5]We’ve had some really fun moments with new artist Amun, coming to us twice <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/10/19/amun-mesmerised-nicolee-tsin/73365" target="_blank">with director Nicolee Tsin</a>. And White Lies did their latest promo with us, which saw a <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/10/14/white-lies-i-try-not-fall-apart-trash-factory/73296" target="_blank">crazy amount of sand being poured over Harry</a>, the lead singer.Also we had a very last minute shoot with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfWhTXvvH2E" target="_blank">David Guetta for his latest video for Family</a>, thanks to 305 films in the US trusting us with the pick ups. So that’s out now and very cool of them to work with us.What are you currently working on?&nbsp; It’s starting to calm down a bit which is welcomed I won’t lie! Currently pitching on some exciting bits to come for next year, so looking forward to diving into those now too!The real focus for 2022 is building our commercials department into its own stronger division, similar to what we’ve done with our music video and the feature film department.<blockquote>I love anything that's a new take on human experience.</blockquote>What kind of work would you like to be doing in future? I love anything that tells a new story or a new take on any human experience. I think longform narrative would be a dream, or something of my own that I’ve got control of creative and production on, that would be great. Seeing the [Lowkey] guys wrap their first feature in-house and the scripts that we have lined up is amazing to watch. I'm keen to see how it all progresses.&nbsp;We’ve also just had some great news, that our latest short&nbsp;Silent World&nbsp;has been nominated at Slamdance film festival 2022 - which means we can go on to be BAFTA and Oscar qualifying if successful.What advice would you give someone entering your field?&nbsp; Everyone who knows me gets this rant, but I think it’s important. I’ve seen a weird attitude take hold of people in general, that if were not “made” or have a certain title, or X amount of work behind them etc, that they haven’t done well, or are very quick to quit.&nbsp;Feels like a lot of people want their careers fully developed in a short space of time. If you can move fast, that’s great, but there’s a lot to be said by learning skills and working on your craft. Try everything out, put yourself out there. Put time into your career and enjoy the longevity of that, and not burn out or get overwhelmed by not having everything figured out in a short space of time.I spent years on set, getting to know not just what my role in production was but also what everyone else does,&nbsp;and tried my hand at a few bits too. It can be very hard to break into starting out, so there’s nothing wrong with having a part-time job to pay the bills until you get where you want to be and get on your feet with everything. Also being an asshole gets you nowhere. Just be kind and decent and you’ll go far.We run a really special internship at Lowkey which has helped a lot of entry level people move into new jobs, and gain more experience on set. Drop us a line and come say hi!<blockquote>My advice? [Don't]&nbsp;burn out or get overwhelmed by not having everything figured out in a short space of time.</blockquote>LIFE:&nbsp;Tell us something that we don’t know about you… Outside of production, I couldn’t organise a funeral and I’m a bit of a disaster. No one can make sense of it, my brain just says 'no'.When you’re not working, what do you like to spend time doing?&nbsp; It took me a long time to realise time off and holidays are crucial. Recent years has all been about travelling and exploring new countries for me and taking time out at the end of each year to do that and recharge. It’s my new obsession!Anything you’ve achieved in lockdown that you wouldn’t have done otherwise?&nbsp; Finished a few gigantic jigsaws and drank my body weight in wine, ripped up the carpet in my old flat, sanding down 200 year old wood and then moved house before finishing. Landlord loved me.&nbsp;I also managed to produce a couple of beautiful videos and commercials too, but I'm super-proud of my floor.<blockquote>Outside of production, I can't organise anything...&nbsp;my brain just says 'no'.</blockquote>Where did you go on your last holiday (or vacation)? And where would you love to visit?&nbsp; This one was rare but did seven weeks in Vietnam in 2019, which was amazing. Travelled North to South and back up again. I want to hit a new country every year, work around Asia, and then move onto to other continents. Japan is a country I’m itching to get to, among a bazillion others!What are your favourite currently-running TV shows?&nbsp; Ozark, for sure. The Morning Show, and I'm trying really hard to catch up on English TV series, as there are some gems -&nbsp;Fleabag, etc. I May Destroy You was amazing, and Black Earth Rising.[vidtoken data:6]What’s the best movie (or movies) you’ve seen recently?&nbsp; Just saw Dune which was really good. And I’d never seen Casino up until recently, which is a new favourite - and I can finally say I’ve seen it.What are your favourite music videos by other people in the past year? I'm loving everything Samuel Douek is doing at the moment [like MNEK &amp; Craig David's Who You Are, below - ed]. Ghost Poet’s I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep by Thomas James. There are so many, I could talk about for hours.[vidtoken data:7]Favourite music artist(s), and favourite gig(s) in the past year?&nbsp; I basically have been listening the same three albums for the longest time! But I do love finding new artists and new music. Especially great when you get a video in and you love the track or discover a new artist through work, that not many people know about yet.Best book you’ve read, and/or best exhibition you’ve seen recently? Recently finished&nbsp;Hidden Valley Road. It’s a true story and just incredible, couldn’t put it down. Same goes for a book called Slave. And I'm currently reading House of Gucci. Long time favourites are&nbsp;A Piece of Cake and Memoirs of a Geisha.[imgtoken data:2]Museums and exhibitions?&nbsp;I love being able to explore unfortunately have not had the chance much since everything opened up again, maybe over Christmas break.Favourite food and/or favourite restaurant(s)?&nbsp; Steak and red wine, every time. <a href="https://www.lapatagonia.co.uk/newword/" target="_blank">La Patagonia</a> in Camden High Street never fails.What’s your favourite political or charitable cause, and why?&nbsp; Any charity focusing on mental health and suicide prevention is so important. <a href="https://www.darknessintolight.ie/home-page-2021" target="_blank">Darkness Into Light&nbsp;at Pieta House</a>, in Dublin, does amazing work with this, and mental health awareness in general.<blockquote>I’m trying to do better with work/life balance... do something for myself even if it's small.</blockquote>Best recent purchase (send photo, if poss)?&nbsp; Coke from McDonald’s as I write this! And I love finding bargains for my home, and currently in love with my new yellow armchair.Work &amp; Life - balance/ imbalance out of five? I’m bad for work/life balance, almost non-existent. But I’m definitely trying to do better, and get out at the weekends, even if it’s a walk or a dinner, just to make sure I’ve done something for myself even if it's small. I work like crazy all year and then throw my phone in the sea come December!• Vanessa Mc Donnell is Head of Music &amp; Brands at Lowkey Films. Find out more about Lowkey <a href="https://lowkeyfilms.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;

Work & Life Q&A: Vanessa Mc Donnell, Lowkey Films

Beyoncé - Crazy In Love ft. JAY Z

DITCH FOR JONAS ÅKERLUND - ”TWISTED RITUALS”

JONAS BLU FT PALOMA FAITH - "MISTAKES"

Bastille--'No-Bad-Days'-by-The-Trash-Factory-&-Dan-Smith-

Callum-Scott--'Rise--'-by-Bjorn-Franklin-&-Johnny-Marchetta-

TED BAKER FEAT. JOY CROOKES | STREET PARTY SESSIONS

Ozark: Season 4 | Official First Look | Netflix

Graig-David-Ft.-Mnek-'Who-You-Are'-by-Samuel-Douek

Bjorn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta direct a powerful promo exploring loss and acceptance for Callum Scott.&nbsp;Depicting the final&nbsp;moments of a terminally ill patient - played&nbsp;by&nbsp;actress Georgia Hirst - the video for Rise focusses upon a tragic story, featuring flashbacks to moment of this young woman's diagnosis, her decline and treasured last moments with her young family - all building up to an&nbsp;unexpected, yet perfectly formed visual metaphor for the end of life.&nbsp;&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>Georgia&nbsp;approached this role with courage and care and delivered something truly beautiful.</blockquote>Built around an exceptional&nbsp;central performance from Hirst, complemented by Scott's own&nbsp;performance of the song, this is the strong, emotionally-led&nbsp;work we have come to expect from the directing duo.&nbsp;The cinematography is contemplative and still, allowing the story to unwrap in its own time, and the VFX-heavy finale really hits home."This is our second time teaming up with Callum and another one we feel incredibly lucky to have been trusted with," comment Franklin and Marchetta."We wanted to hone in on the heart of the song for this promo. The lyrics depict rising up and overcoming struggles no matter what, so we developed a narrative centering around a critically ill patient in the final moments of her life.[imgtoken data:2]"Our film ultimately deals with acceptance - a person who comes to the end of one chapter but then begins another. There are positives in every aspect of life, even the darkest, and we wanted to show a person's bravery and strength through their most difficult times."The casting in this video was essential, and our actress Georgia Hirst could not have given us a stronger performance. She approached this role with courage and care and delivered something truly beautiful."

Jonathan Sidwell

Alex Mac Praed

Kieran Coyne

Lorenzo Guerrieri

Murdo Hepburn

Jackie Tyson

Grace Gray

Jonny Tully

Tag Collective Arts

Johan Barrios

Georgia Hirst

Targa Sahyoun

Callum Scott 'Rise' by Bjorn Franklin & Johnny Marchetta 

The Trash Factory (James Arden)&nbsp;and Dan Smith, lead singer of Bastille, co-direct the promo for No Bad Days - a story of love, loss and the intersection of humanity and technology.&nbsp;As well as co-directing a Bastille video for the first time, Dan Smith plays a scientist who is trying to bring back the essence of his deceased love into the form of a robot - both played by Amber Jean Rowan. She gives a multi-layered performance, cycling through different characters and emotions with ease, while Smith matches this energy with his own seamless performance.&nbsp;Xander Mitchell's art direction elevates the piece to a new level, peppering the space with high-tech screens and gadgets, whilst ensuring the environment is still anchored in some sort of reality.The story, heaped with some familiar sci-fi movie references,&nbsp;also plays powerfully with the theme of the song No Bad Days, as Smith's audacious, ground-breaking experiment&nbsp;promises the end of misery - indeed the end of Death itself...[imgtoken data:1]

Bastille 'No Bad Days' by The Trash Factory & Dan Smith 

Lowkey Films

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