Producer

Mayling Wong

Alice Kong creates a world in miniature form, in this wonderful animated&nbsp;promo for Hot Chip.&nbsp;Unable to catch a break, we are introduced to the namesake of the track, Eleanor, as she goes about her day-to-day routine, before finally awakening to the fact that she can create her own destiny.Painstakingly animated in claymation form, the video has a charming, bold aesthetic, which gets brighter and more vibrant as the concept unfolds - and eventually takes an unexpected turn.[imgtoken data:1]"Building this miniature world for Hot Chip was a brilliant creative challenge," Kong says.&nbsp;"The music video tells the tale of our main character, Eleanor who, after a series of unfortunate events, hits a pole in front of an eye glass shop that will… Open her eyes! She then takes control of her environment and twists everything to her advantage by literally sculpting the clay world she lives in."By hand-picking every detail from a brick’s colour to a poster on a wall we were able to sneak in some Easter eggs, which I hope the viewers will have fun spotting!"

United Kingdom

Jennifer Kidd

Shirel Lebovich

Mike Kelly

Fred Stanton

Lead Animator: Rita Sampaio

Loop Talent

Alice Kong

Ayomide Alli

Mouthpiece

Partizan Darkroom

John Moule

Bertrand Roucourt

Lola Margrain

Johanna Dalmede

Natali Borte

B.art Studio

Domino Recording Co.

Alternative

Hot Chip 'Eleanor' by Alice Kong

Hot-Chip--'Eleanor'-by-Alice-Kong

Frequent Rina Sawayama collaborator - and recent guest on The Promonews Podcast - Ali Kurr directs a grunge-inspired promo for Hurricanes.&nbsp;Exuding early Noughties pop-rock nostalgia, the video is a riotous, windswept tour de force,&nbsp;with Rina at the eye of the storm - an&nbsp;impressive&nbsp;climax to a hugely absorbing, refined trilogy of videos, which as with its predecessors This Hell and Hold The Girl features splendid cinematography by DoP Diego Rosenblatt.&nbsp;Kurr discussed her fruitful collaboration with Rina Sawayama on <a href="http://open.spotify.com/episode/7fPId2zp9XYEb6jsYg8ZyF" target="_blank">the latest episode of The Promonews Podcast</a>. And Hurricanes will leave viewers breathless and excited for the next step in both the artist and director's respective journeys.&nbsp;&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;"For this video, Rina wanted a band performance moment with a trickle of a narrative running through it," Ali Kurr explains. "Leaning on an Alanis Morrisette, grunge aesthetic, we open on an exhausted Ri who assembles with her bandmates in a vaulted barn as a wicked storm descends."Although this video has a different feel to it than our previous films for Rina’s latest album, I wanted to make sure Hurricanes&nbsp;sat in the same world. So we made sure to shoot on the same lenses and even used the same location as Hold The Girl."

Lyubika Georgieva

Joshus Gochez

Angie Broomfield

Chris Aliano

Jordan Kelsey

Ali Kurr

Lyubo Yonchev (four Elements)

Tom Connick

Manol Mitrev

Diego Rosenblatt

Mayling Wong - Partizan

Rosen Savkov (four Elements)

Ayo Alli

Samuil Djoganov (four Elements)

Diko Buchukov

Nikolay Kerezov

Mario Popov

Dimitar Donchev

Antoni Stoev

Todor Soviv

Mona Leanne

Jack Williams

Assembly Rooms

Myles Bevan

Timebased Arts

Dirty Hit

Rina Sawayama 'Hurricanes' by Ali Kurr

Rina-Sawayama-'Hurricanes-'-by-Ali-Kurr

Ali Kurr and Rina Sawayama are back together for another high-concept promo - a cinematic sci-fi drama with a twist, for Hold The Girl.This has Rina on a Westworld-type world - on a ranch in the Old Wild West. And her repeated attempts to escape the place are blocked by an unseen, magnetic force - she is caught mid-air after falling from the roof, or pulled 50 metres across the scorched grass - and brought back to her starting point in the house.&nbsp;But when the walls start to crack and the earth moves, she discovers an alternate universe: herself, dancing in a high-energy studio setup with fellow dancers, celebrating an unabashed freedom. This&nbsp;Dogville-style studio set-up eventually fuses with the strange period world, and Rina breaks free. But there is one more twist in the tale.[imgtoken data:1]Filmed in Bulgaria, shot by Diego Rosenblatt, and with choreography by Josh Pillmore, the video is the latest and arguably the most successful example of a superbly creative collaboration between the artist and director, which has always tested boundaries. Once again they have gone for something new, and leave the viewer marvelling at Sawayama's virtuosity."It was all about capturing the feeling of having the strength to leave a situation and then when that initial adrenaline rush leaves you," says Kurr. "All you are left with is the memory that can often leave you feeling even more alone."&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]This is the latest in a collaboration that goes back to the start of both Kurr and Sawayama's&nbsp;careers. "We've been making videos together for over a decade now," reveals the director. "I constantly pinch myself on set when I think about how far we have come. From making videos in our flats with £50 art budgets to now getting to play with zip lines and stunt coordinators... we push ourselves each time to make something that's even more exciting and unexpected for her fans."This follows the acclaimed video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/06/23/rina-sawayama-hell-ali-kurr/76973" target="_blank">This Hell</a>, the first video released from the forthcoming Sawayama album, also called Hold The Girl. Kurr adds:&nbsp;"This drive and love for what we create, alongside her insane artistry as a musician, has resulted in Hold The Girl&nbsp;being one of my favourites to date and I can't wait to get back on set and start shooting something nuts again soon."

Victoria Yaneva

Shola B Riley

Joshua Gochez

Grozdan Mihaylov

Plan B

Lyubo Yonchev

Four Elements, Bulgaria

Will Frost

Rosen Savkov

Samuil Djoganov

Igor

Joshua Pilmore

Todor Sivov

Greta Stefanova-Kandzhova

Maria Koleva

Krasimira Petrova

Myles Bevan 

Time Based Arts

B.art Vfx Studio

Rina Sawayama 'Hold The Girl' by Ali Kurr

Rina-Sawayama--'Hold-The-Girl-'-by-Ali-Kurr

Ellie Goulding is trapped in a simulated dreamworld, in Sophia Ray's spectacular promo for Easy Lover, featuring Big Sean.&nbsp;The eccentric promo was shot in Sofia, Bulgaria, and explores a world whose characters aren't quite what they seem. In fact,&nbsp;they are Sims-like videogame characters that have found themselves in un-virtual reality...[imgtoken data:1]"It was inspiring to get the initial brief from Nathan Klein -&nbsp;Ellie's Creative Director - for this video, as he really mapped out the creative mood he wanted to take this new era for Ellie in, and gave me a lot of visual references to latch on to," says Ray."The concept of the video is based around these mysterious sim-like creatures, called Skins. These Skins are being controllable game-like characters - that live out bizarre 'realistic' lives in what appears to be a 'real' world. How and what is controlling them, however, remains unclear."The more the audience watch, the more we see the world and these Skins start to glitch and malfunction, giving the impression of a synthetic wider world where nothing is quite as it seems."The expansive world is created through stylish set design, otherworldly locations and a sense of enigmatic mystery, which perfectly encapsulates the artificial world Goulding inhabits.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]"Ellie wanted to play a few of the Skin characters in this world, where she could have a bit of fun with her styling and characterisation," continues Ray. "It was so cool to work with her and see these playful sides of her come out as she got into character."It was such a fun three-day shoot, as we travelled all over Sofia, Bulgaria shooting in crazy locations and finishing on a more chilled studio-build day, where we shot our game cube 'dollhouse' set up. Massive thanks to the production team, and Partizan, Mayling and Ayo for making the process so seamless and fun, Katie Dolan who trusted us implicitly and supported us along the way, and also the amazing Four Elements service team in Bulgaria."

Valeria Obretenova

Joana Nwamerue

Jade Denne

Valentin Georgovski

Grozdan Mihalov

Nathan Klein

Sophia Ray

Katie Dolan

Peter Kostov

Nikita Popkov

Rosen Ignatov - (bulgaria)

Krasimir Hazarbassanov

Hristo Genkov

Eduard Moskalenko

Genadi Kirov

Simeon Kirov

Remi Black

Amidat Giwa

Milen Ivanov

Lyudmil Ivanov

Alina Manova

Francesca Brazzo

Velislava Velkova

Sam Allen

Richard Fearon

Black Kite Studios

Anuar Bazargeldi

Post Tribe

Nadya Konakchieva

Chan Chung

Kasin Wang

Polydor

Ellie Goulding ft Big Sean 'Easy Lover' by Sophia Ray

Ellie-Goulding-Ft-Big-Sean--'Easy-Lover-'-by-Sophia-Ray

Ali Kurr reunites with Rina Sawayama to create a country, queer, celebratory, sizzling hoedown&nbsp;for This Hell.Marking the launch of Rina's new album Hold The Girl, Kurr's&nbsp;video for This Hell marries punchy line-dancing, exquisite styling and mesmerising cinematography, to create an immediately iconic visual that celebrates the 'eternal damnation' of the LGBTQIA+ community.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;Shot in Bulgaria - with production by Four Elements - the concept focuses on Rina marrying her two lovers, whilst pesky protestors try their best to break up the celebration.None of this phases the group, as they party the night away under neon lights, setting the wedding cake on fire, drinking shots and performing one of the most unique first dance numbers ever put on-screen. It all makes Hell look&nbsp;like the place to be.

Vicky Yaneva

Shanice Burton

Callum Sterling

Summer Jay Jones

Jordan Kesley

Eduard Muskalenko

Genadi Ivanov

Joshus Pilmore

Gregg Lennon

Gergana Ivanova

Immerse Fx

Chester Lockhart

Rina Sawayama 'This Hell' by Ali Kurr

Rina-Sawayama-'This-Hell-'-by-Ali-Kurr

It's a dance to the death in Sophia Ray's blinding promo for Regard, featuring Olly Alexander of Years And Years.&nbsp;The video places Olly&nbsp;as an apprehensive contestant&nbsp;at the centre of a dance marathon, where he has to sweat, pant, dive and dance his way to an exhausted victory - all driven by Meshach Henry's trailblazing choreography. Meanwhile, Regard lingers as a mysteriously sinister driving force behind&nbsp;the&nbsp;scenes of this dark competition."The concept for the video was inspired by the 1969 Sydney Pollack film They Shoot Horses Don't They," explains Sophia Ray. "We wanted to take the themes from this cult classic and then give the video our own creative spin on them, setting it in a contemporary, perplexing, dystopian space."The video is a&nbsp;tour de force&nbsp;of creativity, wrapped in vibrant layers of choreography, post-apocalyptic styling and futuristic art direction, and emanates a minacious yet playful tone throughout. There is certainly a nod to&nbsp;Squid Game&nbsp;in there too.&nbsp;"It was such a pleasure collaborating with Olly again - as always - and really fun getting the opportunity to work on set with Regard," Ray continues.&nbsp;"It was great to showcase two totally different characters in the video when it came to both artists' involvement in the narrative. It was a labour of love from the whole team to bring this one together - and I am so grateful for the team's hard work."[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

Ash Halliburton

Kiera Liberati

Letizia Maria Allodi

Nick Royal

Kat Cattaneo

Hélio Ribeiro

Aidan Robert Brooks

Beau Pritchard James

Karl Hui

Nina Mangold

Max Roach

Meshach Henry

Coco Hirani

Ryo Narushima

Joe Brooks

Jordan Markov

Immersefx

Ministry of Sound

Regard ft Years And Years 'Hallucination' by Sophia Ray

Regard-Ft-Years-And-Years--'Hallucination-'-by-Sophia-Ray

Sophia Ray directs a whimsical fantasy epic for Years &amp; Years and Galantis.&nbsp;Inspired by films like Labyrinth&nbsp;and Gretel &amp; Hansel,&nbsp;the video for Sweet Talker&nbsp;is a sweet yet dark take on a fairytale, where Y&amp;Y's&nbsp;Olly Alexander finds himself trapped in an enchanted castle by a mysteriously sexy Beast.The concept takes the mythical tale of King Midas and turns it on its head, as Olly finds a magic sword on his escape - which turns anyone he slays into candy.Ray shows off her talent at creating interconnected yet distinctive set pieces - <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/09/07/sigrid-burning-bridges-sophia-ray/72699">most recently seen in her video for Sigrid's Burning Bridges</a> - in an exhilarating fashion,&nbsp;breathing life into a candy-coloured version of a medieval fairytale.It's an alluring aesthetic in which Olly Alexander can explore his mercurial on-screen presence&nbsp;- and offer a glimpse of his naughty side.&nbsp;

Partizan

Jimmy Owen Jones

Jonny Thorpe

Glassworks

Jordan Markov - Immersefx

Kexin Wang

Louis Danckwerts

Years & Years, Galantis 'Sweet Talker' by Sophia Ray

Years-&-Years,-Galantis--'Sweet-Talker-'-by-Sophia-Ray

The new episode of <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" target="_blank">The Promonews Podcast: Talking Music Videos</a>&nbsp;- our series of conversations with creatives in the music video industry - is out today, featuring director Sophia Ray and producer Mayling Wong talking about their work making pop videos for some of the UK's favourite pop stars.<a href="https://www.promonews.tv/profiles/sophia-ray/33911" target="_blank">Sophia Ray</a> is a director based at <a href="https://www.partizan.com/" target="_blank">Partizan</a> in London - where <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/profiles/mayling-wong/47617" target="_blank">Mayling Wong</a> is the executive producer and head of music videos. They have been working together since Sophia signed to the production company&nbsp;in 2017, mainly focussing on videos for pop acts, including for&nbsp;Ella Eyre, Little Mix, Raye and Mabel.In <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" target="_blank">the first episode of a new series</a> of Talking Music Videos -&nbsp;in association with <a href="https://looptalent.co.uk/" target="_blank">Loop Talent</a> - Sophia and Mayling tell Promonews's David Knight and Rob Ulitski what&nbsp;draws them to the world of Pop, the key to their strong partnership, and how they ride out the ‘stress express’ when the best laid plans go awry - including on their latest video for Sigrid.<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="232" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" width="100%"></iframe>In each episode of&nbsp;Talking Music Videos, the hosts&nbsp;talk to people making a significant impact in music video production right now.The previous six episodes - available to listen on Spotify and other platforms - feature the directors Lucrecia Taormina, Salomon Ligthelm, RUFFMERCY and Louis Bhose; Lee Fairweather, directors rep at COMPULSORY; and DoP Adam Singodia and colourist Vlad Barin.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Follow&nbsp;The Promonews Podcast&nbsp;- Talking Music Videos&nbsp;on&nbsp;Spotify,&nbsp;Apple,&nbsp;Google, and other platforms.

Claire Stubbs @ Mouthpiece

The Promonews Podcast - new episode with Sophia Ray and Mayling Wong out now!

Sophia Ray has directed the music video for Sigrid’s Burning Bridges, in which the Norwegian pop star takes extraordinary steps&nbsp;to break out of the twilight zone of a failed relationship.Stuck in an urban world of hyperreal drabness, with a boy she longer wants to be with, Sigrid breaks the metaphorical barriers she faces by&nbsp;smashing&nbsp;through physical ones - she actually runs through walls; crashing through&nbsp;from city to forest, and back again.It's a&nbsp;great vehicle&nbsp;for Sigrid's spirited personality and her natural athleticism - and arguably her best acting performance in a video. It's also a departure for Sophia Ray, who brings a more Scandi-influenced aesthetic to this than her other, more&nbsp;colourful pop work - there's even a nod to Swedish auteur Roy Andersson in there.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp; &nbsp;The director, her producer Mayling Wong and DoP Carlos Feher filmed the video in Bulgaria with a local crew, including&nbsp;young art director&nbsp;Lyubika Georgieva - who created the walls that Sigrid could really run through..."It was fun to make this video," Sigrid has commented.&nbsp;"It’s a very emotional song so of course we needed a video that reflected that energy with running, dancing, and chasing. It was the first time I did some light acting which was very exciting and definitely something I want to do more."

Carlos Feher

Antony Stoev

Lachezar Indzhiev

Kiril Velichkov

Ahida

Mihaela Yordanova

Dimitar Nikolov

Connie Meade

Island Records

Sigrid 'Burning Bridges' by Sophia Ray

Sigrid-'Burning-Bridges'-by-Sophia-Ray

Sophie Jones directs a visual feast for Amber-Simone's Black, No Sugar.&nbsp;Taking its name from the artist's upcoming EP, this video is the first of two live performance promos, with the second part arriving later this year, alongside her next single.&nbsp;A celebration of her Black heritage, Amber-Simone has written a song she believes&nbsp;she needed to hear when she was younger - an anthem for those questioning their validity or beauty.&nbsp;The cinematography takes its cue from the music, the camera darting and swirling one minute, before settling on a still moment in anticipation of ramping back up again. This unexpected and raw movement leans into the authentic nature of the track, and the idea of creating art that might not conform to everyone's expectations, but is true to your own journey.[imgtoken data:1]“With this project, I wanted to take the opportunity to reintroduce myself and show what I’m all about," explains Amber-Simone.&nbsp;"Between now and my last EP a lot has happened and I feel the truest to myself I’ve ever been. Creating this visual and releasing Black, No Sugar feels like I’m finally stepping out into my womanhood and art, creating music that really matters to me."When it came to the video, meeting Sophie and feeling as though she really saw what I was seeing felt like such a breakthrough. We talked and she just got me straight away. So it’s been such a pleasure to have created this piece with another woman who’s such a force."I feel like I chose the most authentic way to communicate this song to people. Real instrumentation and playing was ultimately what inspired the writing process and what inspired me down this path in the first place. The video combines the perfect balance of an aesthetic I feel really captures my essence and music in its rawest form – live.”

Sophie Jones

Charlie Scannell

Paolo De Battista

Jake Gabbay

Marcus Albertson

Will Crafts

William Pope

Louis Simonon

Jonathan Johnson

Asahi Sano

Michelle Leandra

Joseph Taylor

Andrew Patrick

Juicebox Fm

Cinelab Film and Digital

Soul

Amber-Simone 'Black, No Sugar - Live (Part 1)' by Sophie Jones

Amber-Simone-'Black,-No-Sugar---Live-(part-1)'-by-Sophie-Jones

Nono Ayuso directs a heartwrenching promo for Joy Crookes' Skin, captured in a truly arresting way - including having Joy travels around London, with her friend, on a bed."The song is about someone very close to the artist who thought life wasn’t worth living during a dark time," explains Ayuso.&nbsp;"We created this intimate film, where the bed is the symbol of the love between the couple, but at the same time is the symbol of the darker times. Both sides of the coin: love and depression, you never want to get out of your bed."I also wanted to show that even if you are feeling down or in love, the world never stops, and to achieve this we shot a moving bed in the streets of London."[imgtoken data:1]Tackling a difficult subject matter with&nbsp;a delicate, thoughtful touch, Ayuso captures a series of performance setups in a raw and&nbsp;intimate way - in a bold portrait-shape&nbsp;aspect ratio. He lets the story talk for itself without any distracting effects or cutaways.Joy Crookes adds that she wanted to the video to be a genuine depiction of the song itself.&nbsp;“The song is about someone very close to me who thought life wasn’t worth living during a dark time," she explains. "When it came to the video, it felt necessary to include that person in it. I asked him sincerely and I was incredibly grateful when he chose to participate.[imgtoken data:2]"The making of the video created an ownership and healing of that difficult time we both lived through. The intensity that was generated from it being a real-life experience for the both of us translates into the video because ultimately it is real."This autobiographical way of making work is hard emotionally but undeniably my favourite way of making art. Nono was so integral in this, as not only is he a fantastic director but a sensitive and empathetic character that made telling a story as difficult as this one&nbsp;a cathartic experience.”&nbsp;

Mayling Wong

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