Director of Photography

Mike O'Connor

Jamie Thraves directs a heartwarming&nbsp;promo for Brighton band PolSky's Song For The Silver Surfer, which is also a showcase from the talents of actor/performer AJ James.James plays a seemingly frail old man, slowly making his way along Brighton seafront, as befits his age&nbsp;- until he bursts into action, engaging in&nbsp;high-energy parkour, sprinting and jumping around a seaside landscape.[imgtoken data:1]It's an unexpected, endearing concept, which becomes poignant when he spreads a loved one's ashes at the beach, encouraging him to celebrate life to the fullest, in every moment possible.&nbsp;The central performance is complex yet exuberant, and James perfectly embodies the dual role of an old man who has found an unexpected youth and vigour in his sunset years.[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;“I was approached to do this video and loved the concept from the outset," says Thraves.&nbsp;"I knew we could make something sombre yet uplifting with the subject matter. PolSky are also a band I’ve been aware of for a while through industry friends so it was a pleasure to produce this piece of work with them”

United Kingdom

Jamie Thraves

Brett Leboff

Carrie Sutton

Indro Forconi

Jorge Armario Palombini

Michelle Lewry

AJ James

PolSky 'Song For The Silver Surfer' by Jamie Thraves

Polsky-'Song-For-The-Silver-Surfer'-by-Jamie-Thraves

Jack Lightfoot directs an affecting live promo for Sam Tompkins.&nbsp;Following the brilliant live video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/10/19/sam-tompkins-lose-it-all-live-jack-lightfoot/78849">Lose It All </a>in October last year, this video boasts a breathtaking location and a pared-back, intimate performance."We wanted to create a really simple, classy look for this live session - standing it apart from the grittier look we had on our previous live session together," says Lightfoot."So we selected a classic setting with lots of wooden furnishings and antique features and really took advantage of the natural daylight beaming in through the windows. Once again we rolled out a one-shot take, and as always, Sam nailed the vocal to bring it all together."

Harry Clements

Jack Lightfoot

Sam Nutt

Blindeye Films

Quinn Titsworth

Richard Scott

Harry Coleman

Sam Tompkins 'Die For Someone (Live Session)' by Jack Lightfoot

Sam-Tompkins--'Die-For-Someone-(live-Session)'-by-Jack-Lightfoot

Jack Lightfoot directs an absorbing lyric video for Sam Tompkins.&nbsp;In a simple yet compelling one-shot concept, we see Sam perform as the lighting transitions around him, and fluffy clouds pulsate like storm clouds.&nbsp;"It was great to be back on set again with Sam and the team," Lightfoot mentions, referencing Blindeye's&nbsp;three collaborations last year, including one he directed for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/10/19/sam-tompkins-lose-it-all-live-jack-lightfoot/78849">Lose It All.&nbsp;</a>"The creative came in from Mitchell Peryer, and we knew we wanted to run it as a simple locked-off one shot."We programmed lighting changes across the track to take us on a journey from sunset, to dusk, to night time, to dawn, whilst also playing with lighting inside the clouds to add another element to the video. And once again, all held together by Sam's stunning vocals."

Zenon Clements

Amie Harfield

Singer-songwriter

Sam Tompkins 'Die For Someone' by Jack Lightfoot

Sam-Tompkins-'Die-For-Someone'-by-Jack-Lightfoot

Jack Lightfoot directs a tender live promo for singer-songwriter Sam Tompkins, shot in one-take at Dean Valley Studios.The video features a seamless camera movement, gently&nbsp;wrapping around Sam and the pianist playing live, keeping the focus squarely on the breathtaking performance."Sometimes a track lands on my desk, and I become obsessed with it," Lightfoot says. "Lose it All&nbsp;was one of those songs - it has such an incredible vocal, and I was buzzing to have the opportunity to capture it live."We were keen on a one-shot performance from the very start, and so wanted to set ourselves inside a stunning location that offered something visually beautiful at every turn, and we landed on Dean Valley Studios as the perfect fit - which also gave us some incredible acoustics for the audio recording.And because I always want to know the answer to this when I see a one-take...we went with Take 6."

Emily Clifford

Robbie Smith

Josh Tue

Louis Catlett

Stef Perry

Company 3

Island Records

Sam Tompkins 'Lose It All (Live)' by Jack Lightfoot

Sam-Tompkins-'Lose-It-All---Live-Session'-by-Jack-Lightfoot

Matilda Harding-Kemp directs a powerful promo for new artist Laurel Smith's Everybody Bleeds, depicting a surreal dreamworld outside the confines of a party.The video explores themes of empowerment, violence and rebellion, slickly visualised with style and flair, and Harding-Kemp has created a hard-hitting and refreshing visual that stays in the mind."Life experiences good or bad become a part of us and that’s something we have to grapple, fight and grow with," she says. "We wanted to portray this aspect of reality through a sense of metamorphosis where the more the video progresses the more Laurel’s reflection changes until she doesn’t recognise herself. To me, subtle moments like this feel quite close in representing that transient journey.[imgtoken data:1] "This psychological narrative is driven from Laurel’s subconscious as she escapes a party and ends up finding her power again. When we fall into Laurel’s dream world where time-freezes, all the girls have weapons to protect themselves in some way."This feels like quite a rebellious image that links to the contrast in the lyrics of being a ‘good girl’ and a ‘bad one’ as women are stereotypically told to be in line and sweet. So it was fun playing with that and showing female energy in an empowering way."

Matilda Harding-kemp

James Dearden

Sebastian Hinds

Nacho Guzman

Bronte Carter

Daisy Oldershaw

Steffan Perry

Joe Walker

Laurel Smith 'Everybody Bleeds' by Matilda Harding-Kemp

Laurel-Smith--'Everybody-Bleeds'-by-Matilda-Harding-kemp

Theo Watkins directs an effervescent performance promo for Easy Life, featuring Benee.&nbsp;The video for OTT combines maximalism and nostalgia, in a visual clash that is as garish as it is amusing.&nbsp;"We set out to make an uber-saturated, 90's-style greenscreen performance video that looked like it had been found at the bottom of MTV's scuzzy VHS archive - using the term 'over-the-top' as our guiding star in pretty much all respects," explains Watkins.&nbsp;I think we can all agree that goal was achieved - and then some.&nbsp;

Jaime Jarvis

Lucy Bonner

Theo Watkins

Marco Grey

Christos

Maya Man

Emma Regan

Dan Moran

Indie

Easy Life ft Benee 'OTT' by Theo Watkins

Easy-Life-Ft.-Benee-'Ott'-by-Theo-Watkins

Jamie Thraves directs a whirlwind performance promo for Gabrielle Aplin's Call Me.&nbsp;Shot in Bristol across two short nights, the video features Aplin&nbsp;interacting with different characters as the traverses the late-night hustle and bustle of the city.Incorporating choreographed numbers and gentler, more intimate moments, it's a video that spans the spectrum of human emotion, and brilliantly executed by the creative team.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]"This video for Gabrielle was a lot of fun to make, from start to finish everything just fell into place so easily," says Thraves.&nbsp;"Gabrielle and I chatted through a number of ideas that I presented to her -&nbsp;four or five&nbsp;-&nbsp;before we settled on this one. It just felt right for the song."We both wanted something fun, energetic, dramatic, gritty and a bit dark. I wanted this to feel like a scene from a musical movie."&nbsp;

Chris Anthony

Matt Sterling

Cheyenne Miller

Dan Hilltout

Rich Bertenshaw

Robyn Hough

Nikita Brienza

Josh Ben-tovim

Ross Mclaughlan

Claire Bender

Lucy Wearing

Steffan Perry - Company 3

Gabrielle Aplin 'Call Me' by Jamie Thraves

Gabrielle-Aplin-'Call-Me'-by-Jamie-Thraves

Jack Lightfoot directs a touching exploration of brotherhood, in his promo for Sam Tompkins' latest single.&nbsp;Starring real-life siblings Sonnyboy and Buddy Skelton, the video for My Brother interweaves several narrative vignettes, set in an anachronistic, early Noughties time period.&nbsp;In the concept, the younger of the two brothers - Buddy - is struggling to connect with Sonnyboy, and feels left out when trying to spend time with him. This all changes when their father dies, and the two form an unbreakable bond and friendship.&nbsp;"It was great to team up with Sam again, this time in the director's chair," says Lightfoot.&nbsp;"Sam came up with the narrative, and having a younger brother myself it really struck a chord with me - we've certainly been through many similar situations together - sorry Tom!&nbsp;"I was delighted that we managed to land Sonnyboy and Buddy for the lead roles - they're such a talented family and look great on camera, they really took this video to the next level. Big thanks as always to the production, artist, and label dream teams involved."&nbsp;

Ruta Staseviciute

Vincent Edwards

Patricia Cygan

Fabianne Calitri

Alex Fountain

Sonnyboy Skelton

Buddy Skelton

Sam Tompkins 'My Brother' by Jack Lightfoot

Sam-Tompkins-'My-Brother'-by-Jack-Lightfoot

Blake Claridge directs a poignant and&nbsp;meditative promo for modern classical artist Alexis Ffrench.&nbsp;The video for Guiding Light builds upon themes of love and loss, and depicts a woman standing on the shoreline, allowing the waves to wash over her bare feet, while&nbsp;an upright piano stands&nbsp;just metres away. Then Ffrench himself appears, playing the refrain of Guiding Light on the piano.&nbsp;The idea of connection to nature and to a higher power is elevated by the stormy, unsettled weather, and the subtlety of the performance allows viewers to impress their own experiences onto the concept and form their own attachments to the music."On the recce, the sun was out and I had planned things for the perfect sunset," explains Blake Claridge.&nbsp;"But this is England,&nbsp;so on the shoot day we were coming off the back of a storm and shooting in torrential rain. But it was perfect, and just created more drama to what was always going to be a pure and simple piece."

Blake Claridge

Emily Vincent

Eve Carreno

Luke Flaherty

Ross Anderson

Instrumental

Alexis Ffrench 'Guiding Light' by Blake Claridge

Alexis-Ffrench-'Guiding-Light'-by-Blake-Claridge

James Barnes directs a frantic performance promo for trap-metal superstar Scarlxrd.&nbsp;Intertwining traditional&nbsp;cinematography with FPV camerawork, the video captures the artist's trademark impassioned performance style, backdropped by unique, textural locations.&nbsp;Glitchy visual effects and a gritty black and white grade create a haunting yet high concept aesthetic, which perfectly fits within the surreal concept.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

James Barnes

Ben Solmon

Fion Hutton

Dan Moran Colour

Trap

Metal

Alternate Metal

Scarlxrd 'Can't Die' by James Barnes

-Scarlxrd-'Can't-Die'-by-James-Barnes

Sea shanty superstar Nathan Evans goes on a leisurely&nbsp;journey in Mike Baldwin's promo for Told You So.&nbsp;Packing a jaw-dropping number of locations into the short runtime, Baldwin employs the "double dolly" effect popularised by Spike Lee, creating playful and engaging setups which perfectly fit the lilting track.&nbsp;Though the backgrounds and environments change, Evans' cheeky charm remains on display throughout, creating an infectious energy.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]

Mike Baldwin

Anil Duru

Owen Porter

Chris Benns

Elaine Lynskey

Polydor Records

Folk Pop

Sea Shanty

Nathan Evans 'Told You So' by Mike Baldwin

Nathan-Evans-'Told-You-So'-by-Mike-Baldwin

James Smith reminisces over past love and friendships in his latest collaboration with&nbsp;Jamie Thraves for Call Me When It's Over.&nbsp;Spanning a ten-year period, the narrative picks up on a hidden love story, never flourishing due to bad timing and prior commitments. It also celebrates friendship and having a close circle of people you can trust and open up to on a regular basis.&nbsp;DoP&nbsp;Mike O'Connor employs a stripped-back, documentary style aesthetic to ground the visual in real life, mirroring the stories of millions of people who have had similar experiences, and the complex emotions that go along with them.&nbsp;

Marc Spicer

Sinead Mcgowan

John Moule

Virgin EMI

Singer songwriter

James Smith 'Call Me When It's Over' by Jamie Thraves

James-Smith-'Call-Me-When-It&#039;s-Over'-by-Jamie-Thraves

James Smith swaps&nbsp;hectic city life for a day by the coast&nbsp;in Jamie Thraves' video for Say You'll Stay.&nbsp;The visuals explore&nbsp;themes of loneliness and the uncertainty of relationships, as Smith heads off on a day trip with his girlfriend, played by Otilia De Royer Dupre. Traversing the beach under moody clouds, the couple are the embodiment of young love, but after spending the day creating memories, things may not be quite what they first seemed.&nbsp;Shot in a documentary style - and edited by Thraves himself - the intimate themes play out on screen through the juxtaposition of a glowing relationship and the desaturated and cold colour palette. Smith and Dupre&nbsp;deliver strong performances and share an organic and believable chemistry, perfectly highlighting the heightened emotions of new love.&nbsp;

Luke Dryden

Otilia De Royer Dupre

James Smith 'Say You'll Stay' by Jamie Thraves

James-Smith-'Say-You&#039;ll-Stay'-by-Jamie-Thraves

X-Factor winners Rak-Su party in an underground club in Jack Lightfoot's video for La Bomba.&nbsp;Packed full of colour and luxury styling, the high energy promo is a vibrant showcase of the group's performance and choreography skills. Balancing sex appeal and a sense of unabashed fun, it's a whirlwind from start to finish, carried by the group's confident personalities and quickfire editing.&nbsp;

Vivian Nwonka

Lock It In

Samantha Cox

Alternative, Hip Hop

Rak-Su 'La Bomba' by Jack Lightfoot

Rak-Su-'La-Bomba'-by-Jack-Lightfoot

We take a trip back to the 80s in Do Not Entry's&nbsp;cosmic video for Kawala.A teenage girl with confidence issues finds a glowing green cassette tape in her room -&nbsp;and then unwittingly unleashes the band into her bedroom&nbsp;as she plays it.Turns out to be a good move: they support her through a journey of studying, exercise&nbsp;and facing bullies, always appearing by her side until the end, where she has gained her own agency and self confidence and is ready to tackle the world head on.Job done.

Do Not Entry

Peter Riches

Jean Dakar

Nuno Rodrigues

James Hackett

Pop Rock

Kawala 'Play It Right' by Do Not Entry

Kawala-'Play-It-Right'-by-Do-Not-Entry

What initially appears to be a flowering relationship gets turned on its head, as Rafe brings down the fourth wall in the new Oli Fox video.When the film crew intervene, revealing that Oli Fox and his girlfriend&#39;s&nbsp;romantic dinner is, in fact, a staged film shoot, the truth is revealed. And as the shoot continues, Oli&#39;s&nbsp;situation goes from awkward to unbearable. He begins to question his real, non-faked&nbsp;relationship with his co-star, and the ludicrous interventions of the director. And Rafe makes sure that we&#39;re with him all the way.

Rafe

Miranda Overett

Sakara Dawson-Marsh

Lauren Jobling

Alice Howlett

Ruth Wardell @ Etc

Isabella Speaight, Elliot Cable, Etionsa Agbontaen, Luke Mcinroy

Lock it in

Laura Clayton

Oli Fox 'Young' by Rafe

Oli-Fox-'Young'-by-Rafe

Jack Lighfoot&nbsp;teams up with the fabulous Sink The Pink to create an alternative video for P!nk&#39;s Walk Me Home. Very alternative.Shot at Bethnal Green Working Men&#39;s Club - Sink The Pink&#39;s spiritual home - it sees STP&#39;s Johnny Bones, Bimini, Rodent, Petite Lame and Le Fil hilariously battle it out in a flamboyant lipsync performance&nbsp;in front of the awestruck judges, in the hopes of being&nbsp;crowned the ultimate P!nk.

Mike O'Connor

Director of Photography

Videos featuring Mike O'Connor

2023 (3)

2022 (6)

2021 (2)

2020 (3)

2019 (3)

Popular content

Is this your profile?

Feedback

Latest Videos