Director

Rob Hawkins

Fred Roberts runs through the night, before making a bold decision, in Loona Riia's video for hook-heavy Runaway.Filmed on a very cold night in January, and shot atmospherically by DoP Thomas English, Riia's video channels horror movie tropes as Fred is caught in the headlights of a car as he runs along a deserted road, and through a spooky wood.&nbsp;Then he stops running and confronts the vehicle that represents&nbsp;the sum of his fears, to elevate the hopeful tone of the track.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ignacio De Tiedra

Loona Riia

Sofia Wilkinson-Steel

Carrie Sutton

Laura Taylor

James Adair

Thomas English

Sarah Stanbury

Oliver Dunford

Raphael Arcadios

Karol Cybulksi

CHEAT

Fred Roberts 'Runaway' by Loona Riia

Fred-Roberts-'Runaway'-by-Loona-Riia

Following his directing debut with (pls) set me on fire, Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds directs aits sequel - another&nbsp;strongly conceptual performance video - for It Hurts.From the claustrophobic locked-off shot in his previous outing, Reynolds employs another largely one-take approach, but allows the camera to roam across a large space in which a number of random dramatic vignettes are playing out - all of which have big consequences for the participants.“In typical Shikari fashion, I threw myself in at the deep end with directing, and decided to shoot two videos in one day," explains Reynolds of the making of this and the previous video. “It was an incredibly intense experience, but we had a super-talented, passionate, focused team, and were able to get a great result.“Personally, I found it rewarding to see my ideas brought to life and create a narrative connecting the two videos. I love the attention to detail that directing allowed, and the ability to bring some of the song’s themes to life in more depth.”

United Kingdom

Murdo Hepburn

Kitty Cowell

Rou Reynolds

Lily Roberts

Kode

Ryan Delahunty

Nathan Killham

Liz Adeleye

Ty Hack

Joe Salkey

Lauren Jeffery

Nathan Greenwood

George Neave

Coffee & TV

Ed Chambers

Ikki Dhesi

Rock

Enter Shikari 'It Hurts' by Rou Reynolds

Enter Shikari - It Hurts - (Official Video)

Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds makes his video directing debut with this powerful one-take&nbsp;promo for the band's new single, (pls) set me on fire.&nbsp;The video sees the band perform&nbsp;in an effervescent setup towards the back of an industrial location, whilst a vintage TV displays retro graphics and animated lyrics from the track on screen in the foreground.&nbsp;It's a simple yet strikingly effective&nbsp;idea, that showcases the band at their best, and uses clever composition and lighting to keep eyes darting between the two positions on-screen, in a captivating ping-pong match for viewers'&nbsp;attention.[imgtoken data:1]So a lyric video for the track may not be required. But with Reynolds breaking out of the performance near the end, to write in a notebook and then wander distractedly off-screen, suggests there is still more to come. Indeed, that is confirmed by Reynolds himself."I wanted this video - my first foray into directing! - to feel minimal and uncomplicated, but at the same time full of dynamism, and therefore the polar opposite of the next video, which is a&nbsp;bewildering romp through surrealism," he says."So there’s a simplicity here, a willingness to let the raw energy of the performance be the focus, untainted by effects or complex editing. But it&nbsp;should also be mentioned that the main function of this video is really just to set up the next one…"&nbsp;

Katie Dymmock

Enter Shikari '(pls) set me on fire' by Rou Reynolds

Enter Shikari - (pls) set me on fire - (Official Video)

Sam Smith reunites with Luke Monaghan in a triumphant comeback for&nbsp;Love Me More.The song is all about the singer being more comfortable in their self, and Monaghan - who has directed more&nbsp;Sam Smith videos than anyone else - allows that feeling to seep through the course of the film in both a direct and evocative fashion.After a prelude listening to a&nbsp;phone machine voice message from an old friend who craves to meet up with them, Sam heads out into the day with a spring in their step - in a street scene reminiscent of one of their early videos.The introduction of a supporting cast is done through a break from the course of the narrative - conceptual set-ups and portrait shots of Sam's 'gang' from the LGBTQ+ community&nbsp;- before they all come together on the dancefloor.Monaghan keeps things interesting and affectionate throughout, never deviating from a positive and joyous mood. That's anchored&nbsp;by Sam's radiant performance. This dovetails really nicely with a song which has a tinge of gospel revivalism about it.Sam Smith is definitely back - and so is Luke Monaghan.&nbsp;

Arthur De Borman

Rose Waite

Ben Reardon

Luke Monaghan

MrMr

Shore Works

James Hackett

Sol Sahaiti

Harry Wheeler

Alex Jefferson

Elliot Ruby

Ali Copland

Richard J Lewis

Jamie Monks

Phil Heron

Max Randall

Sienree Du

Karla Q Leon

Sean Fazende

Houmam Abdullah

Capitol Records

Joe Mulvihill

Sam Smith 'Love Me More' by Luke Monaghan

Sam-Smith--'Love-Me-More-'-by-Luke-Monaghan

Beki Mari directs a brilliant performance of It Gets Dark by Sigrid on The Late Late Show with James Corden."Paying homage to a classic rock and roll performance, it’s an idea of extreme contrasts; of black and white, futuristic, raw energy," says Mari. "We play with this stark simplicity and thus light becomes our point of difference."The deceptively simple concept - consisting of a performance in a white cyc studio - emanates huge amounts of energy, elevated by Sigrid and her&nbsp;band's riotous&nbsp;performance and the dramatic lighting cues.&nbsp;"We used a mix of programmed and handheld light to dramatically change the space; from bouncing bright white light to suddenly being plunged into darkness," continues Mari."The effervescence of this contrast&nbsp;then careers us into&nbsp;a new wildness; flashing spots and a drenching of sensory blue until we land softly, sinking into prismic, celestial sparkle - created using mix of handheld foil, laser mirrors and an Astroraggi."Those elements all combine to showcase&nbsp;a stellar performance by Sigrid, reminding us why she is one of today’s most exciting pop stars.

Macy Dingle

Ahida Agirre

Beki Mari

Ruth Parrish

John Pryer

247 Productions

Phil Penfold

Sam Savile

George Doherty

Abbi Yardley

Gabriella Floyd

Sylvain Canaux

Island Records UK

Sigrid 'It Gets Dark' (Live) by Beki Mari

Sigrid: It Gets Dark

Philip James McGoldrick directs a darkly enigmatic promo for ELDR.&nbsp;The dystopian vision for Friends depicts a set of characters hiding away in an alternate future, performing and dancing in a mysterious building.&nbsp;Anchored by an alluring performance and slick, apocalyptic styling, the video is abstract and otherworldly in its presentation, with an overarching mystery to keep viewers questioning what is happening on screen.&nbsp;

Aitor Lopez

Daryl Okene

Hanna Winter

Kayla Mcclellan

Emc Productions

ELDR

United Agents

Daniela Manunza

Philip James McGoldrick

Eldrecords

Kit Wood

Miles Ridgway

Matahari Devi

Alice Platts

Carl Thompson

Molinaire

ELDR 'Friends' by Philip James McGoldrick

ELDR- Friends (Official Music Video)

Carl Addy directs a gorgeously vibrant and textural promo, combining performance with intriguing visual effects, for metal behomoths Bullet For My Valentine.&nbsp;Beneath a series of warped animated layers, the video for Rainbow Veins intermixes glitchy performances with character vignettes - beautifully shot by Thomas English and graded by Jax Harney -&nbsp;blending together in a nightmarish hallucination.&nbsp;The distorted VFX heighten&nbsp;the surreal aesthetic, whilst contrasting colour palettes lend an otherworldly style to the concept.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Carl Addy

Ramy Dance

Common People Films

Tony Roberts

Freddie Wright

Heba Elgamal

Aga Kocinska

Johnjoe Besagni

Katie South

Rachel Freire

Sara Bowden

Sara Faulkner

Jax Harney

Gabriel Thomas

Danni Spooner

Fiona Garden

Rawpower Managent

Heavy Metal

Bullet For My Valentine 'Rainbow Veins' by Carl Addy

Bullet-For-My-Valentine-'Rainbow-Veins'-by-Carl-Addy

Lucrecia Taormina laments consumerism and shopping fever, in the darkly comedic promo for Steven Wilson's Personal Shopper.&nbsp;In a sleek shopping mall, we are introduced to a man who has just received a huge wad of fifty pound notes. Ready to shop until he drops - quite literally - he visits different shops and counters, swapping parts of his body for bling and new things.&nbsp;As the shopper&nbsp;exchanges&nbsp;increasingly important parts of himself, from fingers to eyes to lips, the concept only gets more absurd and out of control, with Taormina's flair for the unusual remaining utterly engaging throughout. There's a terrific performance by Robert Lane as the deluded consumer, while DoP&nbsp;Pieter Snyman creates a hyperreal aesthetic through soft beauty lighting and clinical colour palettes of white and shiny metal.&nbsp;If Apple did body horror adverts, this is what they would look like. Fascinating work.&nbsp;

Lucrecia

Joseph J Goldman

FRIEND

Luke Tierney

Hugo Holford

Pieter Snyman

Peter Bishop

Oliver Hogan

Flora Huddart

Natasha Lawes

Andrea Gomez Anzola

Meg Thorne

Richard Fearon

Black Kite Studios

Crystal Spotlight

Robert Lane

Natalia Maus

Ash Teague

Doug Walshe

Progressive Art Rock

Steven Wilson 'Personal Shopper' by Lucrecia Taormina

Steven-Wilson-'Personal-Shopper'-by-Lucrecia-Taormina

Alice Ray delivers a message of hope in&nbsp;Brendan Harvey's absorbing promo for Lost In The Dark.&nbsp;Shot in four different locations, including&nbsp;East London cafe&nbsp;The Barge House&nbsp;and the beautiful scenery of Epping Forest, the video’s narrative is led by two dancers navigating the complexities of their relationship.&nbsp;The choreography&nbsp;is clever and minimal in places, complimenting the song and leaving space for viewers to digest the lyrics and appreciate the seamless nature of the cinematography.&nbsp;Director/DoP Harvey perfectly captures the beauty of the dancers’ relationship,&nbsp;using a gimbal and&nbsp;clever transitions to make the shots fluid and continuous.&nbsp;The earthy colour palette carries over into every setup, from the brown and green landscapes of the forest, to the rich wooden interiors of the café, adding a continuous thread to the concept which mirrors the sustained energy of the cinematography.&nbsp;"Lost In The Dark&nbsp;is a song full of hope", explains Alice Ray. "It’s about feeling out of our depth in the difficulties that life can throw at us and giving ourselves time to come out the other side. 2020 has been a tumultuous year and I think many people feel they are waiting it out for some light at the end of the tunnel."However we happen to be&nbsp;waiting or coping, it’s important to be kind to ourselves and to give ourselves credit for how tough this year has been before we start again. Which we will."

Brendan Harvey

Rhiannon Hopkins

Dread Pixel Ltd

Michael Coburn

Elliot Beach

Cláudia Carneiro

Kate O'shea

Sebastian Ziabka

Guy Lubin

Singer songwriter

Alice Ray 'Lost In The Dark' by Brendan Harvey

Alice-Ray-'Lost-In-The-Dark'-by-Brendan-Harvey

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

Jamie Whitby

Scarlett Barclay

Agile Films

Hayley Williams

India Bradshaw

Spike Morris

Bulman Arshehit

Hélio Ribeiro

David Hamilton

George Buxton

Myles Payne

Jack Williams

Edward Coope

Assembly Rooms

Alex Gregory

The Mill

David Horsburgh

Jordan Stephens

OB Management

Warp Records

Harry Chambers

Rachel Bashford

Fionn Hutton

Jamie Hitchens

Alternative

Nightmares On Wax 'Smokers Delight' by Jamie Whitby

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

April meanders through the haze of a fluorescent party into the surrounding dark streets in&nbsp;Callum Lloyd-James' video for Watching You Disappear.&nbsp;As the night gradually descends into a lucid mess, we follow the artist as she disconnects from reality into a wild blur of time and space, beautifully visualised through experimental frame rates and vibrant, off-kilter vignettes.&nbsp;

Callum Lloyd-James

Head & Wrecker

Hannah Richards

Julien Cornwall

Tatjana Honegger

Jake Buckley

Giulia Mazzocchi

Amy Whyard

Callum Lloyd James

Team

April 'Watching You Disappear' by Callum Lloyd-James

April-'Watching-You-Disappear'-by-Callum-Lloyd-james

When Tiffany Calver got the call from Drake to find out who best to feature on this drill track, Tiffany knew instantly it had to be one person and one person only and that was Headie One.Only You Freestyle video is a collaboration between two iconic rap artists from across the Atlantic. Dropped in the heart of lockdown it was important to ensure that the quality of the video matched the lyrical genius of the track and its safe to say it was a success!

Headie One x Drake 'Only You Freestyle' by Nathan James Tettey

Rob Hawkins

Director

2023 (3)

2022 (3)

2021 (2)

2020 (6)

2019 (1)

2018 (1)

2015 (1)

2008 (1)