Director

Shan Phearon

As part of a series of 'micro music videos' created for U2's new album Songs Of Surrender - where the band have revisited some of their biggest songs, interpreting them afresh - Shan Phearon has given I Will Follow a visual that subverts expectations, and offers its timeless theme&nbsp;contemporary relevance: a powerful snapshot of inner-city drill culture.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;U2 frontman Bono's lyrics for the song - from their debut album Boy, and their first ever hit -&nbsp;were written from the&nbsp;perspective of his mother Iris, who died when he was 14.&nbsp;Bono's slightly revised lyrics ("A boy tries hard to be a man, His mother lets go of his hand, A gift of grief will bring a voice to life.") form the basis of his new performance of the song, more than 40 years since the original.[imgtoken data:1]Meanwhile Phearon's fiercely energetic 60 second visual stands as a counterpoint to Bono's reflective delivery, showcasing boys performing the Drill dance style known as Sturdy. The&nbsp;seeming clash of styles and cultures&nbsp;quickly recedes as the lyrics start to chime with the lives of the young&nbsp;males of today - and their dancing fits smoothly into the rhythm of the track.It stands within the whole <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL80sr_OFD9CEFSpXyOd9ePokYOzxIUdOO" target="_blank">Songs Of Surrender&nbsp;one minute video series, by over 40 Creators</a> -&nbsp;in portrait&nbsp;mode only. It appears on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnHNzqAvudQ&amp;list=PL80sr_OFD9CEFSpXyOd9ePokYOzxIUdOO&amp;index=35" target="_blank">like this</a>, but you can enjoy the 'full-frame' version here.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;&nbsp;"UK drill has been one of the most influential youth music movements in the world," says Phearon.&nbsp;"It’s born from teen nihilism, disenfranchisement, low income areas, violence, trauma, alienation. Like rebellious punk and grime before, UK Drill is a response to broken British politics. UK Drill culture has codes: mythos, uniform, language, hand gestures, environment, dance. The Drill dance style - like Hip-Hop adjacent 'conflict styles' Breakdancing or Krump battling in eras past - is known as Sturdy."I was thinking about themes behind U2’s debut Boy&nbsp;LP... adolescence, teen angst, coming of age, etc. I thought: let’s reframe these through a modern European inner-city youth lens.&nbsp;I saw natural connections between U2's early themes and alienation, parenting, childhood trauma, teen behavioural issues, other deeper ideas around UK Drill and modern street culture youth.[imgtoken data:3]"It felt visually unexpected from U2 and uncommon in rock/alternative. UK Drill, integrated into the thematic universe of one of the great universal bands of all time, in an organic crossover moment - we hadn’t seen this cross-pollination done yet."More than anything though, I think it’s cool to see modern Rap and Rock n’ Roll ideas find common ground."

United States

Jordan Rowley

Greatcoat Films

Simon Oxley

Terrence O’Connor

Kevin Kloecker

Interscope Records

Rock

U2 'I Will Follow' by Shan Phearon

U2 - I Will Follow

<h3>How did Shan Phearon make the remarkable CGI-fired ode to auto-destruction that is his second video for controversial alt-pop artist Jazmin Bean? David Knight quizzed the Greatcoat Films director to find out.&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>&nbsp;In making his music videos, Shan Phearon has become renowned for his drive for perfection for his music artists. It has resulted in a series of beautifully-crafted music videos&nbsp;for the likes of Potter Payper, Nines, Rimzee, Tiggs Da Author and Jvck James.&nbsp;Often the&nbsp;videos of Phearon's featured&nbsp;on Promonews have&nbsp;been the Director's Cut&nbsp;- another function of his perfection. But late last year, his latest video arrived which showed Phearon reaching a new level of achievement, and also his vision fully aligned with that of the artist.Phearon's video for Jazmin Bean's Carnage is a brilliantly conceived evocation of the dark fairytale world of Jazmin Bean, via Phearon's encyclopedic knowledge of music culture, and movies from blockbuster to arthouse, over the past 30 years. Crucially, the director has set the bar high - to somehow match the sensibility of one of those era-defining sci-fi fantasy blockbusters in a British music video. And he has triumphantly achieved his objective.From Jaz and companion Lucy Loone&nbsp;speeding down a city freeway, to flying through the night, post collision,&nbsp;to arriving on a floating rock&nbsp;in space, Phearon places Bean's nihilistic rebellious tendencies&nbsp;in spectacular fantasy setting.&nbsp;It looks like a big, expensive production, as might be made by a top American star.&nbsp;And Bean is not quite that. So how did they do it?The director and his team managed to achieve this by other means, including his&nbsp;vision, incredible dedication, and another valubable commodity - time. Carnage was the result of Phearon being on the Jazmin Bean project for a year. It was by no means all plain sailing, but as he&nbsp;points out, it may offer pointers in how British music videos can kickstart the creative juices in the important year ahead.&nbsp;&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]Above: Shan Phearon (right) with Jazmin Bean on the set of Carnage.<blockquote>We need to work better - and this is down to the conditions given to work in - if we want&nbsp;world class respect.</blockquote>PROMONEWS: So Carnage&nbsp;was your 11th music video piece in 3 years and part of a year-long project?SHAN PHEARON: It grew to become a double-bill video campaign: first <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMCBrIOV1pk" target="_blank">Puppy Pound</a>, which led later to Carnage. A year invested, from 2021, concluded 2022. Ever seen ‘Heart of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse’? I’m joking. But it’s the end of one era, start of another.What did you have to work with when you got the brief for Carnage?SP: Jaz wanted to drive. They needed a car crash. And a flowery field at some point. Just top-line to decipher. By then, I’d spent months studying the artist and cult fanbase for Puppy Pound. Immersed like ‘method’ Christian Bale in the Jaz metaverse, I had enough to work with.The label had set us up with healthy time to nurture artist-to-director creative rapport, where I could coach artist development, as well as develop the videos. Getting results, the very supportive Island label team (Holly Williams, Emily Jefferies, Max Creswell and co) and artist manager Donny Tourette, whom I worked closely with, trusted the process.Now I had to bespoke tailor the next chapter in the artist’s arc and I could identify what was going on in their mind with all my insights as: an emotional joy-ride.[imgtoken data:2]What was the key aspect in your treatment that Jazmin and the label loved?&nbsp;I think they were surprised at how I’d become an extension of the artist’s psyche, maybe. I always try to respond to the interior of an artist. I want to understand them as human beings as well as a cultural avatar, so I show that.<blockquote>The subtext and journey of this video... has been a redemption arc.</blockquote>I’d written in solutions too for endless creative spec obstacles: car crashes (how the f*** we doing that?), flowery fields (unavailable in winter), lambs (unavailable in winter), out of this&nbsp;world fantasy road trip routes (ffs).We’d used Puppy Pound to warm up and test CGI expansion of Jaz’s distinct world-build, but now we were really going to architect a whole metaverse beyond with Carnage.[imgtoken data:3]What were the main references across the project?A vast library. Like sampling culture almost, I view it like my fave music producers (i.e. Dilla, Madlib, Burial, Fly-Lo, Premiere, Timbaland, Metro Boomin etc.), that approach. Many cultural fusions.It’s like crate-digging: David LaChapelle, Vivienne Westwood, TLC, Soundgarden, Slipknot, Nirvana, Busta, Portishead, Stefani, Gaga, Britney, Lil’ Kim, Devon Aoki in Fast &amp; Furious 2, the Disney+ Channel, 1994’s Natural Born Killers, 1995’s Ghost In The Shell, 1996’s Twister, 2000’s era Zack Snyder, Frances Lawrence’s 2006 Constantine, Wachowski Sisters’&nbsp;2008 Speed Racer, Lars Von Trier’s 2011 Melancholia, Malibu Barbie, rap mixtape culture GOAT iconography, essays on BPD, bi-polarity, autistic savants, depression, suicide, nihilism, doomers, and so on.Everything shares a dot-connection, even if unrealized before through other’s lenses. You layer the samples, sometimes in a single composition. Visual musicianship, visual symphonies.No idea’s original. Originality is only a sum of its un-original parts. I think we’re all just striving to unearth something novel in that.[imgtoken data:4]What attracted you to the song, and to Jazmin as an artist?I actually DM’ed Jaz in Autumn 2019 after seeing their wtf video for ‘Saccharine’. Nothing, air. Understandable. Two years later a brief from an instinctive commissioner lands in my inbox… cosmic.I admire what Jaz symbolizes, their composite influences, the freedom of expression. I’m magnetized to artists whose output and framework for seeing things is outside of the norm - outsiders, misfits, outcasts, outliers – new age thinkers offering to shift paradigms. Felt I was living my Bjork, Manson, Arca, Kate Bush, The Cure, Linkin Park fantasies.True story… Jaz’s mum Angie, as a drummer, of Filipino heritage, was in a ‘90s all-girl UK Metal band called Fluffy – whose ’97 single ‘Black Eye’ is directed by Floria&nbsp;Sigismondi. Bloodline’s mad.I’ve also done a few music video pieces that interplay with takes on psychological health, or mortality. Repeat motifs. I like exploring powerful ideas with my artists in unexpected ways.[imgtoken data:5]Above: The Shan Phearon workstation, and creative inspiration.Is it true you went into self-imposed exile for the Carnage post-production phase?Sort of. I was locked away in a studio for a while, with limited outside contact, except my lead VFX Artist Gino Fernandez 24/7, and the artist/label remote.To hibernate and meditate with the material, shaping step-by-step. Flow-state. Musicians do it whilst recording albums. Directors are kinfolk. Label, artist and management wanted to empower us, to trial more progressive processes. Everyone appreciated commitment.[imgtoken data:6]Is it fair to say this is a departure for your work in music videos - both musically and in the style of the video?&nbsp;Maybe. It makes its statement. But it’s probably also a spiritual successor.I’m very proud of my roots, and my video foundations, in Alt Rap, R&amp;B, Soul etc. I carried one ethos at the start of my MV journey – to help elevate the cultures I was codified by in youth. That’ll continue. It’s a Hip Hop-centred attitude and we carry some of that energy.<blockquote>I did over a year of CGI VFX filmmaking historical research - the ‘90s, the ‘00s and in the ‘10s.</blockquote>But I’m an eclectic head too. Always loved Electronic, Alternative, Experimental Pop, etc. Same with visual languages. Many others like me, yet they’ve become caught in the conditions of the current British commissioning glass ceiling, or stifled by their digital environments and own audiences.So this video asserts for directors of similar heritage that they deserve a shot at other music genres too. Can cross-pollinate worlds. Bring alternate perspective.There’s a controversial debate raging in our circles that the UK music video scene has been flat-lining in the last period. If stagnation and a self-regurgitative tribal visual culture, here’s at least one recipe to discovering innovative angles eventually. Eschew pigeonholes. Open minds.[imgtoken data:7]There are some beautifully conceived and executed sequences in the final video. Can you explain how you prepared and then achieved the main set pieces in the video?• The artists in the speeding car on the highway:&nbsp;Ghost In The Shell/Manga inspo. I devised a giant green-screened rotating turntable to put the physical car on. I did over a year of CGI VFX filmmaking historical research, the ‘90s, the ‘00s and in the ‘10s, three key eras of advancements, so I could better direct workflow. Think I picked this one idea up after watching some BTS for The Fifth Element (1997). It’s all exploration of artifice.I’d been thinking about how people at times say some CGI “looks dated”. But I feel like, if the CGI in a 1999 film looks like 1999, that’s unavoidable for those people in 1999 – so really it’s part of the charm. Their CGI artistry is an endearing sign of those times.This led me to thinking more about the idea of retro CGI nostalgia. To purposely have one or two elements feel almost like retro 2000s CGI VFX, because the 2000s decade was the first real era of CGI overload creeping into cinematic culture. Hypothesis test.[imgtoken data:8]<blockquote>I got my team to build a big green screen trampoline and paired that with Phantom cameras.</blockquote>•&nbsp;Jazmin and Lucy Loone floating, post-car crash:&nbsp;Melancholia/Watchmen/Donnie Darko/Portishead kinda inspo. I got my team to build a big green screen trampoline and paired that with Phantom cameras.What’s mad is that I wrote this idea as a scene in an unrealized Pa Salieu/slowthai treatment a long time ago. Jaz’s chorus just hit me emotionally and all I could visualize is what you’re seeing. Lucid dreams recycled from the vault.[imgtoken data:9]•&nbsp;The main tornado sequence with the falling car and the flying goat:&nbsp;Twister inspo. The most complex VFX and a few experimental touches. To me it’s the absolute power of CGI as an artform, one often maligned, disrespected as ‘low culture’, misunderstood. Some cineaste are caught in the ‘practical VFX’ myth - too many Chris Nolan YouTube fan essays.<blockquote>When was the last time we saw a big natural disaster tornado going wild in a UK music vid?</blockquote>Both practical or CGI can be respectable solo, or often ultra-powerful when combined. So that’s the moment I’m proudest of. Gino (proud of him too) worked on that for weeks, whilst literally on a Covid deathbed, as a bunch of other things were falling apart around us both in our lives.I remember its earliest draft landing in my WhatsApp whilst I was flat-out on the floor and I realized we’d just reached transcendence. Eureka. Like, when was the last time we saw a big natural disaster tornado going wild in a UK music vid? Did they manage that in the UK MV scene during ‘90s / 00’s golden age? And we’re doing it now in these austere times?!I hoped it would be symbolic, defiant and bombastic, lol.Also, the flying goat easter egg is inspired by the iconic flying cow in Twister. No animals harmed.[imgtoken data:10]The piece has a unique aesthetic. What’s the 35mm and digital image fusion idea?I’d discovered over time that the theme of artifice – maybe response to the virtual simulation-style hyperreality of internet culture - is a big one in Jaz’s metaverse.So I designed a ‘synthetic-analogue’ appearance. We formulated a special and more complex than usual process so the CGI became 35mm.Modern CGI-driven videos are nearly always too polished. And most 16mm / 35mm-driven videos are aping a nostalgic / timeless simulacrum idea.I wanted us to bridge two seemingly opposing schools of thought. Hyper-digital and analogue marriage.[imgtoken data:11]Above: Shan Phearon (foreground, back to camera) supervises the positioning of Jazmin's crashed car, on set of the Carnage shoot.What were the biggest challenges in making this?Any project can have these if going in with ‘elite mindset’. We do our best to educate those around, to uplift them. We don’t try to encourage mediocrity. New worldviews, are the biggest challenge.Some feel in our UK music video scene culture, it’s a more and more for less and less era. But if tight budget, offer time. If tight time, offer budget. Here Film Creatives are often denied both tools. Which is why many UK directors, EPs and commissioners are suffering, as is the art.But label,&nbsp;artist and management equipped us more time to craft on Carnage, they believed in optimal. That super-powered us, over a common industry challenge.<blockquote>Maybe there’s a 15 year old fan somewhere and we saved their life last night. That’s our hope.</blockquote>We’re in a phase where even at our UKMVAs, parts of our scene get slept on. Output from international, outboxes ours. Briefs go to overseas directors and our UK pool of talent isn’t nurtured. We need to work better - and this is down to the conditions given to work in - if wanting world class respect. Reform and new frameworks are healthy convos for everybody’s benefit in ’23 on.I guess tricky junctures included first draft with pre-viz jpegs keyed into backgrounds and everyone looking at it like “wtf is this Blue Peter sh*t”? Haha. And then it’s Director’s job to encourage imagination, combat over-thinking in the abstract. Delicate psychological processes that&nbsp;I’ve learnt to handle.Also the artist wasn’t always in the best of health. With resources, we were punching above our weight. As well as over 100 shots of VFX to be crafted out and made fluid - an insane feat. But all of us together as a collective unit, we were on a mission for our artist’s next era.In the end, everyone was overwhelmed, as were those most important that we all really do this for: the music fans.[imgtoken data:12]And what was the most satisfying thing about making this?Well, this is public info, but the artist sadly had to spend the summer in rehab for addiction. They’re very open about these things, it’s part of their art. We all had to manage that, with strength, collectively.Addiction in a variety of forms is a deep-seated epidemic, especially amongst the creative community, exacerbated by this current socio-political and digital climate. Directors feel there’s a growing mental health crisis in the UK music video realm at the moment that’s going ignored and will reach a tipping point. Musicians I know are experiencing a similar epidemic in their scenes. Artists can understand each other.So I feel like the subtext, as well as the journey of this video to release, has been a redemption arc.We’re very proud of the artist, who is doing better. We’re proud of the video, because it’s healthy when this medium is an outlet for expressing the troubled weight of the creative psyche. Unbridled expression can save lives.Maybe there’s a 15 year old fan somewhere and we saved their life last night. That’s our hope.[imgtoken data:13]What were the key decisions that made the vision all come together as well as it does?Translating the artist, playing the orchestra, incepting vision, etc. It was a coach procedure.I give flowers to my holy trinity: DoP Nathalie Pitters approach with lighting, production designer Anthony Hensman’s practical art direction, and indispensably our ride-or-die Lead VFX Artist Gino Fernandez who saved my life. They lived on this whole other planet with me and Jaz.Plus the whole gang: super-producers Mel Massey, Talor Hanson, Maneet Sandhu, legendary EP Simon Oxley, 1st AD Paolo De Battista, Becky Seager on Wardrobe and Sofia Sjöö on MU.All were about craftsmanship and worked with heart, some for extensive periods. This lot were my heart.It starts with character first, an assembly of people with it. If the assembly ‘believes’, the mosaic of creativity will follow.[imgtoken data:14]What did you learn that you didn’t previously know, or your biggest take away, from making this video?I feel like we cracked another code and Walter White formula.Imagination… nothing is impossible now.I’m thankful for everyone that has shown us love and support for our effort in these current bleaker times for the UK music video scene right now. Hasn’t been easy for some of our peers. We’re just trying our best to keep this culture and our people energized. Journey continues.[vidtoken data:0]• Shan Phearon is based at Greatcoat Films. Watch more of his work <a href="https://greatcoat.film/director/shan-phearon/" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;

Shan Phearon on Jazmin Bean's Carnage: "I feel like we cracked another code... nothing is impossible now."

Jazmin-Bean-'Carnage-(feat.-Lucy-Loone)'-by-Shan-Phearon

Shan Phearon directs a hypnotic fantasy for Jazmin Bean, featuring&nbsp;Lucy Loone.&nbsp;Combining clever practical elements, novel visual effects and imaginative CGI world-building, the video follows the two artists as they cruise around an otherworldly environment, causing carnage at every turn.[imgtoken data:1]The unique aesthetic is achieved through an innovative hybrid of digital and 35mm fused into one image, which heightens the surreality of the eccentric concept.&nbsp;A pastel-pink nightmare with huge ambition, it's a brilliant piece of work from Phearon and team.[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;

Anthony Hensman 

Lewes Bridson

Rebecca Seager

Talor Hanson

Melissa Massey

Emily Jeffery

Holly Williams

Richard Johnson

Nathalie Pitters

Maneet Sandu

Paolo De Batista

Lou Macnamara

Rebecca Richards

Sofia Sjöö

Andi Chu

Gino Fernandez

Island Records UK

Jazmin Bean ft Lucy Loone 'Carnage' by Shan Phearon

Shan Phearon returns with an electric visual for maverick rap star and cult wordsmith Potter Payper.&nbsp; Street-futurism, big set-piece spectacles and subtext collide as introspective Potter travels a long, dark road in a glowing VW Golf flatbed truck ridden by outlaws, and performs the confessional Gangsteritus amongst mysterious, symbolic figures in the abyss of the night.Taking the texture of UV in a forward-thinking direction, Shan and his team devised and built one of the world's first UV blacklight drones for film, to achieve the striking vision. The music video is part of Apple Music's The Agenda series, pairing UK music's most important contemporary performers&nbsp;with trailblazing filmmakers.

United Kingdom

Ellis Fox

Kareem Adeshina

Amara Rossell

Alessia Lendrum

Fred Searle

Jaime Ackroyd

Tristan Chenais

Hermes Contreras

Domingo Simon Silva

Phil Harris

James France

Noah Furrer

Anthony Hensman

Alex Gregory

Charlie Morris

No.8

Talha Rana

Nicola Sheppard

0207 Def Jam

Grime

Hip Hop

Potter Payper 'Gangsteritus' for The Agenda (Director's Cut) by Shan Phearon

Potter Payper feat. Tiggs - Gangsteritus (Director's Cut)

Shan Phearon's appreciation of the power of popular cinema has influenced his music video work for the likes of One Acen. and Ocean Wisdom. Now he has fused one of the most popular film genres with the conventions&nbsp;of the grime video, with sensational results.&nbsp;Phearon's new video for Tiggs Da Author &amp; Nine's Fly 'Em&nbsp;High creates a world that's both familiar and unique. It's&nbsp;set in a trap house with bad boy gangsters, who also just happen to be vampires, existing&nbsp;within their own set of arcane rituals.The intriguing scenario is the jumping-off point for a remarkable visual experience, where delivered with disorientating unpredictability. Both claustrophobic and luridly colourful, with elements of humour and even poignancy, Tiggs is the observer of proceedings, chronicling the deeds of this fanged quartet&nbsp;- and possibly providing their salvation.&nbsp;[vidtoken data:0]So we popped over a few questions&nbsp;to Shan about the making of this outstanding video&nbsp;-&nbsp;a <a href="https://greatcoat.film/" target="_blank">Greatcoat Films</a> production that was all shot in one&nbsp;house in Harlesden, north west London, back in January.Promonews: What was the inspiration for your vampire gang theme? Anything in the song and the brief that led you in that direction?&nbsp;Shan Phearon: We just dialled into the narratives of the wider album campaign and Tiggs’s innate brand as an artistic outlier, and took those for a spin. The album has a thought-provoking title: Blame It On The Youts. Cinematically, I love when societal ideas are Trojan horses via high concept ‘genre’ entertainment. The exploration of ‘serious topics’ needn’t always be over-earnest or arthouse stilted - Korean filmmaking is a fave example of warping the tonal expectancy bit.<blockquote>There’s definite metaphorical crossovers between the ‘urban crime thriller’ genre and the vampire genre.</blockquote>So it spun into Vampirism mythology meets Roadman mythology. Top Boy&nbsp;by way of The Lost Boys&nbsp;was thrown around. There’s definite metaphorical crossovers between the ‘urban crime thriller’ genre and the vampire genre. My producer and I were talking about ‘alternative’ vampire stories too, and we’d count Queen Of The Damned, Blade and the rest on one hand. It felt a liberating exercise to add lore.[imgtoken data:1]Beforehand, I fleshed an entire backstory for the characters and the world-building.&nbsp;There are&nbsp;Easter eggs throughout that hint. Conveying a demo of the bigger idea inside a three minute format is always a unique challenge...<blockquote>Tiggs is one of those unorthodox, brave artists every creative loves to work with.</blockquote>How much did you collaborate with Tiggs in the creation and pre-production stage?It was an open brief and Tiggs is one of those unorthodox, brave artists every creative loves to work with. I pitched the concept to Tiggs, George (Tiggs'&nbsp;manager) and Steve Rose (commissioner) and they loved it from the get-go. They wanted us to push beyond expectations of serviceable ‘fast food’ British rap video content. Tiggs and I had a chat, vibed and they allowed my creative team and I to do our thing encouragingly.[imgtoken data:2]I think when there’s a genuine dynamic like that - artists and labels working towards shifting culture forward and inviting audiences for a different ride - that it's an exciting attitude.There's a sense that this is some kind of cult - one foot in reality, one foot in somewhere uncanny. Can you give some background and insight into the gang's world: the characters, their activities and rituals?With mythological crossover, it’s looking for parallel details.&nbsp;All black attire of vampires vs. all black uniforms in street culture. Nocturnal lifestyles. And blood. Road life through a vampirism lens might be: blood cooked like crack, stashed and sold in bottles, blood bags, or as red powders, or in capsules. Addicts want to procure it. ‘Opps’ (the opposition) may lose theirs.<blockquote>These might be young boys that had lost their lives to street-related activity in previous years.</blockquote>There may also be notions of getting high and low on one’s own substance compulsions and very subtle nods to (the establishment’s) engineering of drug misuse in challenged communities. And also posing the question: what’s the nihilistic nightmare of the West when it comes to characters like this? It's poking fun at that viewpoint. Lots to explore more one day perhaps in longer form.[imgtoken data:3]To motivate performance, part of the backstory I shared with the four leads was that these might be young boys that had lost their lives to street-related activity in previous years. Yet now having to exist as vampires (a post-death trauma state), they inhabit this limbo trap house. The bigger metaphors: vampires are trapped in an unchangeable state which both gifts and curses them - much like the cycle of 'the trap’ sometimes for young people.Where did you shoot, and how long did you have? What were the main challenges you had on the shoot?&nbsp;&nbsp;One day, in a tiny house.The main challenge was filling one minute of the video across Nines' verse upon finding out he couldn’t make it due to flights/quarantine time, etc. We had a meticulously planned storyboard with his presence. So I rewrote and replaced him with a skeleton and a milk carton (lol). It’s a reference to a skeleton dressed as a gangbanger in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOO-A59c4C0" target="_blank">Tales From The Hood</a>, an ahead-of-it’s-time 1995 Spike Lee-executive produced horror anthology with socio-political themes. We basically frame Nines as a victim of the gang that’s been honeytrapped for blood extraction… it’s reflexive satire.[imgtoken data:4]<blockquote>Nines couldn't make the shoot. So I rewrote and replaced him&nbsp;with a skeleton and a milk carton.</blockquote>Remarkable colours in the video. Were you able to achieve those mainly in-camera, or did you greatly enhance in post?Well, I enjoy colour that pops through the darkness; it reminds me of walking around London late at night listening to albums as electricity runs through it. The city isn’t grey and muted like the day - it’s the extreme opposite, like synesthesia, or bi-polarism.Plus,&nbsp;isn’t all ‘reality’ now engineered? ‘Authenticity' a fallacy? So finding artificiality to try and explain reality can be interesting subtext.[imgtoken data:5]There’s a technical process I’ve been developing to push things from in-camera to post. I kind of miss 2000s cinema where everyone would crank the shit out of images because digital colour grading was in it’s experimental infancy (and probably because they were shooting film). I feel it’s dope for creatives to test conventional trends of their space (i.e. sometimes muted palettes, soft black levels, etc) and go the extreme opposite way - if it services story and authorship, obviously. I can appreciate ‘punk’ attitudes.<blockquote>I trained the boys - all newcomers - over a week, and then they were told to let rip.</blockquote>Helping realisations&nbsp;were gifted DoP Jake Gabbay and gaffer Isaac Whittingham's lighting tones; production designer Sarah Cotterell, wardrobe director Kashmir Wickham and MUA Shireen Kadhim finding visual synergy; and of course bold colourist Caroline Morin at WASH taking us up a level.My delighted Greatcoat Films' producer Kareem Adeshina exclaimed the hi-res screenshots folder "looks like Skittles”, and that’s why he’s my rock I suppose(!)&nbsp;All I try and do is get everyone on the same page with 'mood fusions’ before we go into the field.[imgtoken data:6]The edit is breathless. Did things turn out the way you originally planned?I think it’s cool for editors to think sometimes about how to experiment with the edit so it speaks to the viewing experience for an accelerated generation in an accelerating future. The music video format is beautiful for that - historically innovative and fertile ground for creative experimentation and messing with narrative form.Depending on the project, but if it’s a modest music video project with time limits, it can help discovery-mode to mix methodical shot listing/storyboarding with just the tiniest room for improvisational manoeuvres.&nbsp;I was also really proud of our talent. The 4-5 newcomer young boys I cast especially, who are 17-18 years of age. Training them over a week, they were told to let rip. Here's hoping they have bright futures in film and beyond.• Shan Phearon is with <a href="https://greatcoat.film/" target="_blank">Greatcoat Films</a> for music videos and commercials,&nbsp;and represented for music videos by Andy Roberts at <a href="http://www.lasbandas.tv/" target="_blank">Las Bandas Be Brave</a>.&nbsp;

Behind Tiggs Da Author's Fly 'Em High with Shan Phearon: "It spun into Vampirism mythology meets Roadman mythology."

Tiggs ft. Nines 'Fly 'Em High' (Directors Cut) by Shan Phearon

Shan Phearon's stunner of a video for Tiggs Da Author draws us into a darkly comic world of a quartet of roadmen, who also happen to be vampires.If it's Top Boy meets What We Do In The Shadows, with a dash of '90s movie Tales From The Hood,&nbsp;Phearon has certainly created his own distinct world for this bunch of reprobates, who process blood like a valuable drug, feed their unfortunate victims to their harem of vampiric vixens, and seek some form of redemption, via the hand of the book-toting Tiggs.The fast-moving action takes place within a typical house on an everyday street, but it&nbsp;is anything but mundane. It's the colour palette&nbsp; - lurid, almost terrifyingly bold - that stands out more than anything. As in previous videos, Phearon goes hard for the primary spectrum, then dials it up more than ever. A remarkable look for a very cool piece of work.

Efosa Osaghae

Quinn Skelton

Jake Gabbay

Marcus Albertesen

Jomar O'Meally

Sarah Cotterell

Kashmir Wickham

Shireen Kadhim

Isaac Whittingham

Caroline Morin

Wash

Las Bandas Be Brave

Steve Rose

Tiggs Da Author ft Nines 'Fly Em High' by Shan Phearon

Shan Phearon follows&nbsp;his impressive brace of videos for Ocean Wisdom with this slick and fast-moving&nbsp;visual for London Afrobeat star and rapper One Acen.In the action-packed video for Nigeria, One Acen confronts a gang of white-boilersuited intruders to his plush countryside pad, attempting to dodge death with&nbsp;enhanced powers and cool aplomb. And he does this&nbsp;again, and again, with a slight variation each time.&nbsp;This repetition comes within a framework of chapters, which follows the pattern of all successful movie franchises going through a range of iterations: Orginal, Sequel, Prequel, Remake and 'Interquel'.&nbsp;&nbsp;In each case, things become more sophisticated, more futuristic&nbsp;- until we reach the Reboot, and then things get seriously off the wall...Shan Phearon explained to us about how he came up with the idea for One Acen's Nigeria, and&nbsp;the making of the video.[imgtoken data:1]SHAN PHEARON ON MAKING ONE ACEN'S 'NIGERIA' VIDEO:How did you come up with this&nbsp;intriguing concept? SP: I think I just ended up down an IMDB rabbit hole one evening. And the most dangerous thing that can happen after that is an OPEN brief landing on the desk…!I’ve toyed with elements here for some years in my head and it only takes one vehicle to prototype.&nbsp;There may be analogies around ‘battling your demons’ in the piece, and the overarching [concept] here speaks to the theme of ‘time’ - we can try to bend it, but it endures, it destroys, it births, it cycles. I find myself cycling back to that every so often.<blockquote>We can try to bend time, but it endures, it destroys, it births, it cycles.</blockquote>And how did you convince One Acen that it would work? We talked on the phone one-on-one, late, a Sunday night. We both had appreciation for progressive hip-hop filmmaking from the last 25 years. We spoke about Marvel's Cinematic Universe, Fast &amp; Furious, Star Wars and the last decade of film trends too. I shared with him my intrigue with some thoughtful lines in his writing: “...suicidal, so depressed”, personal demons the artist may have battled in his past. Acen also takes a big interest in the craft of film.&nbsp;The chemistry just clicked.Following that, the amount of trust Acen, his team, the label, our commissioner Nicola Sheppard and our executive producer Kareem Adeshina invested - they empowered me to do my thing for everyone with a high-level of creative freedom and captain the team, so I’m thankful for that dynamic.[imgtoken data:2]Are you referencing a particular movie or movies? Growing up I absorbed Spike Lee, Hype Williams, Wong Kar Wai, Gaspar Noé, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, amongst others. Those are some heroes, so maybe something from each of their schools of filmmaking ebbs into my processes now and again.I feel also deeply influenced by musicians, like Timbaland and J-Dilla, borrowing their philosophies.&nbsp;So there’s a few cross-pollinations in this video, whilst fusing some post-Covid world textures. On every project I ultimately set out to design something that sits in the modern world and speak to it now and to what might come next. Nostalgia’s fine, but my heart’s in futurism.<blockquote>We shot economically and with precise intent, whilst leaving room for lightning-in-a-bottle moments.</blockquote>Did you manage to do it all in one night? Where as it filmed? It was a strategic 2pm till 2am operation! Plus copious pre-production, my storyboarding, etc., and Avengers assembled. We shot economically and with precise intent, whilst leaving just enough room for sporadic lightning-in-a-bottle moments that can never be foreseen in pre-production.I have to show love to the streamlined but deeply dedicated crew on this one as well, for their respect, and for exemplary support and production from Greatcoat Films. Pulling this humble production off in a post-Covid climate, we’re all proud.We also filmed somewhere in England… and the rest is movie magic ;-)[imgtoken data:3]I guess it could be seen as&nbsp;a satire on movie franchises. So are you pro- or anti-Franchise? That’s interesting, I am a big fan of satire in a world that takes itself quite seriously. Everything is some sort of construct, everyone has their version of the truth, so maybe that’s a subtle nihilism.I do want to speak to modern cinema though; I love big blockbusters as much A24 arthouse and I don’t believe very much in divides between high culture, or low culture, or film elitism, or pop trash. There's craft in it all. Especially in Europe and in video culture, film pretension lauds those trying to be Bergman, but what if you just feel a bit Michael Bay?<blockquote>I don’t believe in divides between high culture, or low culture, or film elitism, or pop trash.</blockquote>So whilst franchises have been painted as the death of mid-budget cinema, the writing and structural craftsmanship that goes into building one is undeniable and they can be fun as f**k. The gift and the curse. A cheeky side-note, like any good franchise - there are actually 'Easter Eggs' hidden in the certain frames of 'Nigeria'. If anyone spots them…[imgtoken data:4]And what's going on with the 'Reboot'? Well, I guess it’s a metaphor for anyone who ever felt like they needed a real second shot. But by all means, if anyone wants to help us expand our cinematic universe, holla. &nbsp;

Gil Kolirin

Courtney Bennett

Sheena Brobbey

Simi Virdee

The Mill

Atlantic Records

Afro-Beat

One Acen 'Nigeria' by Shan Phearon

One-Acen-'Nigeria'-by-Shan-Phearon

Fresh off a UKMVA nomination, Shan Phearon fires some postmodern pastiche harkening back to a naughty Noughties for iconic visualist Fatboy Slim and his new weapon of choice, Ocean Wisdom.High-octane English satire, grotesque world building and rambunctious pop references that wink at everything from Busta Rhymes animatronics to Guy Ritchie, JP Jeunet and even Aphex Twin's granny, the clip taps into a tongue-in-cheek, post-woke era sense of risque.Looks like this fat boy is the updated definition of the classic Norman Cooke t-shirt slogan "I'm #1, So Why Try Harder"...Watch the uncensored version above now.

Kris Kolakovic

Alfred Thirolle

Emma Procter

Arthur Graham-Maw

Emanate Studios

Ocean Wisdom & Fatboy Slim 'Fatboy' by Shan Phearon

Ocean-Wisdom-&amp;-Fatboy-Slim-'Fatboy'-by-Shan-Phearon

Shan Phearon tells a stylised story of a gangster's rise and fall, for fast-rapping Ocean Wisdom.Phearon experiments with unrelenting axis roll photography and extreme wide angle perspectives&nbsp;for their&nbsp;storytelling possibilities, and its a terrific sensory experience. It's also a metaphor for&nbsp;the theme of lives spinning out of control.Turning rap iconography into a gothic acid-opera with crime thrills gone awry &amp; lovers on the lam hints, the new video from recent Warning signing Ocean Wisdom aims to hypnotise quite like the mind-bending cadence of the artist fronting.To achieve their gothic rap opera, the production team designed and created their own hacked motorized rollover camera rig - controlling&nbsp;the device using a Playstation controller. Very smart filmmaking indeed.

Indiana Mookram

Alexia De Rafael

Kashman Harris

Courtney J Bennett

Eve Carreno

Tom Soltonas

Joe Nkadi

Yuriko Takiguchi

Kaarlah

Christian Parton

Ocean Wisdom / Jasmine Imboden

John Moule

Warner Records Uk / Beyond Measure

Ocean Wisdom '4am' by Shan Phearon

Ocean Wisdom - 4AM [Official Video]

Jerome Thomas faces up to a terrifying fate with poise and dignity, in Dumas Haddad's&nbsp;cinematic&nbsp;story of love and retribution.The singer is prone on a beach and we soon realise his predicament - mortally wounded, tied by rope by his vengeful captors. A flashback then reveals his crime of a forbidden love affair, before a climaxThis atmospheric piece for Bruises, with photography by Olan Collardy,&nbsp;is described by director Haddid as a "grindhouse&nbsp;Afro-Futurist Western", and there is a definitely an element of Tarantino in the portrayal of cruelty.But it's also testiment to a remarkable British summer that this sun-kissed, widescreen piece that suggests the American Deep South, was actually shot in Margate, and its surroundings.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Shan Phearon

Director

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