Production Company

SMUGGLER

Directing duo rubberband. have created a mesmerising film for the return of Steve Lacy, using minimalism to draw the viewer into their distinctive take on the horror genre.As the camera does a 360-degree pan within a fenced-off area in a factory setting, Lacey comes in and out of shot to perform the Latin-flavoured Mercury. This motion control-driven device to frame the performance is the core of the video, but then rubberband. begin to disrupt our expectations.Halfway through the piece, an animal briefly appears walking outside the fence. The tone has now unexpectedly shifted, and the viewer is suddenly aware&nbsp;of a likely interaction between this creature and&nbsp;Lacy.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]Tension begins to crank up - confirmed by a flash of fur in front of the camera shortly afterwards. From then on Lacy is as much off screen as on-screen, and when he appears, his clothes are increasingly shredded.Shot by award winning cinematographer Evan Profosky on 35mm film, the video takes far less than&nbsp;its brief two minute and 30 second runtime to create a sense of sinister foreboding and creeping horror. The concept works to apply the classic horror formula, that what you (mostly) cannot see is more terrifying. It also captures the increasingly hard-edged&nbsp;energy of Mercury, the first of highly anticipated new material from Lacy.

United States

rubberband.

LFR Productions

Manny Caston

Elizabeth Doonan

Luigi Rossi

Gianfranco Svagelj

Sergey Poplavsky

Boma Pennebaker

Evan Prosofsky

Miranda Lorenz

Dylan Edwards

Aubrey Woodiwiss

Raphaël Ajuelos

Max Colt

Camille Yorrick

Kwasi Fordjour

Spencer Scranton

Christina Corso

Alexa Hernandez

Diana Shin

Cabin Editing Company

Soul

Steve Lacy 'Mercury' by rubberband.

Steve Lacy - Mercury (Official Video)

Fenn O’Meally directs a touching promo for&nbsp;Lil Silva and Sampha, combining modern and archive home video footage, filmed in&nbsp;London and Jamaica.&nbsp;The concept for new track Another Sketch&nbsp;creates a symbiotic relationship between the past and the present, connecting the two worlds and sketching a visual and cultural history, placing the act of congregation at the heart of it all.[imgtoken data:1]Utilising a mix of both newly-created and vintage footage, the film explores&nbsp;the characters and zeitgeist of each time period, through&nbsp;a celebratory, emotional lens.The video is book-ended with the text 'he waves back home', and it's&nbsp;a wonderful way to encapsulate the entire concept in one short phrase.&nbsp;"This project has a special place in my heart," says O'Meally. "Until you dig deep you're unaware of just how many layers you're immersed in.[imgtoken data:2]"From the genius of Silva's music to his community and their stories, the footage old and new and even the ripples of sound throughout - like the waves I recorded on a trip to Jamaica in February - there are so many moments of life past and present that contribute to this piece.&nbsp;"I always dream of making work that really and honestly makes you feel something deep within you. So this has been an incredibly fulfilling project, more than I could have ever anticipated. I'm so grateful to Bafic, Silva and Sampha for the opportunity."

United Kingdom

Joshua Gochez

Calvin How

Juanjose Mouko Nsue

Fenn O’Meally

Luca Chapman

OB Management

Elliott Beach

Benoit Soler

Georgie Dale

Niomi Collins

Charlie Cowper

Rupert Hornstein

Kairo Jones

Shanice Noel

Michele Baylis

Lainy Black

The Assembly Rooms

Thomas Mangham

Alt Soul

Lil Silva ft Sampha 'Another Sketch' by Fenn O’Meally

Lil-Silva-Ft-Sampha-'Another-Sketch'-by-Fenn-O’meally

Isaac Ravishankara finds a highly original way to combine a storyline with music performance - inventively merging the two parts together in every shot - in his lovely video for&nbsp;George Ezra's Green Green Grass.Ravinshankara nods to a few screen classics and gives it a nice modern twist, with a diner-robbing loved-up couple also being females of a certain age. Meanwhile, George smoothly observes everything, telling the story of the 'young lovers' with his trusty guitar, all the way from the diner to getaway vehicle to the field where the pair bury their ill-gotten loot.&nbsp;The device of an on-screen musical narrator device is not remotely new, but Ravishankara takes it too a new level here, with a sense of fun that is entirely suitable to the George Ezra persona and musical oeuvre.Theoretically there is competition in every shot between the narrative and the performance. In fact, they work seamlessly together, due to the clever construction of the shots and also some terrific performances - from&nbsp;Amy Stoch and Michele Matheson as the happy criminals, and Ezra too.&nbsp;&nbsp;And it looks absolutely marvellous. DoP Logan Triplett filmed this on 2-perf 35 mm 200T 5213 film stock, so it always will.[imgtoken data:1]<blockquote>To pull this off turned out to be much harder than we thought.</blockquote>"The concept that came to mind when I first heard Green Green Grass was a simple narrative - two not-so-young lovers rob a diner, joyride out of town, and bury the money with the rest of their retirement fund out in the middle of nowhere then dance with joy. Pulp Fiction meets Thelma and Louise meets Harold and Maude," says Isaac Ravishankara."However, we really wanted to anchor the video on a unique and dynamic performance from George. I really loathe simply intercutting a performance with a narrative. So we proposed an experiment - what if George is performing WITHIN every shot of the narrative? What would that feel like?&nbsp;"To pull this off turned out to be much harder than we thought. Working with the wonderful DoP Logan Triplett, and our brilliant choreographers Jillian Meyers and Dana Wilson, we had to pre-visualize the video in advance to determine which shots in the narrative would correspond to which lines of performance. Then on the day, the concept was really brought to life by our two 'young lovers' - Amy Stoch and Michele Matheson - and obviously George Ezra as well!"In the end, I think it's really fun to be able to watch the video with a different focus each time, and I'm really excited by how the whole "experiment" turned out."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Isaac Ravishankara

Logan Triplett

Jillian Meyers

Dana Wilson

Ellie Johnson

Cartel Editorial

Ethos Studio

Dante Pasquinelli

Michael Lewin

George Ezra 'Green Green Grass' by Isaac Ravishankara

George Ezra - Green Green Grass (Official Video)

Nadira Amrani directs a captivating promo for Bree Runway's Pressure, with a stylish concept that&nbsp;boasts big choreography moments, sensational styling and a glossy, high-fashion aesthetic - all tied together by Bree's commanding presence as a high-powered&nbsp;Girl Boss.&nbsp;The 16mm format adds a nostalgic, timeless feel to the visuals, whilst seamless whip-pan transitions and a tight edit keep the video moving at a breathtaking pace.[imgtoken data:1]“I’ve been a big fan of Bree for a while," says Amrani. "She’s one of the UK’s most exciting artists at the moment, so I knew this music video needed to be big, high fashion and iconic."The idea behind Pressure came from walking around east London and seeing corporate buildings empty during the pandemic. I loved the idea of taking over the corporate space. A big reference was Michael Jackson’s Bad -&nbsp;we wanted this to be a choreography heavy video.[imgtoken data:2]"Shooting on 16mm with Olan Collardy, we took a lot of references from fashion editorials and wanted to capture a high fashion vintage feel. Bree’s gravity-defying hair pull moment was also a reference to the smooth criminal lean but had sexy undertones."Working with the incredible stylist Anna Trevelyan we had custom-made latex from Atsuko Kudo which played with the whole idea of Bree being the boss.”

Nadira Amrani

Sidney Arthur

Tom Wynborne

Olan Collardy

Michael Hannides

Esther Edusi

Krunal Saardrani

Coco Mell

Billie Mckenzie

Gary Coogan

The Quarry

Matthieu Toullet

The Mill

B.art.vfx

James Hackett

Kash Powell

Ranya El-rafaey

Anna Trevelyan

Sheena Adae-Amoakoh

Tomi Ajayi

Kodak

Alternative

Bree Runway 'Pressure' by Nadira Amrani

Bree-Runway-'Pressure'-by-Nadira-Amrani

Ebeneza Blanche creates an impressionistic portrait of London life, around the charismatic presence of Joy Crookes, in the video for 19th Floor.With an emphasis on family and community, Blanche's video for 19th Floor echoes his previous&nbsp;video for Little Simz's Point And Kill, set in Nigeria. Here he presents Joy at home with her grandmother, and nods to her part-Irish heritage, and a series of performance vignettes is augmented by her performing a traditional Irish dance, in an abandoned building.[imgtoken data:1]Blanche also highlights an eclectic group of working class people and families&nbsp;in West London, and cleverly connects them as they watch a man falling from the iconic Trellick Tower - and come together to save him.&nbsp;With Joy Crookes at its heart, the video has a nostalgic and warmth, and an additional touch of mystery and magic, that is captured&nbsp;by DoP Jack Exton and&nbsp;goes hand-in-hand with the beautiful styling of&nbsp;Matthew Josephs and Justin Hamilton.&nbsp;“By placing Joy Crookes as the voice for the underprivileged, I wanted to create a visual that questions and provokes the viewers by spotlighting the different races and class systems in London," says Blanche.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]"I also wanted to pay homage to the community affected by the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, by showing a male falling off the roof and being caught by the bystanders to symbolise the unity and empowerment of the people."The experience working with Joy Crookes felt very organic. She's a hard worker and amazing to work with. I drew a lot of inspiration from the lyrics of the song and the conversations that took place with [her].

Ebeneza Blanche

Cora Rodriguez

Tom Wynbourne

Jack Exton

Luke Morris

Justin Hamilton

Matthew Josephs

Shamara Roper

Ryo Narushima

Mata Marielle

Lydia Ward

Edward Cooper

Jason Wallis

Electric Theatre Collective

Facenorth Vfx

B.art

Kat Cattaneo

Sony Music

Anna Engerström

Mike Linforth

James Huthwaite

Gary Kent

Lee Parfitt

Camilla Arthur

Joy Crookes '19th Floor' by Ebeneza Blanche

Joy-Crookes-'19th-Floor'-by-Ebeneza-Blanche

Fenn O’Meally directs a poetic and gentle promo for Bakar.The video for Build Me A Way portrays a story of manhood and boyhood side by side, illustrating the curiosity of youth whilst the&nbsp;deterioration of a young man appears simultaneously.Through her delicate storytelling, O’Meally creates a strangely uncomfortable vibe as she portrays the numbness of the young man as he disconnects from himself, his mind and where he comes from.Shot on 16mm, O’Meally and DOP&nbsp;Paul Özgür&nbsp;create rich,&nbsp;powerful visuals as they capture the tender story through beautiful black and white imagery.The abstract narrative stays open to interpretation, offering an enticing opportunity to rewatch and pick up on new iconography and imagery through every viewing.&nbsp;

Blair Smith

Paul Özgür

Kev Gardner

Marco Turcich

Ola-oluwa Ebiti

Jess Summer

Brian Carmody

Kya Lou

Matthew Baus

Black Butter Records

Patrick Milling Smith

Bakar 'Build Me A Way' by Fenn O’Meally

Bakar-'Build-Me-A-Way'-by-Fenn-O’meally

Canadian director&nbsp;Jaron Albertin makes welcome return to music videos with this intimate visual&nbsp;for German singer-songwriter Finn Ronsdorf.In the video for Bloodlines, a song about love and longing for connection, Albertin&nbsp;explores the subject of virtual detachment -&nbsp;through the use of virtual face masks&nbsp;that appear on Ronsdorf's face during his performance of the song.Interweaving human and technological elements until the artist is completely absorbed by digital skin, Albertin raises questions about how we redefine ourselves in this modern world. But the emotion of Ronsdorf performance is also key in the&nbsp;haunting and bittersweet feeling that radiates from the work.&nbsp;

Jaron Albertin

Jacqui Wilkinson

Noa Schmidt

Christopher Aoun

Benjamin Räder

Carbon Vfx

Preymaker | Creative + Technology

Finn Ronsdorf 'Bloodlines' by Jaron Albertin

Finn-Ronsdorf-'Bloodlines'-by-Jaron-Albertin

Up-and-coming director-duo Waxxwork direct a dark and melancholic promo for Berwyn.Following their nomination for Eddy Luna's Still Breathing in the Best R&amp;B/Soul&nbsp;Video Newcomer at this year's UKMVAs,&nbsp;the directing team continue their creative journey with this impressive video for Berwyn's new track MIA.&nbsp;Interweaving the rapper's&nbsp;strong performance with an action-packed and symbolic storyline, the video cleverly integrates&nbsp;VFX and live action, resulting in a concept that feels bittersweet&nbsp;and poignant.[imgtoken data:1]A clever use of perspective and contrasting frame rates add a haunting dimension to the project. Waxxwork - Timothy Casten&nbsp;and Vikesh Govind - play with the idea of time as Berwyn is stuck in a limbo that's both metaphorical and visual, attempting to escape both memories and reality.&nbsp;And it all leads to Berwyn becoming both the victim&nbsp;being buried alive,&nbsp;and also the leader of his captors, shovelling the earth on his alter-ego.&nbsp;It lingers long after watching.&nbsp;

Waxxwork

Emma Jane Thompson

Adam Singodia

Ollie Riches

Joe Munro

Frankie Noller

Elaine Lynskey

Myles Bevan

B. Art. Studio

Daniel Millar

Hip Hop

Berwyn 'MIA' by Waxxwork

Berwyn-'Mia'-by-Waxxwork

Phillip Youmans directs a cinematic&nbsp;tour de force&nbsp;for Fana Hues.The promo for Pieces&nbsp;is set during&nbsp;a surreal talent show hosted by Hues herself. Introducing one act after the other, the artist leaves the audience both excited and mesmerised by the diverse set of acts.The sophisticated, filmic aesthetic grounds the offbeat nature of the concept, whilst Hues' performance is captivating in its intimacy and theatricality.&nbsp;

Phillip Youmans

Phillip Soulliere

Jeff Leeds Cohn

Pancho Ortiz

Mckay Todd

Pierre Habib

Marquise Miller

Jarad Reed

Makeup By Nimai

Bright Antenna Records

Fana Hues 'Pieces' by Phillip Youmans

Fana-Hues-'Pieces'-by-Phillip-Youmans

Elizabeth Doonan, Head of Music and Short Form at SMUGGLER,&nbsp;has now been promoted to Executive Producer of Special Projects at the international production company.Doonan, who has been nominated for Best Producer at this year's UK Music Video Awards, taking place next month, launched the global Music and Short Form division at <a href="https://smugglersite.com/" target="_blank">SMUGGLER</a> from the company's London office in 2019. Since then, the division has gone from strength to strength, with several videos that she executive produced also receiving nominations at the UKMVAs this year:&nbsp;Jorja Smith ft. Shabybo's Bussdown, directed by Fenn O’Meally, in Best UK R&amp;B/Soul Video; Texas ft. Wu-Tang's Hi, directed by O’Meally in Best UK Alternative Video; and Topaz Jones's Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma, directed by rubberband, in Best Special Video Project.&nbsp;Beginning her career at production companies including RSA, working directly with Ridley Scott, and as creative assistant to Jonathan Glazer on his film&nbsp;Under The Skin, she went on&nbsp;become a senior music&nbsp;video commissioner at Sony Music, known for creative excellence and where she amassing amassed an enviable and awards-recognised&nbsp;body of work. She left Sony to join SMUGGLER in the 2019 with the task of rebuilding the production company's status in music videos and beyond.&nbsp;In her new post, Doonan will continue to grow the Music and Short Form department, with an increased focus on intersection of the music, fashion, advertising, and entertainment industries. She remains focused on discovering and developing new talent, while also executive producing for established directors on the roster.• SMUGGLER website <a href="https://smugglersite.com/" target="_blank">here</a>

Elizabeth Doonan promoted to EP of Special Projects at SMUGGLER

Ebeneza Blanche dives into Nigerian society with Little Simz and Obongjayar, in the marvellous video for&nbsp;Point &amp; Kill.It was Little Simz’ burning wish to shoot the film in Lagos - which brought her back to the Nigerian capital for the first time since her childhood - and provided Blanche with the opportunity to shoot in Nigeria for the first time. They have fully made the most of the experience with a piece that celebrates African culture, incorporating visual brilliance with comedy, ideas, performance and serious political commentary.The track celebrates a well known phrase in Nigeria, a connection between Simz and Obongjayar and the extension of that to family and friends in Nigeria. Starting with a domestic setting, and introducing Simz as part of the scene, Blanche brings us properly into this world, which develops its own form of magic realism as she rides away on a back of the moped and comes across fascinating groups of individuals, as if plucked from a Lagos photographic studio.This is a fantastic collaboration - Simz and&nbsp;Obongjayar provide the focus and the charisma, while Blanche's eye is exceptional, his use of the stars and the cast is idiosyncratic,&nbsp;and every frame is beautiful. And it moves from the lighthearted into much more&nbsp;political territory, but still in a very artful way -&nbsp;an emerging tableau of a stand-off between Simz and Obongjayar and the police, a reference to the ongoing police-orchestrated violence in Nigeria. Really outstanding work.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Eshinlokun Ademola

Dehinbo Odunayo

Sam Meyer

Tobi Ajayi

Idris Oba

T.k Alade

Ayo Lawson

Ashley Okoli

Temitope Uduak Betiku

Kehinde Aare

Ayopo Abiri

Oscar Mirzayev

Foreign Xchange

Grime

Little Simz ft Obongjayar 'Point And Kill' by Ebeneza Blanche

Little-Simz-Feat.-Obongjayar-'Point-And-Kill'-by-Ebeneza-Blanche

The routine of Mick Jenkins' suburban life is&nbsp;slowly transformed, as his neighbours are gradually replaced by white&nbsp;döppelgängers, in André Muir's video for Truffles.Inspired by the photography of Larry Sultan and William Eggleston and the artwork of Eric Fischl, Muir collaborates with DoP Patrick Scola to flip convention, and create a vision of surburbia where the seediness and creepiness, bubbles to the surface.[imgtoken data:1]

SMUGGLER

Production Company

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