Production Company

You Know

"Working with some of the themes of the lyrics was a great opportunity to explore some of the mythology and fairytales of my childhood adding some more modern macabre twists," says Stuart. "The band have a legacy of videos and influences to draw on. Adding themes of voodoo curse and the Incubus sat well with the ideas of snow white and sleeping beauty. 
"We wanted a more classic look to the imagery using filters and nylons as well as tilt/shift and a few in camera tricks before Alex (YouKnow) could add the final touches in post. Satinder Chumber created the Incubus character look, designing and constructing the helmet and prosthetics and the make-up team did a great job alongside costume to really bring the characters to life."

Stuart Birchall

Leila Mousavi

Malcolm Walker, Alex Noyer

Itasca Films

Face Addict Hair Junkie

Kerry West

Cradle of Filth 'Frost on Her Pillow' by Stuart Birchall

Stuart Birchall's promo for While She Sleeps' Our Courage Our Cancer - dealing with a raw and serious subject - oscillates between the band giving a suitably very spirited performance in a large abandoned house and a narrative of an old man looking back on his life. 
Freely galloping horses, soaring birds, a baby, a soldier off to war and the death of a loved one punctuate the band's performance to highly contrasting and emotional effect.
"'The themes and sentiments in the lyrics are very clear and even if you are not a fan of the genre the power of this track is obvious' was my first reaction to listening to Our Courage Our Cancer" explains Stuart.
"The band have very distinct references and ideas and we discussed how we could approach this in the very limited time we had. We also faced a number of technical issues we had to work around and had some pretty serious set backs. I think when your working on a project with such a strong message you find a way and it was always going to be something special. 
"The themes are fairly universal and most people understand the struggles we face in life, the heros and loved ones lost. The team pulled together some amazing work under the circumstances, with DOP Maeve O Connell and Producer Leila Mousavi rising to the challenges under pressure, and Alex Dunn (YouKnow) bringing together a fantastic edit and grade. 
"I have been looking to work with the band for a while and so i jumped at the opportunity. Its definitely one of my favourite videos".

Itasca Films, Numinous Pictures

Maeve O'Connell

Darren Koh, Ben Manwaring

While She Sleeps 'Our Courage Our Cancer' by Stuart Birchall

Following his video for <a href="http://www.promonews.tv/2012/08/28/devil-sold-his-soul-new-legacy-by-stuart-birchall/" target="_blank">Devil Sold His Soul</a> earlier this week, Stuart Birchall unveils another hard-hitting promo - a brutal story of revenge for Gallows' Outsider Art, featuring a striking performance by Mina Renoir.
"The Gallows ' Outsider Art' video was a real challenge" explains Stuart. "Time and resources were stretched in order to create something very striking and at the same time cover a full story. When your looking to cover a full narrative in a very short time (under 4 mins) your going to face plenty of challenges. 
"I gravitate towards narrative and storytelling and films have been a strong influences in much of my work. Its easy to string together a series of nice aesthetic images or artistic ideas without much connection or relevance, favouring a more attractive image over narrative structures, but very often your faced with a more complex narrative , layered characters and sequences and it really challenges the filmmaker in you to bring it all together. 
"The band were keen to follow a story and we discussed ways to fit it all into the short time frame. Alex Dunn (editor) worked well with the footage to overlap the ideas and keep the audience involved. The main character is multidimensional and without much time you have to pick the right shots to connect you with her journey and keep it vibrant and entertaining. 
The production itself was a roller-coaster, everything that could go wrong did and at times we really felt as if the project was doomed, but we pulled together and rose to the task, facing some unprecedented challenges and set backs. Looking at some of the shots and knowing how they were achieved reminds me of how it felt making my first films and having to think or resourceful ways to make things happen. 
"I'm from the same town as most of the band and have been looking to work with them for a few years so it was nice to finally put together a project we were all really proud of.

Alex Noyer

Rob Wilton

Alex Dunn

Thom Nicholson

Dan Alexander

Darren Koh

Erin Large, Chris Pilkington, Robb Leech

Nicola Rachel Smith

Abi Walker

Mina Renoir, Maggie Bartrop, Karris Beckingham, Rebecca Dutton, Alison King, Ezra Bristow Smith + Stunt Team

Gallows 'Outsider Art' by Stuart Birchall

The video for young rockers Devil Sold his Soul's A New Legacy takes in some classic film references for this boxing showdown, directed by Stuart Birchall.
"When I was approached to shoot with the band I'd not heard anything about them or their music. It was refreshing to be given a freehand - we discussed some initial ideas and I returned with a treatment. The video featured the band in a less conventional way and they were very excited at this prospect. 
"The video was directly inspired by the romance of boxing and the classic ideas and images of the fighter. There have been so many amazing films devoted to this subject and so it's hard not to naturally draw on these iconic images from memory. Using slow motion is a wonderful luxury we can now afford as filmmakers and so i felt this video had the potential to flow throughout at high speed. This really influenced the edit and shot selection as it gave us licence to hold longer shots and sequences to great effect in the final edit."

Meghan Callaghan

Devil Sold His Soul 'New Legacy' by Stuart Birchall

It's coming in 2013 - the story of how the Roland TR808 changed music when Arthur Baker and Afrika Bambaataa made Planet Rock. 
This documentary, directed by Alex Dunn at You Know, features interviews with some of the biggest names in dance music in the 30 years since Planet Rock was released, including Norman Cook, Paul Oakenfold, New Order, Jellybean Benitez, Quest-love, Felix the Housecat, Richie Hawtin, Tom Silverman, 2ManyDjs, Diplo, A Trak, Soul Clap, Boys Noize, Buraka son sistema and Skillrex.
Planet Rock &amp; Other Tales of the 808 trailer Directed by: Alex Dunn Producer: Alex Noyer, Arthur Baker, Alex Dunn Prod co: <a href="http://www.youknow.co.uk/" target="_blank">You Know</a> and Baken Shaker Ltd Written by: Luke Bainbridge Executive Producer: Alex Noyer Edit: Alex Dunn Cinematography: Claudio Rietti, Stuart Birchall Music: Arthur Baker, Alex Dunn, JellyBean Benitez, Richie Hawtin Sound Mix: Matt Jarman

Alex Noyer, Arthur Baker, Alex Dunn

Planet Rock & Other Tales of the 808 trailer by Alex Dunn

Planet-Rock-&-Other-Tales-of-the-808-trailer-by-Alex-Dunn

In a joint production between Numinous Pictures and You Know, Stuart Birchall delivers this high-concept, dark piece for heavy rockers Architects drawing inspiration from classic movies. 
Mirroring the huge energetic soundtrack, the promo comes at you full-trottle and here Stuart explains the ideas behind the production: "The Architects and I have worked together for a while now, often discussing where things could progress to visually, so this was a good opportunity to develop some more conceptual ideas with the band. 
"I challenged everybody involved and they all delivered 110%. Alex Dunn handled the extensive post production demands which included a lot of compositing and effects as well as the edit, in a tight time frame. We worked with DP Rob Wilton and Dog Eared Films, in who's studio we constructed the sets. Alex Bowens juggled responsibilities on Thor 2 whilst handling the production design for us, so I dont think he slept much for a week! Satinder Chumber came on board to develop the prosthetics, working with Jane Stiefel to create a very striking look.
"The symbolism and references within the video will no doubt be interpreted in a hundred different ways. Some of the younger Architects fans may not recognise some of the more classical references but if it creates debate and leads people to ask questions and investigate then its a success in my opinion."

Alex Bowens

Emma Copeland

Julia Paoletti, Isabella Lopez Smith, Leila Mousavi

Architects 'Alpha Omega' by Stuart Birchall

Kate Sissons plays a troubled, incarcerated woman, who finds a kind of freedom from the asylum where she's confined in Stuart Birchall's ambitious psychological video for Deaf Havana's Leeches. 
"I really enjoyed this project - the video was another opportunity to develop a darker narrative concept," says Stuart, who has worked with Kate before, on his videos for The Qemists (feat Enter Shikari) and The Architects, and his short film Burning. "The only real setback was that the track was fairly short, so I had to rein in my ideas considerably to make it fit - which offered some nice challenges in the edit for my editor, Alex Dunn. It was great to have the opportunity to work with actress Kate Sissons once again in the lead role."

Laura Hunt

Deaf Havana 'Leeches' by Stuart Birchall

The Stuart Birchall-directed video for Bring Me The Horizon's Alligator Blood is a Lynch-inspired nightmare involving sexy vampires, a ten-foot alligator, and a tarantula - and is a special Halloween's Night release...
It's what Stuart calls "a collective nightmare projected inside the mind of lead singer Oli, demonstrating themes of the pursuit of excess and vice and the reality that we all face our fears eventually..." 

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=UWmNsHDdWFU
Stuart Birchall on making the video for Bring Me The Horizon's Alligator Blood
"The initial ideas were more extreme and I had to reign back the concept for a TV audience. I wanted to play with symbolism and ritual. Avoiding the obvious 'Russian Roulette' themes from the lyrics, I looked to create an original take on the 'dance with the devil' themes and the idea of fate and consequence, the splitting of the psyche and facing fear. 
"Working with DP Rob Wilton and production designer Rosheen McNamee we were able to create a very striking style within each environment in the video, all having their own subtle themes. The lighting style is crucial in getting atmosphere right on a project like this and despite our customary long shoots and production hurdles once again Rob demonstrated why he is first in line for all my productions. 

"Shooting with 'Baby' the 10 foot alligator was amazing - a very impressive animal. Working with a Tarantula I was less fond of! Guitarist Jona on the other hand loved it and was happy to have her crawling all over him to get the shots! Oli was very relaxed and comfortable with the acting elements in the video as were all the band members, but the real energy came through in the performance, with each member giving a huge solo performance.
"Alex Dunn edited the piece with precision, delivering a visceral cut that really brings the visuals to life. We worked together on the grade, meticulously working through each shot until we felt we had something that was distinctive. Once again the attention to the little details that may seem inconsequential are what distinguishes Alex work as an editor."

Rosheen McNamee

Jane Stiefel

Kylie Griffiths

James Leckey / Julian Sharma

Jay Oxley / Sophie Black

Stefan Klenke

Jim Clubb @ Amazing Animals

Bring Me The Horizon 'Alligator Blood' by Stuart Birchall

Bring-Me-The-Horizon-'Alligator-Blood'-by-Stuart-Birchall

Creative production agency You Know's Stuart Birchall created this conceptual promo as an 'inspiration film' during the development of Diesel's new Loverdose fragrance, with the promo being used as a key part of the marketing pitch to key retailers.

"We then shot over an intense two days covering multiple locations and set ups, but it was a test we all really enjoyed and the quality of the finished film is testament to the great team we had working with us on this project." You Know's next music project - their previous have included promos for Architects and The Qemists - is a post-heavy video for Bring Me The Horizon due for release in early November.

Alex Noyer / Anit Bashar

David Pulgarin

James Leckey

Julian Schama

Terry Smith @ Filmscape Media

Andrew Howard

Liz Cirelli

Ruth Frances

Alex Beer

Kim Marren, Robert Sabel, Petar Perovic, Ruth Frances, Alex Beer, Adam Forster, Stefan D'Bart

'Diesel Loverdose' inspiration film by Stuart Birchall

Stuart Birchall matches the brooding, widescreen indie of Heartburn by Brighton fivepiece Architects with this good-looking roaming adventure, with some great photography by Rob Wilton completing the picture.

Gina D

Melanie Schmidt

Architects' Heartburn by Stuart Birchall

An abandoned shopping centre in North London was ideal location for Stuart Birchall's intense and cinematic promo for The Qemists &amp; Enter Shakiri - notwithstanding the rotting food and inevitable pigeon infestation.
"Working with the Qemists was a great experience," says Stuart, "All I ever look for in a project is a creative free hand with artists and labels that have ambition. The project was a challenge on all levels, but when you get a great result it reflects the effort and dedication of everyone involved."

Gina D & Laura Hunt

Maddy Salvage

The Qemists' Take It Back (feat. Enter Shakari) by Stuart Birchall

Promonews Podcast

You Know

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Videos featuring You Know

2012 (7)

2011 (4)

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