The Naked and Famous 'Hearts Like Ours' by Campbell Hooper

Davis Silis - 13th Aug 2013

Campbell Hooper's latest video for The Naked and Famous is like a beautifully photographed study in cinematic metaphor. There's a strength and fervour to every shot, every angle, every movement. As Hooper takes us on this cinematic journey, you can't help but get completely taken in by the craft of the focused, considered image-making at work, all beautifully photographed by cinematographer Autumn Cheyenne Durald. From the very opening shot, even before any music starts and bees thunderously swarm together over a honeycomb, you know you're going to watch something quite unusual.

As Alisa Xayalith's voice carries the booming chorus, 'Half awake and almost dead…' Hooper weaves disparate shots into a tantalising montage of the mysterious and captivating moments that play throughout the video, like scenes that were pulled from a series of lost films and reassembled to create a new work of art.

There's a familiarity between song and image in 'Hearts Like Ours' that other music videos often miss. That shouldn't be a surprise, really, since Hooper's directing partnership Special Problems and The Naked and Famous have collaborated frequently in the past, like the equally stunning video for 2010's breakout hit 'Young Blood'. You get the sense that Hooper just really gets The Naked and Famous, and can distill that understanding into terrific videos. 'Hearts Like Ours' is certainly no exception.