The impact of school bullying is explored through dance in Daniel Brereton's video for Maëlle's L'Effet de Masse. 

Opening with a young man being singled out and swarmed by a pack of his spiteful classmates, the concept explores his struggle as he is ruthlessly taunted throughout the school day. 

Fights are imagined as sprawling choreography in the halls, contrasted against the more intimate turmoil evident in Maëlle's solo performance setup. A tragic shot of an empty table at the end of the video is a sobering and concerning climax which packs an emotional punch. 

Editor Vincent Fleischmann utilises long takes to allow the choreography to breathe, whilst jump cuts into Maelle's performance provide a fresh yet jarring perspective to the concept. 

DANIEL BRERETON: 

"The song captures beautifully the trauma and sadness associated with bullying in schools. I wanted to tell this story through a mixture of dance and narrative, dream and reality, to explore those difficult emotions at a transformative time in someone's life.

"I was inspired by West Side Story, where the story is played out through beautiful choreography, incredible sets that capture the feeling of New York, and colourful characters and styling. I had a blue mood in mind for this film, and gave the actors colour palettes to accentuate their character, along with cooler tones for the production design."