Julia Kupiec reunites with New York singer-songwriter Sabrina Song to create a powerfully atmospheric performance video.

Following their collaboration last year for Background Actor, the promo for indie-rock slow-burner Big Trick sees Kupiec orchestrate some darkly theatrical vibes in a liminal studio space, with an elegantly crafted performance from Song and her band and a gradual buildup of visual drama as the story unfolds.

Lighting set ups, in-camera visual effects and lightly choreographed movement lend to the theatrical feel - and a special guest appearance from a very charming rabbit is both a nod to the track’s title and its magician’s assistant aesthetic.

The track comes from Song's debut EP, released last summer, which also features Background Actor. And on a limited budget, the artist and director adopted a DIY approach for this one. They first met while both studying at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where Kupiec was the DoP on a couple of videos for Song before making her transition to directing.

“Working together has turned into this whole blossoming collaboration that we’re both really giddy about,” says Kupiec. “Sabrina really is an artist in the sense that she’s creative in a lot of different directions. She likes filmmaking and has more of a real understanding of and respect for that craft than any other artist I’ve worked with. She comes in with ideas and a clear vision, but she’s never rigid or prescriptive.”

Kupiec has been flipping between directing commercials and videos for the past few years, having also helmed promos for Columbia Records’ artist Clinton Kane and Indigo Soul’s Jake Tavill, including Tavill’s Truth - an official selection at Raindance.

"“I’m addicted to music videos,” Kupiec admits. “I think you have to be in order to make them. They’re hard, notoriously under-resourced [but] kind of always come together against all odds.”

This one certainly has. It's a great showcase for Sabrina Song, this smouldering track - and Julia Kupiec's talent as a filmmaker.