Get the Promonews daily round up
Get the Promonews daily round up
Ollie Bradley-Baker ponders anxiety and the world at large in his intimate promo for Keyside. The video follows actor Matthew McDonnell as he heads to a house party, where the band are playing. His anxiety initially holds him back, until he is able to overcome his fear and watch the group at another location. It's a lovely little video with a thought-provoking theme and great performances.
Rob Ulitski - 2 months ago
A night out at a house party plays out in two very different directions, in Sophia & Suzie's absorbing promo for Tom Walker. The video for Freaking Out features Thomas Turgoose as the main character, and follows his experience across the party in split-screen. On the left side, his anxiety and fear is taking over, blocking him from enjoying the night, whereas the right side shows a freer, more confident version of the character in each scene.It's a thought-provoking concept which brings the themes of the track into focus in a relatable way, anchored by brilliant performances and clever camerawork.In particular, Turgoose is great displaying two different personalities within the same environment. And after his appearance in The Kills' Wasterpiece, this is his second (and third) performance in a video recently.
Rob Ulitski - 23rd Nov 2023
Harry Tomlin directs a wholesome one-shot video for indie rock outfit Dutch Criminal Record. The video for Come Closer takes place at a summer garden party, and explores social anxiety in crowded spaces and how friendship can often be the antidote.The intimate, late-summer aesthetic is both wistful and comforting, and the theme of isolation is tackled in a subtle, engaging way. With a cast of realistic performers and a naturalistic performance setup, it's a breezy affair that will make viewers yearn for late nights hanging out with friends and family, especially as we head into the winter months.
Rob Ulitski - 25th Oct 2023
Paul Johnson directs a thought-provoking promo for Royal Blood.The video for Pull Me Through sees a middle-aged everyman sat in the driver's seat of a car, unable to move as it fills with water. A cast of characters start to surround the vehicle, looking on judgementally as the driver struggles to make any move at all, eventually sinking into the abyss. It's a video with a strong mental health subtext, and perfectly visualises the anxiety and fear that can come with everyday life. The textural, square ratio format also harks back to videos of the late 90's, and the aesthetic perfectly fits this thematic choice - the video is far from crisp, glossy HD, and this adds to the haunting quality of the video.
Rob Ulitski - 22nd Aug 2023
Jan Dybus directs an absorbing promo for up-and-coming artist Jann. Exploring the terrifying reality of having an anxiety attack, the video takes an everyday activity - in this case getting into and riding a lift - into something much more minacious and dark, reflecting the altered mindset one experiences when in the midst of an attack.The video is aesthetically rich and beautiful to look at, and the clever set design - which includes moving walls and ceiling, to physically trap the artist at the climax - is a brilliant vehicle to deliver the themes of the track. "The music and lyrics of this song hit me quickly," Dybus mentions. "I struggle with anxiety, depression, and heavy thoughts on my own."My mind is often my biggest enemy that creates unreal stories and alternate terrifying versions of reality that, despite their unreality, seem very real. Anxiety is a bitch."In this music video, I wanted to show how a person feels during a panic attack, and how strange and dangerous reality becomes for them at that time. We've transformed a regular daily activity into a nightmare."
Rob Ulitski - 27th June 2023
Brittney Canda and Monse Muro co-direct this fun, evocative promo for Canadian singer Hanorah. In the video, we see the artist try to make the most of her time, juggling work, errands and attempts at dating whilst also battling the physical manifestations of her troubles - visualised as a group of close-proximity strangers. They weigh on her, drag her down and just make the whole going about life thing a real pain... Sick and tired of feeling like the only person on earth carrying this much dead weight, Hanorah reaches a transcendent moment of freedom through music — and gets a glimpse into what the people around her are carrying around, too.This is really well executed idea by Muro and UMVA-winning choreographer and director Canda. The cinematography is colourful yet gritty, adding a real-world edge to the dreamlike concept, and the inspired movement and tangle of body parts really drills the idea home - and will have viewers thankful for their own personal space after watching.
Rob Ulitski - 9th Mar 2023
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Lewis Cater follows the enigmatic promo for Dead Don't Die with another Shinedown collaboration - this time for A Symptom Of Being Human. The video deals with the unique yet universal challenges that are part and parcel of being human, touching upon anxiety, the cost of living and the overarching search for meaning in the everyday. Visually representing the highs and lows of life, the video focuses on a young girl, who discovers a book in a grand library with completely blank pages. She soon projects her fear and anxieties onto the page, until a breakthrough moment shines a light on the brighter side of life, and the friends who help her navigate the storm.The slick, filmic aesthetic perfectly contrasts the golden light of the library with the cold, clouded gloom of her fear vignettes, and the central performance helps marry the different setups to great effect. "There’s something quite magical about filming in London in December and we quite literally captured this underneath the festive glow of Westminster," Cater explains. "We were blessed with such an amazing team who stepped straight onto this after we wrapped on the Dead Don’t Die video."
Rob Ulitski - 6th Mar 2023
Freddie Wright directs a hypnotic promo for Emir Taha. The video for Kalp Çare Arar ('Looking for a remedy') represents an out of body experience, depicting Taha's discomfort and anxiety as he tries to make sense of his disordered feelings. Switching between shots of him sat outside a building and floating in a swimming pool - apathetic and struggling to keep his balance throughout - the abstract vignettes feel very much representative of the lyrics, and allow viewers to project their own ideas and thoughts onto the concept.Like a hazy, drunken night, snapshots of a memory are present, but the whole story is locked away somewhere in the subconscious.
Rob Ulitski - 8th Feb 2022
Directing duo Brian and Karl have paired up with English folk rock trio The Staves for these lovely, troubling visuals for Steady. Shot on 16mm film, the ambiguous clip sees the three sisters in a state of anxiety and fear, looking at themselves into scenes of their own death. On their Facebook page, The Staves - who seem to enjoy a dark sense of humour - summarise the video with the phrase, "Jess face down in a swimming pool, Camilla struggling to turn off an alarm clock and Emily pretending she's in The Godfather."
Cat Velez - 30th Sept 2015
