Laurence Hills directs a stylish promo in a classic fashion for London-based art-rock outfit DEADLETTER.Hills' monochromatic video for the band's Mere Mortal leans on references of Seventies street photography, and the trademark hard contrast and smoke-filled streets of film noir, in a series of well-crafted vignettes in different London locations, where the band, and particularly frontman Zac Lawrence, offer sharp-suited charisma.Beautifully shot by DoP Sam Finney and designed by Molly Hackney, explores the sense of community and togetherness in the wake of tragedy, the concept celebrates people brought together by the loss of a loved one, grieving and grooving simultaneously.Evocative and nostalgic, the video has a great energy, feeling gritty and raw yet also somehow dreamlike. And this was achieved under the strain of a very tight schedule: shot just one week before its release, producer Masha Thorpe coordinated the entire post process in just four days.It ends with the sixpiece band's image frozen as a picture on a wall, next to a portrait of the late Steve Mackey - Pulp bandmember and director, whose elegant sense of style could have been an inspiration for Hills's video. A poignant ending to an impressive piece of work.

Charlie Sarsfield directs an intense, mostly black & white promo for rapper Jordy's collab with JME.Split between the artists' performances, the powerful video for Wonderkid uses old CRT TV screens and backdrops to add visual intrigue, transcending the studio environment to create something artful and fresh - featuring a cameo from Jordy's younger brother.It's a well structured visual for two powerhouse artists, imbued with Sarfield's confident direction and visual style, and nicely shot by DoP Courtney Bennett. It benefits from restraint, in getting the most from a few strong set-ups. “The visual is all about perspective," Sarsfield explains. "I wanted to create a visually intriguing backdrop to stage the performance of Jordy and JME, causing the viewer to question what was and wasn’t really there."We tried out some experimental techniques on set to create the subtle illusions you see, and both artists were a joy to work with throughout. Very glad to be a part of this one.”

Shan Phearon exercises his love of the medium, doffing a fanboy cap along the way, with his super-slick monochrome affair for Jordy, featuring Louis Rei - paying homage to that indispensible part of hip hop vids in the MTV age: the 'Video Vixens'. The video for Too Much is a deconstructed, minimalist concept, paying homage to 2000's-era B&W aesthetics - with nods to videos for Puff Daddy, Q-Tip, Nas and Mariah - in a thoughtful manner. It will have viewers of a certain age nostalgic for the videos from their youth - but there's also a contemporary spin. Shot by DoP Courtney Bennett, it boasts a nostalgic, monochromatic style and plenty of visual energy, and comes as a healthy palate cleanse after the intensity of Phearon's recent work for U2 and Jazmin Bean. And also gives the Video Vixens - the girls who featured regularly in those classic promos - some overdue kudos and respect."Soulful activity this one, with Day 1 film friends," says Phearon of the experience working with Bennett and others on making the video. "[We were] Re-exploring cultural ideas we grew up on, through the shifting lenses of our later years.He adds that for the video he cast girls that often appear in the videos of the grassroots British rap scene today, and immortalised them on pristine 35mm. Shan: "I guess it's not a music video with just Video Vixens in them. It's a music video about them. An open-minded honouring of an influential sect."

Tom Ringsby directs a striking monochromatic promo for pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.With sweeping camera movement, a stripped-back colour palette and a focus on pure performance, the video for Children's Corner is a stunning two and a half minutes, made under extreme time pressures - as explained by Tom Ringsby below:"[The video was] put together in five days following an email chain with the subject line 'urgent music video request'," he explains. "[We] only had 90 minutes with classical pianist superstar Isata, so focused everything into capturing a few key angles, subtly bringing the themes of time and memory to life by setting her Steinway Grand between the camera and key light as they revolve around her."Job done. It's a beautiful piece of work that doesn't hint at the time constraints in any way, and showcases Kanneh-Mason's immense gift with style and grace.