Andrew Thomas Huang directs a striking promo for Brooklyn-based singer and DJ Yaeji, in collaboration with Microsoft. Filmed in Korea, the promo for Pondeggi is inspired by traditional hand games and beondegi, the Korean street food made from silkworm pupae. The video follows Yaeji as she transforms into a silkworm, engaging in a dreamlike journey to preserve the cycle of metamorphosis, while facing off against a 'techno-witch' played by the legendary Uhm Jung-hwa.Huang makes distinctive use of AI to realise a vision which in some respects shares the sense of the incredible that was a characteristic of his use of VFX when he first broke through as a visual artist. And this was created in partnership with Yaeji and Microsoft as part of the Artifacts: New Experiments in Art & AI initiative - one of three commissioned projects. This groundbreaking project explores cultural memory and transformation through AI-driven innovation, showcasing how AI can expand creative possibilities while preserving human artistry. Huang and Yaeji integrated AI tools—including Microsoft Copilot and open-source AI technologies—to enhance the storytelling, introducing unexpected and surreal visual elements. “The benefits I found from the technology were all in the form of happy accidents—results that were dreamlike that I didn't even know were possible,” says Yaeji.Andrew Thomas Huang adds: “Microsoft’s tools were great conduits for preserving the integrity of the original performance while translating it into this fantasy world, taking inspiration from nature and silkworms.”The result is a hallucinatory visual making great use of the technology and resources at the creative team's disposal. Huang and Yaeji discuss their collaborative process here.

Martyn Thomas draws the emotion from stripped-back 80s TV style performance by Holly Walker via lo-fi analogue visual effects. The video for Unsung features a wistful performance from the artist, captured through crafted, drawn-out shots. Thomas then adds distortion, glitches and colour saturation to the footage, a new take on vintage TV in-camera FX. "Throughout the whole creative process I was able to work really closely with Holly," says Thomas. "Having that collaboration with the artist, exploring ideas and ultimately defining the visual story we wanted to tell is essential to me."We established early on that we wanted to continue the lo-fi analog aesthetic we developed in our last project together. For Unsung I wanted to use video distortion to suggest the blurred, hazy nature of memory and nostalgia."We went deep on video refs from the 1970s and '80s. Madonna's Live To Tell intro inspired the opening shot; Blondie's (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear, played a part in styling; the performance tone was The Carpenters' Superstar; even a scene from Dirty Dancing."Post production got really experimental, coaxing this idea of diffused memory into an almost physical form was a lot of fun. Manipulating the images in real time with circuit bent hardware like a Tachyons+ Vortex or a random kit from the internet, dubbing to VHS and filming an old CRT TV."There is a lack of control with analog glitching, so a lot of happy mistakes occurred - and now I have all this weird equipment in my studio."

David Wilson directs a stunning 'monster film' for MASSTOR's Self Control, a cover of Raf’s 1984 hit. After spending his free time experimenting with Midjourney in September of 2022 - and creating @RetroFuturistDaddies, a gorgeously curated feed of AI-generated moustachioed men as a result of it - David Wilson caught the eye of LA-based artist MASSTOR, who enlisted his help in creating this tour de force amalgam of performance, character design and queer muscle aesthetic. Blending high-fashion nostalgia, retrofuturistic imagery and moments of pure fantasy, we see the artist hanging out in a bar, surrounded by muscle men and fellow plush creatures, having a whale of a time.It's camp, eclectic and completely engrossing, and explores areas of queer iconography that spoke directly to Wilson’s passions, having carved his name as an ever-growing presence in the queer filmmaking community. From costume design through to art direction and cinematography, it's a polished visual that retains a certain dancefloor grit and sex appeal, and there's one thing that can be almost guaranteed - you won't see another music video like it today!