Production Company

Riff Raff Films

They have been making great videos for decades, and arguably&nbsp;the greatest music video band of all time. No pressure then, for Rich Hall, to direct a worthy addition to the great canon of work for Depeche Mode. But he has risen to the challenge.For People Are Good, the latest single from the latest album Memento Mori, the Riff Raff Films-based director&nbsp;has faced down the weight of 40-plus years of Depeche Mode music video history, with a promo which nods to the visual style that has become their hallmark, while establishing its own heartfelt identity.Combining stylishness, brilliant film craft with a considered&nbsp;exposition of the theme of the song, Hall has created a series of intensely dramatic vignettes, shot in black and white by DoP Martin Ruhe, in a heightened cinematic, dreamlike reality.[imgtoken data:1]In each one we are confronted with a seeming act&nbsp;of wrongdoing or human frailty - expressed in the human pile-up of a riot, a woman digging a grave, a confrontation of&nbsp;macho gang bosses, and so on - each taking palce in front of a white wall. Then the true reality in each situation is gradually revealed. It's a counterpoint to Dave Gahan's somewhat ambivalent vocals for People Are Good.&nbsp;The video&nbsp;is evocative and bold, exploring the complex nature of human beings in a unique and distinctive way. And it really is a worthy addition to the pantheon - all the more impressive for the short amount of time that Rich Hall and his team had for pre-production and the shoot itself.[imgtoken data:2]“It’s equal parts an honour and daunting when making a video for Depeche Mode," says Hall. "Not only do they have music video royalty behind them, but even Riff Raff have churned out some outstanding videos themselves for the band in recent times (Personal Jesus, Wagging Tongue). Throw a world class DoP like Martin Ruhe into the mix, 8 days prep and 1 shoot day then you’ve got a real mind f***."I wanted to make an idea that changes multiple times during the video, as if unravelling with the song and our understanding of it. The song reminded me of the fragility of human relationships, how easy we forget, how easily we’re misled. So, I came up with the idea to somehow immortalize those every day, human interactions, in front of a white wall and heighten them to the extent that they feel like art (well, sort of)."It wouldn’t be possible without the unwavering support of Riff Raff, Black Kite, and the good people at Columbia US. Not to mention the amazing crew, especially the ones who were unloading dirt into a fake grave at midnight - you know who you are.”&nbsp;

United States

Rich Hall

Martin Ruhe

Manoela Chiabai

Precious Mahaga

Natalie Arnett

Louis Simonon

Chris Kelly

Leanne Flinn

Mikey Boateng

Ellie Walker

Dasha Taivas

Homespun

Ben Corfield

Black Kite Studios

Rich Fearon

Hands 

Rock

Electronic

Depeche Mode 'People Are Good' by Rich Hall

Depeche Mode - People Are Good (Official Video)

Hugh Mulhern directs a feverish hyper-pop fantasy for the return of Porter Robinson with his big new track Cheerleader,&nbsp;exploring the intense and unusual&nbsp;bond between the artist and his fans in a wonderfully off-kilter&nbsp;multi-media blockbuster.&nbsp;As with Mulhern's acclaimed videos for Hak Baker last year for Telephones 4 Eyes&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2023/06/07/hak-baker-doolally-hugh-mulhern/81887" target="_blank">Doolally</a>,&nbsp;this is&nbsp;a captivating combination of&nbsp;formats - live action, AI animation, CGI&nbsp;and stop motion - in the telling of a supercharged narrative involving Porter's engagement with excitable superfans who take many different forms, but all share the same anime-style features of Porter's 'cheerleader'.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]From the moment of Porter's apparent creation of the song in a studio environment, to appearing on a TV screen, to that becoming the basis of a karaoke session, Mulhern esablishes a constant, breahtless intperly webether the artist and his cheerleaders - particularly the one masked girl who may be Potter's ultimate puppetmaster.Or maybe its the other way around? Porter becomes a Kong-like monster who&nbsp;destroys other versions of his greatest fan - including the cute stop motion puppet - as the action accelerates ever faster as it hops through different forms of animation, losing all basis in reality.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]"I wanted to make something that looked at extreme fandom and narcissism," explains Mulhern.&nbsp;"As we fall through different layers of reality I wanted the viewer to ask 'are we in the fantasies of the fans or in Porter’s own interpretation of their fantasies?'"While it’s specific to Porter’s experience as an artist it is as much about contemporary society's relationship with extreme individualism. If everyone is having their 15 minutes of fame does that mean everyone has also become a super fan?"[imgtoken data:3]It's a masterclass in maximalism and also closely follows the subject of the song - effectively that symbiotic relationship between&nbsp;artist and fan.&nbsp;Mulhern has tapped into the hyperactive aesthetic of the subgenre, and created something that feels polished, elevated and unforgettable.[imgtoken data:4]

Elena Isolini

Veselina Georgieva

Veir

Hugh Mulhern

Alexander Trenev

Nikita Popkov

Antony Tanev

Tsvetan Kostov

Vladislav Mateev

Momchil Tasev. Aleksandar Yanev

Kosta Karakashyan

Yesol Choi

Saskia Delius

Daniel Morris

Dafydd Upsdell

The Mill

Gabha Studios

Joseph Taylor

Trim Editing

Solent Films

Anders Mills

Dance

Porter Robinson 'Cheerleader' by Hugh Mulhern

Porter Robinson - Cheerleader (Official Music Video)

Future Islands follow the launch of their new album People Who Aren't There Anymore with a marvellous music video for The Thief directed by Ivana Bobic: a celebration of the process of creating a contemporary dance piece.Filmed at Sadlers Wells in London and featuring choreographer/dancer Ted Rogers and dancers&nbsp;Akti-Magdalini Konstantinou,&nbsp;Maren Fidje Bjørneseth and&nbsp;Anna Engerström, the film investigates the painstaking and enchanting journey from first steps of developing the choreography to increasingly intense&nbsp;rehearsal to actual show.&nbsp;It is an utterly inspirational viewing experience, particularly as&nbsp;Ivana Bobic binds the visuals and the track together by completely integrating the different phases of the creative process. Editor Geri Docherty&nbsp;matchcuts from Rogers' and the other dancers' rehearsals to the actual performance and the effect is euphoric.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As she explains, Bobic's creative starting point was the&nbsp;People Who Aren't There Anymore album cover, and she was given inspirational brief notes from the band.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]"This was an amazing opportunity to make a dance dance video and lean into my love of movement and performance," she says. "The Thief is my favourite kind of pop track – the minor chord unrequited love song. It sounds epic and celebratory, but the lyrics are about loneliness and desire and that bittersweet tone is an interesting ambiguity to explore.&nbsp;"My idea was about breathing life into the album artwork – imagining it in motion and then making those characters flesh and blood.&nbsp;The band’s references were a total dream: avant-garde choreographer Martha Graham and the modernist sets of Isamu Noguchi. It really elevated the project to have such unashamedly nerdy, chic inspiration."There was also a lot of trust and understanding working with the band, management and everyone at 4AD and I’m really grateful for their support. And of course, as always, a lot of love and patience from Riff Raff. It’s the key to making exciting films.[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;<blockquote>We cast dancers who have experienced life and aren’t afraid to express it on screen.&nbsp;</blockquote>"I worked with choreographer Ted Rogers, my prolific ally and collaborator, to create very specific movements around the breath – the foundation of Graham’s work. For her everything was about contraction and release. So we based the choreography on this contrast."Balletic control and precision look so graceful but are incredibly gruelling on the body. So as the track goes on, we wanted to dismantle the perfection, pushing the dancers to extremes. We watch them unravel and free themselves. It’s as if the music changes them. We’re big believers in casting dancers who have experienced life and aren’t afraid to express it on screen.&nbsp;"I also wanted to convey the dancer’s off-screen moments: sweaty rehearsals, nerves and process. We see the transition from off-stage to performance&nbsp; – like we’re in Birdman or Cassavetes’ Opening Night.&nbsp;"A big part of visualising the album cover was the costumes. I worked with knitwear designer Céline Bouaziz (JW Anderson, Gucci) to create this moment – experimenting with fabric construction to make the loose, connected garment. It was a fun human puzzle to work out!&nbsp;[imgtoken data:3]&nbsp;"I wanted to shoot in Sadlers Wells and wouldn’t take no for an answer – it’s the home of contemporary dance in the UK and felt really significant. It made the whole film feel like a celebration of craft.&nbsp;"On this film I got to work with the amazing cinematographer Nanu Segal again – she is so intuitive with movement and narrative."It really came to life in the edit with Geri Docherty, seamlessly knitting together the on and off screen moments of performance to make something really captivating. Working with dance can be really intricate in the edit, so we put a lot of love into articulating the moves and making it shine."&nbsp;

Ted Rogers

Akti - Magdalini Konstantinou

Maren Fidje Bjørneseth

Anna Engerström

Jack O'mullane

Ivana Bobic

Ob Reprobates (us)

Ob42

Casper Mills

Edward Heredia

Nanu Segal

Nathan M. Legger

Max Burgess

Sam Johnson

Céline Bouaziz

Geri Docherty

The Quarry

Richard Fearon

4AD Records

Alternative

Future Islands 'The Thief' by Ivana Bobic

Future Islands - The Thief (Official Video)

Niall Trask directs a suitably offbeat promo for the&nbsp;returning Fat White Family - a flesh-baring, AI-enhanced cacophony of weirdness.&nbsp;The video for Bullet Of Dignity blurs&nbsp;together a number of unhinged and transgressive vignettes to create an uncanny fever dream. It's very Fat White Family...&nbsp;Boasting deliberately rudimentary greenscreen work - echoing low-budget videos of the Noughties -&nbsp;and some wonderfully bizarre character performances, it's best not to try and describe the video in any kind of straightforward way.Instead, feast your eyes on the brilliant meeting of several eccentric minds. And whatever you do, don't try to touch the strange breathing meat selection...&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

United Kingdom

James Middleton

Jack Barraclough

Jai Durban

Niall Trask

Dan Matthews

Ob Management (uk)

John Moule

Deimante Sprainaityte

Adric Watson

James Matthews-read

Jon England

Jordan Copeland

Tentacle Post

Dan Levy

Rascal Post

Mat Kennedy

Dylan Copeland

Domino Record Co.

Fat White Family 'Bullet Of Dignity' by Niall Trask

Fat White Family - Bullet Of Dignity (Official Video)

Riff Raff Films has announced the arrival of&nbsp;Precious Mahaga to the company as Global Head of Music Video and Longform.An award-winning music video and short film producer - she won Best Producer at the UK Music Video Awards in 2021 - , Mahaga has produced music videos for Jorja Smith, Michael Kiwanuka, Kano, Arlo Parks and many more important artists. She&nbsp;has also worked with a range of directors, including Zhang &amp; Knight, Otis Dominique, CC Wade, Marc Klasfeld and Oscar winner&nbsp;Aneil Karia.Her videos have accrued multiple nominations and have been recognised at several awards, including the 1.4 Awards, Kinsale Sharks, The Brit Awards and MTV EMAs. She is also&nbsp;representing Riff Raff on the jury of the British Arrows 2024.Matthew Fone,&nbsp;Riff Raff's owner, says: “Precious has the fundamental qualities Riff Raff prides itself on: production and craft expertise, shown by her being named Best Producer at the 2021 UKMVAs. Along with the remit of music videos, Precious has come on board to help myself, Natalie Arnett and the team on longform projects, to build on the success of our debut documentary Our Most Brilliant Friends. I’m delighted to welcome Precious to the Riff Raff family.”• Riff Raff Films contact <a href="https://www.riffrafffilms.tv/contact-us" target="_blank">here</a>

Precious Mahaga joins Riff Raff Films as Global Head of Music Video & Longform

Declan McKenna sleepwalks his way to rockstar status, in Finn Keenan's promo for Nothing Works.&nbsp;Opening in an upscale nightclub, we see McKenna encouraging full-blown dance sequences and melting the hearts of everyone in the venue.This is quickly revealed to just be a dream, and the artist sleepwalks down to the local pub to put on a much more modest, unconscious show.&nbsp;But with some VFX flair and gravity-defying tricks, is there more to the concept than meets the eye?&nbsp;Showcasing Declan McKenna's cheeky&nbsp;charisma with an ambitious sense of fun, it&nbsp;is a fine&nbsp;introduction to the artist's new album.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lucinda Graham

Finn Keenan

Olwyn Fagan

Michael Lewin

Padraig Conaty

Simon Chaudoir

Kate Brady

Craig Kenny

James Murray O'brien

David Kiarie

Ben Harte

Sharon Mcardle

Thiago Herrera

Maruf Khan

Sophie Mcdonald

Columbia Records

The Sixsem Production Company

John McKeown

Ricky Weissman

Indie Rock

Declan McKenna 'Nothing Works' by Finn Keenan

DECLAN MCKENNA - NOTHING WORKS

Francois Rousselet reunites with The Rolling Stones, for Angry - their first new music in 17 years - to bring the billboards of Sunset Boulevard brilliantly to life with decades of Stones' iconography.Sidney Sweeney plays the 'rock chick' who is having the time of her life, cruising the strip in a vintage Mercedes SL, past those iconic billboards.&nbsp;But the main business of the video, the real star of the show,&nbsp;are the billboards themselves - beautifully designed, crafted and wonderfully executed with outstandingly creative VFX work by the team at Black Kite Studios in London. The most iconic moments of the career of the Stones - six decades of material - come to life in a video for what turns out to be a properly good new Stones track.[imgtoken data:1]Although the eye-catching billboards have almost all disappeared today - they started as hand-painted boards in the early days of Hollywood and then became part of the burgeoning rock billboard scene in the 1960s&nbsp;- the locations have not changed.Rousselet designed the Stones' billboards himself - all 109 of them. Then Black Kite's VFX Supervisor George Brunt, on-set VFX Supervisor Jonny&nbsp;Freeman and senior&nbsp;colourist&nbsp;Richard Fearon&nbsp;were tasked with putting them back on Sunset Boulevard, so they appear from the point of view of the car in which Sidney Sweeney is travelling.[imgtoken data:2]“We took iconic archive footage of the band and used traditional comping and 2D and 3D roto methods to work the moving footage into each poster," says George Brunt, explaining&nbsp;the brief that they were given by Rousselet - who has worked with the Stones before, on the 2016 video for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2016/12/02/rolling-stones-ride-%E2%80%98em-down-francois-rousselet/45023" target="_blank">Ride Em On Down</a>, starring Kristin Stewart.As well as the archive footage,&nbsp;there was also new live footage to reflect every stage of the band, with the lyrics of Angry as part of the composition of each billboard. Brunt says that a variety of tools were employed in order for the Stones' performance of Angry to come to life with the vintage footage.[imgtoken data:3]“The lyrics of the track were matched to the footage using a combination of&nbsp;lip-syncing and AI," he says. "We used 3D&nbsp;lighting to match the plates and replicate the quality and sheen of a classic billboard.&nbsp;The end result had to look slick, and working with different resolution types is challenging.&nbsp;The devil really is in the detail with this type of work but slick it looks and we love it.”Jonny Freeman was on set for Black Kite, the one day shoot took place on Sunset Boulevard with a camera on the hero car, the team in a truck behind and LA police escorts in front and behind the action to keep the famous street clear.&nbsp;The camera was placed from the point of view of Sydney Sweeney to recreate the sensation of moving among the flow of the billboards on the Strip with the rock icons appearing larger than life the whole way.[imgtoken data:4]"It was essential to get the lighting just right for the VFX team back at the studio," says Freeman. "I went on a tech scout the week before and shot lighting reference images to make sure we had additional light passes to help bed in compositions in the final film."Black Kite’s Rich Fearon, a long time collaborator of Rousselet, was in charge of the grade. The promo was shot on 35mm film, with Christopher Ripley as DOP, and this really enhanced the edgy LA look.&nbsp;“This grade was all about bringing out the brilliant LA light with a lot of contrast in the rich colour, whilst keeping the gritty texture of the film," says Fearon. “It’s always a pleasure to work with Francois and this time was almost an extension of the last Stones’ promo we worked on together, for&nbsp;Ride ‘Em on Down."I almost instinctively knew what he wanted and this was apparent when he saw the first pass and loved it!”

Harriet Cawley

Molly Dickson

Francois Rousselet

Jane Tredget

Josh Sondock

Semera Khan

Christopher Ripley

Matthew Fone

Brooke Eliot

Josh Montes

Matt Planer

Glen Coco

Patrick Ta

Dominic Leung

Marsheen

Abi Klimaszewska

Hannah Ruddleston

Jonny Freeman

George Brunt

Sydney Sweeney

Polydor

Kirstin Cruickshank

The Rolling Stones 'Angry' by Francois Rousselet

The Rolling Stones - Angry (Official Video)

Tanu Muiño takes us on a surreal trip behind-the-scenes of a vaudevillian travelling circus, in this whimsical promo for Harry Styles.&nbsp;The video acts as a final farewell to the Harry's House album campaign, which has brought with&nbsp;it a string of hits and videos - including the massive hit and multi-awardwinning Muino-directed video&nbsp;for <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2022/04/14/harry-styles-it-was-tanu-muino/75920">As It Was</a>&nbsp;- although it was actually shot a year ago.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;&nbsp;The theatrical, larger-than-life energy seen on Styles's&nbsp;international tour is on full display here, as he takes on the role of showman, interacting with different performers in a cheeky, happy-go-lucky way. There's also plenty of wirework magic to admire, with soaring flying shots and&nbsp;tightrope stunts, all in a day's work for this performer.&nbsp;A wonderful way to close one of the most notable artist releases in recent memory, and a welcome return to Muiño and Styles's collaborative relationship to close the loop.[imgtoken data:2]&nbsp;

Spencer Graves

Tanu Muino

Maurizio Von Trapp

UnderWonder Content

Elliot Beach

Nikita Kuzmenko

Frank Borin

Jai Lusser

Tom North

Sam Rawlings

Holly Blakey

Spencer Horne

Oskar Pera

Georgia Hope

Carlos Font Clos

Joseph Bicknell

Tiltvfx

Ivanna Borin

Company 3

Bryan Younce

Alexa Haywood at Free Agent UK

Nicole O'Connell at Hart Represents

Harry Styles 'Daylight' by Tanu Muiño

Harry-Styles-'Daylight'-by-Tanu-Muiño

US director Omar Jones makes his UK music video directing debut with&nbsp;an inspired&nbsp;promo for Stormzy featuring&nbsp;Raye.&nbsp;Bringing together two artists at the very top of their game, the video blends nostalgic R&amp;B concepts with killer performances and set pieces.&nbsp;A focus on inventive camerawork and subtle edit effects gives the video plenty of flair, whilst snapshots of a narrative help give some context to the imagery.&nbsp;A perfect summertime collab with plenty of visual appeal.

Anti

Paleta Calmquality

Natalie Roar

Omar Jones

Ghandi El-Chamaa

Nicola Sheppard

Joe Sherno

Tomáš Kotas

Laura Clayton

Matthew Clyde

Ayo Alli

Steve Wingrove

Sebastian Joly

Ali Baines

Ernie Griffith

Sheree Jourdan

Gina Blondell

Nick Denisov

Jacob Mckee

Forager

Artist Building

Universal Music Group

Def Jam Recordings

Stormzy & Raye 'The Weekend' by Omar Jones

STORMZY & RAYE - THE WEEKEND

David Wilson directs a stunning 'monster film' for MASSTOR's&nbsp;Self Control, a cover&nbsp;of&nbsp;Raf’s 1984 hit.&nbsp;After spending his free time experimenting with Midjourney&nbsp;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&nbsp;tour de force amalgam&nbsp;of performance, character design and queer muscle aesthetic.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:1]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&nbsp;queer filmmaking community.&nbsp;From costume design through to art direction and cinematography, it's a polished visual that retains a certain dancefloor grit and sex appeal,&nbsp;and there's one thing that can be almost guaranteed - you won't see another music video like it today![imgtoken data:2]

Riff Raff Films

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