I was thrilled to work with Glassnote Records & Crunchy Tomatoes to direct five music videos for Edie Bens' debut EP, 'Playing Pretend.'
I worked with Edie & the label to develop the the videos from Edie's initial concepts, and to create a consistent visual style that would carry through all five videos and match her identity as a performer. We wanted to keep things simple and personal, with the focus firmly on the artist.
We shot over the course of two weekends near Edie's home town of Swansea, with the sun-soaked Welsh coast providing a gorgeous backdrop for 'Head over Heels', a simple one-take ankle-deep in the sea.
It was great fun to create variety between the five videos, while also making them feel connected and of a single piece. In 'Therapist', we're in the passenger seat with Edie for a joyride through the Welsh countryside; 'Had You Never Gone Away' is filmed as a series of slowly zooming vignettes. 'Cashmere Sweaters' is more impressionistic, with a nearly-overflowing bath and a guitar shattering in the headlights of a car.
The final song, 'Don't Love You Anymore', is the most complex, as we follow Edie baking a cake and throwing a party in order to break up with her boyfriend.
I directed and camera operated, and also edited & colour corrected the final products. The team at Crunchy Tomatoes and Glassnote Records were a joy to work with - it was a very creative and collaborative process.
As in-house videographer for the University of Reading I have shot & directed a wide range of video content for the marketing department.
Live where the life is was conceived as a promotional film for the on-campus accommodation option, but we also took it as an opportunity to extoll the virtues of University life in general, particularly after the return to work/in person teaching after COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted.
I was very pleased to be recognised with the 'Best In-House Online Production' award at the national ACPME awards in 2021.
Selected other projects for the University of Reading:
SHORT FILMS
I have directed two short films and been involved in the production of several others, typically as cinematographer.