Jay Z Ft. Swizz Beatz - On To The Next One
11.01.10
Welcome to the most talked about video of the month - SAM BROWN'S visually mesmerising masterpiece for heavyweight Jay-Z's latest Blueprint 3 release. 'On To The Next One', is officially the first video of the new decade, and moreover, Sam's first foray into the world of hip-hop. Not only has Mr Brown flipped the whole genre on its head, but he's caused such a visual, symbolic, and religious stir both here and abroad. Ratings had officially broken the 1million views barrier and 16,000 comment posts within three single days, and still counting. Shot in Los Angeles and produced by none other than our partners in crime LA-based DNA, the video remains the talking point of the town whilst proving to be an historic, creative, and exceptional achievement on all fronts. On to the next one!
08.12.09
NICK FREW takes his first step into the glossy world of pop hitting the ground running with his video for the Girls Can't Catch. The video sees the girls performing their second single 'Echo' on a remote cliff in front of a mezmerizing and beautiful LED wall. 'I spent the weeks preceding the shoot animating sequences in After Effects and it was very satisfying to turn up on the day and watch a perfectly synched progression of visuals playing on that massive LED wall. We only needed to point a camera at it and a video began to materialise.' The post was a Flynn family affair with fellow director Matt Nee cutting the job and Sam Brady providing the CGI environments. After grading, Nick went to work in his own makeshift post house. 'I barely left the house for weeks.'
16.11.09
Thrusting hips, pouting lips, belly rings and biceps... and this is just the beginning. Good Shoes' latest track introduces the bold directing collective that is TASH in their music promo debut at Flynn - working afresh without any connections to previous incarnations.
The very first idea for the video kind of came from the track's lyric, 'and her muscles tense...? 'Its pretty simple but we?d been thinking about using a lyric out of context for a while. The song itself is pretty much about sex and after initially leaving that theme behind, it crept back into video in a more unexpected way.' (TASH)
Born out of an edit made with existing footage, which TASH and Good Shoes loved alike, the film totally sticks with this in terms of look and feel. This was an exercise in itself as with such a good track the temptation to go over board on our first video was immense - each of us had so many ideas but we just had to go with what felt right - one tiny edit to a precise movement now called the 'chicken wing thing' (TASH)
After unsuccessful castings, the boys met the girls at a competition, on their own turf, embracing their world (and making TASH look more legit.) The girls were fantastic and had a lot of fun enjoying playing up to the cameras it was a fun day and all for a thousand pounds!?
Johann who writes for Electroni[k] aptly said 'Your video is the perfect child between the Tiga's "Shoes" and Deichkind's "LuftBahn".
28.10.09
In ALEX HEMMING'S latest TV campaign, 1980's pop soul funksters Spandau Ballet are back. Both music video and TV commercial ooze sophistication - this is classic Hemming, finely tuned and very atmospheric with beautifully inspired compositions and exquisite close ups. Alex has created the perfect platform for the band's highly anticipated comeback launch, after ten years away from the limelight. Spandau's tour de force is evidently indestructible. We'll always believe they are Gold.
26.10.09
In PEW36'S latest promo for The Blizzards' new track is a world first - a soundtrack to a book. It was released as part of the launch for author Eoin Colfer's sequel to Douglas Adams' classic Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy series. PEW's most light hearted animation to date sees two peculiar characters embark on an hallucinogenic pizza induced odyssey. It's a big dipper magical sofa ride through a parallel universe complete with bizarre creepy crawly televisions, robotic miniature mice commandeering spaceships, elaborate pacman style labyrinths, a ride past an oversized whale's endoskeleton and much much more.
19.10.09
Director MATT NEE takes us to a laser forest of techno-colour cool, in his latest video for Tiesto. Visually captivating and devastatingly slick, the video features Tiesto himself along side a smouldering, completely disarming performance from hypnotic beauty CC Sheffield of Le Rev. Escape her? We'd like to see you try.
12.10.09
In MICHAEL BALDWIN'S latest video, for Dave Matthews Band, we see the band in the ultimate play-along, as a huge studio space full of empty chairs soon fills up with a multitude of musicians and their various instruments. A refreshingly humble and simple concept that perfectly captures both the spirit and sentiment of the song, it's stunningly impressive. Baldwin has done it again.
07.10.09
SAM BROWN brings a jumbo jet of a promo in to land for the Foo Fighters' latest "Wheels". Shifting gears from his previous video for the band: "The Pretender"; this time round it's an altogether more relaxed affair. A beautifully shot, mood drenched video with sumptuous staging: a vast studio space echoing a huge graveyard for film scenery, stuffed to the brim with countless lights and a tremendous amount of striking art-directed details; all add up to perfectly support the rousing, driving quality of the track. With stylistic touches and optical in-camera trickery abound, Sam effortlessly creates something both epic and intimate.
05.10.09
JOE WHITE smashes the place up with his video for post-punk men of the minute, The Chapman Family. It features a vividly shot performance that clatters the viewer, perfectly matching the song's musical biltzkrieg. The video is fast and furious and has even provoked censorship on the way to broadcast. We at Flynn wouldn't dream of such a thing and bring you the full, uncut video for your viewing pleasure.
22.09.09
PEW36 deliver their second video for British country blues band Hey Negrita! making a sequel to their zombies at sea epic for "One Mississippi".
"Nine to Five" picks up with the characters in the midst of a sticky situation and when the zombie plague infects the group, things certainly don't get any better.
Another trademark gruesomely humorous foray into the darker side of things for the boys at Pew, they delve into their bag of tricks for a horrifying, inventive and altogether amusing video that allows them the space for all the things that they do best.
14.09.09
ORLANDO CUBITT takes us to a world of energetic underground nightclub neon with his video for up and coming electro-poppers Soft Toy Emergency. The video showcases Jen's trademark feistiness and the band's focussed energy.
08.09.09
PEW36 is on the up and they've just found a new home at Flynn. The collective cut their teeth in the film visual FX industry working on everything from low budget horrors to high end blockbusters. Intelligent, imaginative and witty, PEW36's short films have both won awards and been banned from the BBC. They are delightful and yet brilliantly evocative. In terms of style, they are unique and diverse, always loaded with character, and their attention to detail is beyond exceptional.
20.08.09
Peppy and dynamic, MATT NEE'S work exudes a natural spontaneity. In this graphic, bold and exciting performance led video, the band smash it up in front of a partied out, mismatched motley crew of Skins style twenty-somethings. A huge projection screen plays as a backdrop, sporadically showing a feverish montage of colourful memories from the night before. Full of energy and building in intensity and speed, the video is an effortlessly cool and candid insight: the calm before and the storm itself.
20.08.09
MICHAEL BALDWIN gets into the summer spirit with his latest video for Natalie Imbruglia's new anthem: "Wild About It". Waking up on the morning after the night before, Natalie (resplendent in a pink tutu) leads us through the bodies and balloons of a post-house party wreckage. Before long the partygoers are stirred from their slumber and discover that the best way to shake off any potential hangover is with a good old song and dance. The jaunty routine (complete with household objects joining in on the sing along) shows there's more than a little life left in the party yet...
The vibrant cinematography and lively performances make for a memorably fresh and fun video but a word of warning: expect the track to be stuck in your head for quite some time.
24.07.09
DAN SULLY depicts a young couple entangled in the antagonism of naive love. In a strange and dream-like world in the middle of the night. Bionic sensuality meets underground beauty. The surreal blends with the ordinary in this poetic short film video.
18.06.09
MICHAEL BALDWIN keeps up the pace with his second video of the year for Polydor's golden boy singer/songwriter Gary Go. The third single from his eponymous debut album - "Engines" - takes us backstage on the evening of one of his big shows. Gary ultimately makes his way onto stage, primed to put on a spectacular show, but not before we get let in on the secret to what really makes Gary go. He is more than a man, he's a music-making machine! Assembled before our eyes, with a little help from the model-making team at Coogan Baker, an off-shoot of the infamous Jim Henson's Creature Workshop and responsible for model work on Chris Cunningham's seminal Bjork video and a host of Hollywood blockbusters. With stunning cinematography, jaw-dropping in-camera effects and a smattering of trademark Baldwin touches, this is a video that you'll be seeing a lot of in the months to come.
27.05.09
MICHAEL BALDWIN shifts into sensuous sci-fi gear with the video for Wall of Sound signed Norwegian electro duo, Royksopp, and their latest single: 'The Girl and the Robot'. Featuring Swedish pop queen Robyn, the video tells a love story with a twist; star-crossed lovers suffering slightly greater challenges than the average couple. The glossy, eerie style of the video perfectly suits the pulsing electronics and poignant vocals of the track. The combination of these elements creates a haunting and memorable futurist opera, all packed into just a few minutes.
19.05.09
NICK FREW shows us a shelf-stacker's lovesick fever dream with his video for Just Jack's 'Doctor Doctor'. It's a whirlwind ride as Jack narrates the tale of Trixi and her reign of the supermarket, accompanied by potent visuals, eye-popping graphics and a disembodied head thrown in for good measure. With more than a smattering of sexiness and some darkly comic touches, Nick paints a vivid picture of a man left to fend for himself in the seventh circle of discount hell.
10.05.09
PAUL GORE reunites once again with Mercury signed artists The Noisettes for the second single, 'Never Forget You', off their latest chart-storming album. Widely known for stylish pop hooks, this new track offers a flipside soulful, long-lost sixties sound that's been given a jolt of glamour to powerful effect through Paul's trademark photographic flourishes and poignant visual style. The video features a performance from the ever graceful Shingai and the band at Alexandra Palace complete with accompaniment from classic motownesque back-up singers and string quartet. The cumulative effect is a video that's fun, effortless in style and as classy and classic as the Porsche Sportster it playfully features early on.
24.04.09
DAN SULLY delivers a performance video packing a mystical punch for The Maccabees' latest: 'Love You Better'. Amidst hyper-slow motion, manipulation of light that Pink Floyd would be proud of and ghostly faces interspersed with bursts of colour; the band belt out the tune to a spellbinding effect. Dan opens his magic box of moving picture tricks to show us a visual representation of the song: ethereal, bittersweet and dynamic. One that lingers in the mind and like those loves that matter, may prove difficult to forget.
20.04.09
Watch out folks there's a new kid on the Flynn block! Mo is one of the most prolific and visually exciting directors to come out of the British urban music scene, creating genre defining aesthetics for a who's who of British urban talent. His future with Flynn looks bright and he's already getting loads of interest from all the right people, and that's no bad thing. What can we expect from Mo? Having mastered his own signature style of slickness and beauty, he's now looking to open up his repertoire and introduce a more varied list of artists to his stockpile. His most recent work includes videos for Wiley, Chipmunk, Tinchy Stryder, Skepta and Boy Better Know. Keep your eyes peeled for what's to come - if it ain't Mo, it ain't moving..
14.04.09
Pop Club follow in the footsteps of heroes, carrying the hopes of the nation by delivering a masterstroke of beauty for Geffen signed singer actress Jade Ewen, and mastermind composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. The double part videos for 'My Time' feature the songstress and the virtuoso composer in decadent locations from grand houses and glamourous ballrooms to the stage and interiors of a French Renaisance inspired theatre. The British Selection ballad, penned by Webber with US Grammy-winning lyricist Diane Warren, will be performed by Jade at this year's 2009 Eurovision final in May. Britain's secret weapon Popclub. None other.
31.03.09
Michael Baldwin skillfully demonstrates the true meaning of beyond endurance by putting Atlantic signed artists The Days through their paces. For his latest faux documentary video, Michael creates a tough test of the body, and the mind, capturing what could only be described in theory as a band's worst nightmare; five days and nights of non-stop practice in a vast gymnasium under the watchful eye of their charismatic bulldog-faced coach. The marathon performance progresses into a fun and inventive piece that introduces a scope of characters from roadies, to groupies and beyond. The trials and tribulations that ensue send the band into mixed feelings of joy, frustration, excitement, exhaustion and pride, ultimately culminating in a true triumph of a video. Welcome to the Baldwin school for champions.
12.02.09
Directorial duo Karni & Saul have just completed their latest music video for Irish American Celtic punk band, Flogging Molly. The clip for the band's latest single 'Float' was created using Karni & Saul's trademark mix of stop-frame, 3D animation and live action. The video follows a tired and frail stick-like character with unusual walrus-like features, as he takes us on an epic journey collecting and adding to his body discarded, everyday objects, transforming his frame into an elaborate moving montage of objects.
12.01.09
Michael Baldwin kicks off the new year unveiling to the world this latest abstractly cinematic video for newly signed Polydor artist Gary Go. The bold and free-spirited masterpiece, reminiscent of classic Italian modernist films, whisks the viewer on a surreal and emotional journey that takes places in Gary's fragmented dream. These ambitious and beautifully photographed sequences are interspersed with a unique studio performance brimming with style, substance and a handful of intricate in-camera trickery. Sheer vision and production value at its best