18th May 2022
Poetry in motion
Title of film: Pure Leaf, The No Grants
Director: Dawit N.M.
Production Company: Eleanor Films
Director: Dawit N.M.
Production Company: Eleanor Films
Dawit N.M’s earlier photographic work focused on countering the mainstream narrative of Ethiopians in America - mainly portrayed through the lens of the western eye. Recently-signed to Eleanor Films in the States, we catch up with the new director about transitioning his stills artwork to music videos and commercials
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17th May 2022
Animal instinct
Title of film: Jazmin Bean, Puppy Pound
Director: Shan Phearon
Production Company: Greatcoat
Director: Shan Phearon
Production Company: Greatcoat
Greatcoat director Shan Phearon wows us with a stylised sensory overload in Puppy Pound from London-based artist Jazmin Bean. 1.4 catches up with the filmmaker about working with animals, chaos theory and constructing the world’s first UV Blacklight drone.
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11th May 2022
The art of rabbit holing
Title of film: A Brief History of Slime
Director: Oliver Payne
Director: Oliver Payne
Director and all-round visual stimulator Oliver Payne’s latest short film, A Brief History of Slime, is a riveting deep dive into the historical evolution of Slime - a multi-grillon money making bi-product of plastic waste. The film then leads us via circuitous detours to the extraordinary deals made between Pepsi Cola and the then USSR - all told in Oliver's distinctive doc-style under the guise of a Pepsi educational film. We also look at the artist-filmmaker’s work for brands such as the streetwear label Cav Empt where he is simply handed the collection to interpret in his own singular and completely free way.
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10th May 2022
Six of the best creative commercials
How we love advertising when it's as good as this...
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3rd May 2022
In conversation: Aube Perrie
Paris-based filmmaker Aube Perrie stormed onto our screens last year with his screamingly good music videos for Megan Thee Stallion, MK and L’Imperatrice. Paris-based filmmaker Aube Perrie stormed onto our screens last year with his screamingly good music videos for Megan Thee Stallion, MK and L’Imperatrice. We talked with the director, who is co-repped by Pulse Films (UK/US) and Wanda (Europe), just before the release of his latest film for Angèle, a story about empowerment, swirling penises and travelling to the moon through MYND.
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26th April 2022
Ghost in the Machine Learning
Title of film: Max Cooper, Exotic Contents
Director: Xander Steenbrugge
Production Company: Mesh Films
Director: Xander Steenbrugge
Production Company: Mesh Films
Tapping machine learning specialist Xander Steenbrugge for his latest music video, electronic producer Max Cooper has delivered a mesmerizing AI generated promo for his track Exotic Contents. Expanding on the ‘Unspoken Words’ theme of Cooper’s latest album, Steenbrugge turned to the work of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein to explore the concept of visually depicting the inexpressible. Building on his experimental music project WZARD.AI, Steenbrugge used generative machine learning to… Well, it’s complicated. So, here’s an intro to creating music-driven art using artificial intelligence.
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21st April 2022
High Jinks
Title of film: NIKE JUKU Ft. [Woo! Go!] by Atarashii Gakkou
Director: Mackenzie Sheppard
Production Company: Agency: Wieden Kennedy Tokyo. Production: AOI Pro
Director: Mackenzie Sheppard
Production Company: Agency: Wieden Kennedy Tokyo. Production: AOI Pro
Nike Juku brings together what director Mackenzie Sheppard is really good at - surreal stories with a good mix of crazy in-camera effects and live action. He lets fly this time with a W+K specially written track, Woo Go, for Japanese girl group Atarashii Gakkou
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19th April 2022
Teen Spirit
Title of film: YOUNG
Director: Kristian Håskjold
Production Company: Super16 / Zentropa
Director: Kristian Håskjold
Production Company: Super16 / Zentropa
It comes as no surprise that Super16 directing graduate Kristian Håskjold has picked up yet another Vimeo Staff Pick for his graduation film YOUNG, after gaining recognition internationally for his remarkable depictions of the realities and cruelties of adolescence in his work. 1.4 caught up with Kristian about the joys of creative collaboration, infusing his work with his own experiences, and the lessons he’s learnt so far in his career.
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11th April 2022
Six of the best creative music videos
Raise funds, raise voices and raise spirits
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7th April 2022
Soul surfing in Senegal
Title of film: Mami Wata, Luck Is Alive
Director: Paul Ward
Production Company: Giant Films & Stink
Director: Paul Ward
Production Company: Giant Films & Stink
Paul Ward’s short film for Mami Wata beautifully reflects the surf brand’s ethos of using African artists inspired by local culture. It also captures the essence of the name Mami Wata, Water Spirit. We talk with the South-African, Berlin-based director about shooting the curl in Senegal
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31st March 2022
Six of the best creative music videos
Prepare yourself to rollercoast an emotional ride from hard-hitting brutality to soft love and longing
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25th March 2022
Like Nobody’s Watching
Title of film: Stromae, Santé
Director: Jara Moravec
Production Company: Hamlet
Director: Jara Moravec
Production Company: Hamlet
Prague-born director and photographer Jara Moravec has been recognised for his quirky style and surrealist tendencies, earning him 1.4 Award nominations and Vimeo Staff Picks for his work. We caught up with Jara about his new comic-book inspired commercial, his video Santé for Belgian artist Stromae, and the experience of filming the music video in Ukraine last year.
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23rd March 2022
Flawless study of flaws
Title of film: Chase & Status ft. BackRoad Gee, When it Rains
Director: Hector Dockrill
Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: Hector Dockrill
Production Company: Pulse Films
Viewing Hector Dockrill’s films takes you from laugh out loud amusement to heart-lurching darkness. His characters drive his stories, crafting multi layers of visceral intrigue whether it’s music videos or documentaries. We talk with the Pulse director about his approach to writing, directing and experimenting and creating a collaborative environment where no idea is a dumb idea
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17th March 2022
Singing the praises
Title of film: Nemahsis, I'm Not Gonna Kill You
Director: Crowns & Owls
Director: Crowns & Owls
Crowns & Owls, the independent trio of filmmakers, creative directors and photographers, have fused Nemahsis’ powerful lyrics and voice into these mesmerising one-take films and stills expressing the beauty and pain of being hijabi
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15th March 2022
Dark exposure
Rafa Damy excels at crafting social films that make you sit up and take notice. Now the Brazilian director, recently signed to Birth, has shot his first spot, Not For Profit, for the European audience.
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14th March 2022
Poland "Action"!
Donations have been pouring in from our film industry to support the displaced Ukrainian production community - many who are now in Poland. And in spite of the unspeakable horrors of the Russian invasion, there have been successful productions transferred from Kyiv to Warsaw over the past couple of weeks. But the scripts are slowing down. We talk with 24/7 and Radioaktive partner, Ivo van Vollenhoven about the need to convince brands that producing in Poland and other eastern European countries is a top safe option.
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10th March 2022
Six of the best creative music videos
Take your mind to another place for 20 minutes
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8th March 2022
Six of the best creative music videos
All shot by brilliant directors who just happen to be women.
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3rd March 2022
Court of injustice
Title of film: The Sentence of Michael Thompson (Trailer)
Director: Kyle Thrash
Director: Kyle Thrash
In 1994, Michael Thompson was sentenced to 60 years in prison for selling weed. 25 years later, as the legalisation of cannabis sweeps across the United States, director Kyle Thrash’s upcoming short documentary explores the story of the longest serving non-violent offender in Michigan’s history. 1.4 catches up with Thrash, now represented globally by Knucklehead, about the challenges of the project and his widely recognised directing talent in the music video format.
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1st March 2022
Action for Ukraine
Europe-wide production facilities company 24/7 has announced that it plans to donate all profits generated in Poland to supporting war-torn Ukraine. One way to do that is by shooting in Poland with 24/7's local partner, Radioaktive. Meanwhile, Somesuch co-founder Tim Nash, always brilliant with words, has kindly allowed us to reprint an article he's written on their relationship with Radioaktive. Over the years the companies have established a business and personal partnership that began with shooting Daniel Wolfe’s short film Iron Sky for Paolo Nutini. It includes a clip from Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator: 'To those who can hear me, I say do not despair ... The hate of men will pass, and dictators die. And the power they took from the people will return to the people.' So heartbreakingly relevant today.
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23rd February 2022
Pantera unhinged
Title of film: Jacques, Ordinary Victories l: Opening
Director: Pantera
Production Company: Solab
Director: Pantera
Production Company: Solab
We’ve always associated directing collective Pantera with heart-melting narrative short films and music videos, but now they’ve released these surreal, wonderfully whacky series for French musician Jacques. Increasingly working out of Paris, the Argentinian directors - aka Francisco Canton and Pato Martnez - talk to us about the art of idiosyncrasy and irreverence and the importance of casting the right worm
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18th February 2022
Super Bowl ads - Part 3
Wrapping up our selection of the Big Game's commercials
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17th February 2022
Super Bowl ads - Part 2
Non-stop commercials uninterrupted by the football.
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16th February 2022
Super Bowl ads - Part 1
The game is over but the commercials are still running. Here's our first pick of the top scorers
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10th February 2022
Six of the Best Creative Music Videos
Perpetually spinning music and motion
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8th February 2022
Keeping the Virtual Insanity party alive
Title of film: Junya Watanabe Man Fall/Winter 2022
Director: Masashi Muto
Production Company: North inc.
Director: Masashi Muto
Production Company: North inc.
While we were researching the latest fashion films for last week’s collection (ok, one was last season) this latest rendition of Jamiroquai’s much parodied music video, Virtual Insanity, stood out. What better way than to introduce lead singerJay Kay’s fashion collaboration with Comme Des Garçons than this slick choreographed film by Masashi Muto? 1.4 asked the Japanese director how his process differed from Jonathan Glazer’s original created 26 years ago.
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2nd February 2022
Vicious circle
Title of film: Iniquity
Director: Oliver Goodrum
Production Company: Goodrum Film and Radioaktive Film
Director: Oliver Goodrum
Production Company: Goodrum Film and Radioaktive Film
Director Oliver Goodrum and writer Alexander Craig revisit the true story behind their acclaimed 2012 short This is Vanity to bring us a second installment from a very different point of view - the life of the aggressor ten years on. 1.4 talks to the director about the challenges of making Iniquity and the allure of darker stories.
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