Director's Works
Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon, Texting This Fine Shit for a Month Jay Russell
Jay Russell is a British director and photographer from the West Midlands, now based in London. Working across fashion, music and commercial projects, his practice moves fluidly between stills and film, driven by a fascination with raw, unfiltered moments, nostalgia and the emotional texture of everyday life.
Often described as an image-making polymath, Jay’s work balances documentary instinct with a sharp, contemporary visual sensibility. He prioritises atmosphere over spectacle and feeling over finish, creating imagery that is tactile, human and quietly cinematic.
Recent work sees Jay continuing to push format and process from a music video produced entirely through printed imagery in collaboration with Lex Records, to large-scale global campaigns for Sports Direct, Dr. Martens and Nike. Recent projects also include Bus Driver’s Prayer (featured on Director’s Library), alongside a collaboration with AntsLive for Under Armour and i-D, grounding his work at the intersection of sport, culture and youth identity.
Hand-drawn girl trapped on top of Jah Monte’s new video. 5000 frames printed out & redrawn by hand.
This latest music video from Lex Records features a hand-drawn girl that lives on top of North Carolina native Jah Monte’s live performance. He's in his element. She dances in his blind spots, trying to hand him a spliff that disappears , she's a spirit he can't see. The two worlds overlap but never quite touch, she jive's next to him but not with him. She’s playful, desperate, heartbreakingly close yet forever separated by the frame.
Every single one of the 5000+ frames was printed on A4, hand-altered with ink by animator Ben Smalley, then rescanned. The final video resembles a unique tactile piece that also bridges the gap between film & digital.
Filmed on Jah Monte's visit to London, it provides an elaborated dance between the two characters, as for moments Jah enters a liminal space himself dancing around and into traffic. Lost in his world.
