Flying High, Longlist - Music Video

Kiss of Life

Sophie Muller, Theo Adams

PRETTYBIRD

Theo Adams is an artist, director, creative director and the founder of Theo Adams Company, an ever-growing and diverse London-based collective of the world’s most exciting multidisciplinary artists, designers, dancers, musicians, and performers, brought together from across the globe. They create unique large-scale theatrical productions, films, events, photography and sound work. Theo Adams Company’s debut production premiered at Tate Britain, London in 2008 and they have since gone on to stage their work at some of the most prestigious theatres and art institutions across the world. Theo has become renowned for bridging fashion, art and performance through carefully selected partnerships with designers, artists and brands for major creative collaborations. Some of the performances Theo has created include highly detailed immersive events, installations, live shows and one-off happenings for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fiorucci, MAC Cosmetics, Michael Halpern & Veuve Clicquot. As well as live performances, Theo also directs film projects, with works including ‘Safety Curtain’, a piece for Channel 4, music video direction for singer and composer Jordan Hunt and a film for Dazed Beauty, for whom Theo is Culture Editor, working alongside Theo Adams Company member Isamaya ffrench. Theo regularly collaborates with FKA Twigs and directed her critically acclaimed 2019 world tour ‘Magdalene’, which was a bold reimagining of how music can be staged by a recording artist in the 21st century, and directed her performance for her ‘Cellophane’ live video.

Celebrated director Sophie Muller has spent over twenty years of her career crafting some of the most seminal music videos of the modern music era. Her work has won numerous prestigious awards, including a Grammy, a Brit Award, several MTV Awards, UKMVAs, MVPAs and Music Week Awards as well as being recognized as the Music Video Production Association’s “Director of the Year” and the CADS “Director of the Year.” After graduating from St. Martin School of Art, Sophie pursued her master’s degree in Film and Television at the Royal College of Art before eventually choosing music videos as her primary medium. Within the music industry, Sophie has collaborated extensively with world-renown artists Gwen Stefani, Annie Lennox, No Doubt, Sade, Garbage, and The Kills. Outside of these select relationships, Sophie has also worked with musical stars, such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Radiohead, Beck, Bjork, Coldplay, Weezer, Jeff Buckley, The Cure, PJ Harvey, Lily Allen, Dolly Parton, the Dixie Chicks, Alicia Keys, The Strokes, Shakira, and Kings of Leon. As a branded filmmaker, Sophie has directed content for brands such as Reebok, MTV, L’Oréal, Gillette, Lexus, Mastercard and Venus. Sophie is widely known for her live work, having art-directed numerous live tours and concerts. In 2016, Sophie directed the first-ever live music video for TV broadcast, Gwen Stefani’s “Make Me Like You,” which was sponsored by Target and captured live on-air during the 2016 Grammy Awards. The exceptionally complicated one-take concept was met with widespread critical acclaim, winning several awards including a Cannes Lion Award. In 2019, Sophie directed music videos for MARINA’s singles “Handmade Heaven” and “Orange Trees”, as well as the video for SoundCloud sensation Lil’ Pump’s “Be Like Me,” which features the musical stylings of rap legend Lil’ Wayne. She also directed Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country” and the comeback video for Shakespear’s Sister’s single “All the Queens Horses,” the group’s first in 26 years. More recently, Sophie directed the music video “Lost” for Maroon 5. As a photographer, Sophie creates projects across the world of high fashion and is represented by RSA Photographic for all photography work.