senckađ
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Creative in association withGear Seven
Group745

Future and Past Selves Meet in Mesmerising Philip Selway Video 'Check for Signs of Life'

08/12/2022
Advertising Agency
London, UK
96
Share
Uncommon produces the black and white film from director William Wiliamson

Ahead of Philip Selway’s new album Strange Dance, due out 24th February via Bella Union, today Philip Selway shares a mesmerising and beautifully-shot black and white video for the track on his upcoming album titled ‘Check For Signs Of Life’.

The video was produced by the award-winning Uncommon Creative Studio with director William Williamson, the video features a quartet of renowned and award-winning dancers and choreographers: Siobhan Davies, Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp, Simone Damberg Würtz and Liam Francis. Davies is one of the UK’s most celebrated dancers and choreographers while Damberg Würtz is a leading light of the Rambert Dance Company.

This is the first in a series of videos for Philip’s forthcoming solo album ‘Strange Dance’, ‘Check for Signs of Life’ comes from an idea Philip had to develop a dance piece over a series of songs, exploring imagined conversations between future and past selves. The music itself is a haunting arrangement which finds Philip musing over where he finds himself in his life and thinking about human connection.

Philip Selway commented on the idea behind the film: “The video comes from an idea I had to develop a dance piece over a series of songs from Strange Dance. I wanted the piece to explore imagined conversations between future and past selves and to be based around this particular quartet of dancers. The piece has been choreographed by Simone Damberg Würtz and Liam Francis. They both perform in the video alongside Siobhan Davies and Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp.”

Over a series of rehearsals, director William and DOP Adric Watson, worked with the dancers to bring the camera into the mix as a fifth dancer, and a one-shot approach became clear, with the video taking the lead from the choreography and setting out to enhance and interpret the work, whilst not overshadowing the subtle movements.

Director William Williamson added: “Working closely alongside Philip and choreographers Simone and Liam we set out to explore the complex relationship between future and former self through the medium of contemporary dance. Transcending time and moving through varied emotions, we wanted to create a film that will inspire the audience to hang their own narrative on. As we rehearsed, the intimacy and fragility of the choreography became so clear I decided to shoot it all in a single take. It meant pulling together the dance, camera and lighting, to communicate a sense of unity and power, which stays focused in the moment.”

Nils Leonard, co-founder of Uncommon Creative Studio added. “Uncommon has set out to matter from day one and we have been very intentional with the energy and ambition of our productions. With Nick Cave’s ‘This Much I Know To Be True’ and our second feature ‘In Camera’ about to launch — we wanted our first music video to be meaningful and to speak to something larger than just the music. Working with Philip and his team to communicate his beautiful work was a privilege.”

Credits
Production
Post Production / VFX
Editorial
Work from Uncommon
Everyday
IAG Loyalty
25/03/2024
31
0
A British Original
British Airways
18/03/2024
45
0
A Life in Sound
SiriusXM
11/03/2024
23
0
ALL THEIR WORK