Playlist: Courtney Phillips

What’s the best promo you’ve seen recently and why?

Ilya Naishuller’s promo for Leningrad Kolshik (below). I’ve always loved a reverse music video but they’ve been done so many times before that it’s a lot harder to stand out amongst the classics; notably Spike Jonze’s video for Pharcyde’s Drop and Gondry’s Sugar Water. Yet, for me, Ilya took it to another level. His video is unbelievably epic throughout. It’s action packed, a bit weird, funny, gory and impeccably executed. The opening is insane and it just doesn’t let up. I’ve got a short attention span for videos these days but this kept me gripped. One of the most entertaining music videos I’ve seen in a very long time.

What’s the first promo you remember being impressed by?

It’s gotta be Michael Jackson’s Black or White (below). Particularly the intro. Macaulay Culkin playing the little badass kid rocking out in his room. Dad says turn it down, slamming the bedroom door and smashing his MJ poster. Macaulay hooks his guitar up to some huge speakers, turns the volume up to “ARE YOU NUTS!?!” and says ‘eat this!’, blasting his Dad across the world with the first strum of his guitar. As a mischievous kid, I loved that rebellious vibe, it definitely grabbed my attention! Thinking about it, even now I love a good intro before the track begins. When done right it can really set the atmosphere and tone of the promo, hooking the audience in from the offset.

What’s your all-time favourite music video?

Romain Gavras’ video for Justice Stress. This video ultimately inspired me to become a director. It taught me the benefits of pushing boundaries. The controversy and uproar in the media made it feel even more dangerous. It was even banned from French TV which I reckon just heightened the hype. Not only was it uncomfortably entertaining with raw, gritty, violent visuals that resonated with my teenage tastes as a lover of Quentin Tarantino’s movies and Grand Theft Auto, but it was perfectly executed. It felt truly authentic and believable, as if these mental events really happened and the camera just captured the moments. I especially loved the little nuances - catching glimpses of the documentary camera crew in frame as if by mistake. The sound guy’s arm catching on fire. And then that ending, where they turn on the camera. Absolute genius!

What other directors/artists do you look to for inspirational?

Lars Von Trier's Dogme 95 manifesto really inspired me to embrace rules and limitations as a director. I then read an interview by Terence Malik and Emanuel Lebezki (both of whom I’m massively inspired by) on their own ‘dogma’ for Tree of Life. Both sets of rules were essentially about stripping back and not overcomplicating the creative with unnecessary gimmicks and instead focusing on telling the story in its purist form. One quote from Lebezki really stuck with me, "Art is made of constraints. When you don’t have any, you go crazy, because everything is possible”. This massively inspired my approach to filmmaking as I now always try to give myself a set of rules and limitations which embody the true essence of the idea and I find this really helps me to nail the right decisions. 

I’m also a big fan of the way Yoanne Lemoine aka Woodkid directed his stunning promos his own tracks. He created a unique world that works in perfect synergy with his epic, atmospheric music, as if he envisioned this hyper-real world whilst creating his own sound. When Iron and Run Boy Run videos came out and I found out Yoanne was not only the director but also the artist it really blew me away. More recently The Blaze also nailed the same thing with their video. 

Finally, I’ve gotta mention Emil Nava, a close friend of mine, who actually inspired me to give directing a shot in the first place. I worked on all his early videos back in the day and watched him work his ass off for years before becoming one of the top promo directors around. I was lucky enough to see first-hand what it takes to smash it in promos, including the knock backs along the way. He taught me if you really love directing and wanna be a success you have to stay hungry, be thick skinned and work fucking hard because there’s probably someone else out there working that little bit harder than you.

Art is made of constraints. When you don’t have any, you go crazy, because everything is possible

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’m a big rap / hip hop head but I really do listen to everything. My mum doubled up as a singer when she wasn’t working in production. Our living room was taken over by a makeshift studio and our shelves were completely filled with vinyl so I was blessed with a really musical upbringing. For this reason, I’m really open to new school music as well as loving the old classic. My playlists are a huge mix. From Otis Redding to Roy Ayers to Funkadelik, Pharcyde, Nas, Jay-Z, all the way to The Black Keys, Alt J, Metronomy. Also SZA, Childish Gambino, J. Cole, Kendrick and even Drake, Future and 21 Savage. I still listen to Erykah Badu’s Baduism and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on a regular basis and I’ve recently been back on Guru’s Jazzmataz Vol. 1 recently. Classic music!

What’s your favourite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use?

I love my new Akai MPK mini which is a tiny midi keyboard I use for making music, something I’ve recently got back into. The long-term plan is to make some promos for my own stuff! Also, my Sennheiser 280 HD headphones. I would say my iPhone and MacBook but it’s a love / hate relationship.

What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why?

Childish Gambino. I love his music and he’s a great actor and performer so of course I’d love to work with him. I thought he was amazing in Hiro Murai’s video for Sober and he’s great in Atlanta. Plus, his album, Awaken, My Love! is one of my favourite of recent times.

How do you feel the promo industry has changed since you started in it?

It has changed immensely. Most notably, the budgets are a lot lower. Back in the day I saw videos as this magical entity of big Hollywood style productions. I was on set as a kid when So Solid were doing huge videos like it was the norm - fast cars, big explosions, VFX, etc. Plus, I was in awe of those big hip hop videos of the 90s / 2000s. Then by the time I became a director that had all changed as budgets declined drastically due the internet. It’s not all bad though. Technological advances mean that anyone can pick up a camera and shoot and I think that’s amazing. It opens the filmmaking doors up to people who may have never had the opportunity. Stories and talent can be unearthed who may have never had the chance. You now have films like Tangerine (trailer, below) which was shot entirely on an iPhone. Yes it means more competition but I’m cool with that. It just drives me to make better work.

Music videos have had a resurgence of late; where do you see the industry being in five years’ time?

As ripping music becomes harder and harder the industry is fighting back and finding more ways to monetise the music so hopefully this means more money on videos! That’s my optimistic side. Either way, I think we’ll continue to see ground-breaking videos from talented directors. It’s great that the advertising industry is embracing promo directors more and more and if they are smart they’ll continue to do so. And if promo directors are smart and want to get into commercials / content they’ll learn to tailor their videos a little bit to ensure they resonate with the advertising world. That’s what I did.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know...


I was in the video for Craig David’s Seven Days and So Solid’s 21 Seconds (below).