Alt-J’s quantum jump

It’s a sobering thought – if you had just minutes before the apocalypse struck, what would you chose to do? Call a loved one? Hide under the bed? Eat an obscene amount of pudding? 

All these options might seem sensible; while pouring your late mother’s ashes into your shoes and setting off to make one last pole vault is, frankly, odd. But the world of film feeds on 'odd'. 

This promo visualises the latter option beautifully. Produced by Biscuit Filmworks, it is the directing debut of new filmmaking duo Newman - Wallace, and, with subtle retro period detail and a wry look at suburbia, follows the propulsive journey of a dedicated pole vaulter as she jogs through her leafy neighbourhood to reach a sports ground where she'll make one final jump before imminent nuclear annihilation. 

The mounting sense of tension and dread comes to a head in the release of energy and sheer slo-mo beauty of the leap, as our heroic sportswoman clears the bar moments before the bomb explodes. 

The duo comprises the band’s very own Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), and choreographer Darcy Wallace.