The Black Keys' new single from the 'Ohio Players' album is out and I had the privilege of directing the music video for the first single ‘Beautiful People (Get High) and I'm thrilled to share it!
Embark on a global journey as we connect with this mad global group of characters and fans from around the world, shot in Johannesburg, Chicago, and London. Our dynamic, multi-character choreography brings the world to life, and I couldn't be more proud of the result.
This is a passion project turned reality thanks to the outstanding collaborators and the support of Devin Sarno at Warner / Nonesuch. Enjoy the show! Check it out and let me know your thoughts.
Produced by Believe Media
Director: Chris Saunders
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Silver
Head Of Production: Vitaly Koshman
Producers: Shabana Mansuri (London), Brian Critchfield (Ola Films - Johannesburg), Matt Scheffer (Chicago)
Choreographer: Natalie Fisher
Choreography Assistant / Movement Director: Liam Gillespie (JHB) Natalia Ryshtakova (Chicago), Dre Spisto (London)
Cinematographers: Ofentse Mwase (Johannesburg), Flynn Drew (Chicago), Alex Jamin (London)
Editor: Ross Hallard (Trim Editing)
Colourist: Antoine Ravache (Paris)
Post Producers: Shabana Mansuri (London), Polly Kemp (Trim, London)
Casting Directors: Mandy Sewell (Johannesburg), Matt Scheffer (Chicago), Natalie Monroe (London)
Director’s Agent: Kelly Norris Sarno | Agency Arts
This music video is a fusion of a decade's worth of band and filmmaker Pether Lindgren's footage, intertwined with scenes directed by Chris Saunders. Over two months, these diverse visuals were meticulously curated and woven together to craft the captivating video you're witnessing.
Created during lockdown with an international team, the project thrived amidst restrictions, showcasing the possibilities within adversity. Chris Saunders, based in Paris, reimagined filmmaking, ensuring a seamless blend of concept and quality, while evoking a fragmented yet cohesive feel—a glimpse into a band member's inner thoughts.
As memories unfold through personal moments and live performances, the video captures the essence of a vivid tapestry. Remarkably, most scenes naturally converged, with a single segment remotely directed by Chris during the band's electrifying live performance.
Director. Chris Saunders
Executive Producer. James Covill (Believe Media UK)
Producers. Shabana Mansuri & Chris Saunders
Editor. Matt Newman (Stitch)
VFX. Sam Aldridge and Felix Geen
Colorist. Luke Morrison (ETC London)
Performance section Sweden credits:
Cinematographer: Tim O’driscoll
Production Assistant: Cesar Wehlander
Supplied Footage Credits
Footage shot by: Yukimi Nagano, Fredrik Wallin, Håkan Wirenstrand, Erik Bodin, Pether Lindgren, Sebastian Peña, Chris Saunders, John Alberico, Michael Saint Onge, Kristoffer Elfström, Anna-Klara Åhren, Christian Rossipal.
Future Release Documentary Editor: Kristoffer Elfström
DJ Lag - Drumming
DJ Lag Drumming is a deep track, it embodies the true soul of the genre. I wanted to take the music away from the context of the Durban scene and follow an emotive visually driven narrative centred on the music. In the video the visual narrative focus on Lwazi / DJ Lag himself and introduce a close collaborator, Moses Boyd the well known drummer from London who plays a live recorded drum intro for the video. The track is deep, thoughtful, emotionally intense. It is driven by its repetitive heavy drum beat and our narrative follows Lwazi through a original, intimate and mainly bass driven choreography within two surreal spaces in London, connecting a new dimension and his own personal voyage of discovery in his touring life. The over all feel of the cut is that of perpetuity, as if there is no end to the building intense visual monotony, before finally disengaging the viewer for just a moment on the streets of London, in a ‘La Haine’ style black and white sequence. The video focuses entirely on the rhythm of the song and plays out the headspace the listeners emotive state in a live setting. Its a bass escape mechanism translated into visuals which will both be utilised live and within the video.
Director: Chris Saunders (Believe Media UK)
Executive Producer: James Covill
Producer: Shabana Mansuri
Runner: Noemi Varga
Edited by: Josh Borrill (Post Office Post CT)
Choreographer / Movement coach: Andrea Spisto
DOP: Alex Jamin (ECHO)
1st AC: James Woodbridge
2nd AC: Elisa Spigariol
Sound Recordist: Andrea Cremonini
Audio Mix: Okzharp
Gaffer: Amir Moulfi
Spark: Sonny Horwell
Make up and hair: Grace Sinnott
Rudimental x Major Lazer - Let Me Live feat. Anne Marie & Mr. Eazi
Produced by Believe Media
Executive Producer - Jannie McInnes (@Believe Media)
Producers - Shabana Mansuri (UK), Maurice Dingli (SA), Allison Swank (SA)
Music video agent. Alexa Haywood (Free Agent UK)
Music video commissioner. Dan Curwin (Atlantic)
DOP. Alexandre Jamin (Kinou)
Editor. Paul O'Reilly (Stitch)
Colorist. Arthur Paux
VFX. Gloria FX
Pantsula Dancers Impilo Mapantsula
Choreography by Thomas Motsapi & Kgotsofalang Mavundla from Impilo Mapantsula & Welile Artchild Gumede
Dancers: Tshepo Mashego, Thomas Motsapi (Choreographer), Mjabulo Zaba, Doctor Mabunda, Sphelele Ngqulunga, Tshepiso Munyai, Milton Tshabalala, Bongani Lebusa, Bukhosibakhe Letsekha, Sipho Zulu, Thando Dlamini, Bafana Mathibela, Zakhele Madida, Paballo Phiri, Kgotsofalang Mavundla (Choreographer) Welile Artchild Gumede (Choreographer), Ayanda Mkhize, Boniwe Gaga, Ntokozo Joy Nyuswa, Nosipho Shamase
Stunt Driver: Stacey Lee May
Shot on location at Ridley Road Market London, England & Downtown Johannesburg, South Africa
Oumou Sangare - Kamelemba
Credits Directed by Chris Saunders Produced by Art Bridge - Paris (www.artbridge.fr) Producer - Olivier Bassuet Production Manager - Arthur Maillard DOP - Alex Jamin (Kinou) Directors Assistant & 1st AD - Guillaume Cabaret Edited by - Flavie Doubesky Titles by - Tom Kan Wardrobe - AVOC Paris (Clothing), hats by Marie Merci Parsi in collaboration with Jay Ramier & footware by Veja Choreography - Carmel Loanga (Swaggers Dance Crew) Performed by - Swaggers Dance Crew Dancers - Rizlaine Terraz, Oumou Khlifa, Laura Nala, Julie Thembo, Shot on location in Paris 13th Arrondissements
A world inside a world, time been perpetual, space been a construct of our minds. Ever present and precious but in someway perpetual. A digital rendition of Okzharp & Manthe Ribane, now available as code presented as a video.
A video by Chris Saunders & Cool Your Jets
This video is an ode to the definition of futurism, portrayed through beauty, fashion and performance, inside the clips we re-imagine the environment of the suburbs around Paris, high rise buildings, a depiction of the future city. Taking a reference from the 'Congolese Sapeur,' imagining this traditionally masculine culture within a new modern urban environment and a feminine space whereby our female characters take the role of the provocateur. The performance within the video is both responsive and influenced by the ‘Sapeur' fashion competition, but the main idea behind the visuals are a direct response to the lyrics written by Oumou Sangare, the anger of women abandoned by cheating men. This video illustrates a reaction to this outcry with a group of females who are robust and independent, resultant of generations of mistreatment within a very misogynistic reality, depicted in the lyrics. This video portrays this group within a paradigm shift both seen in their attitudes, movements and the general visual style.
A music video for the iconic Malian artist Oumou Sangaré is out. The video takes on a performance driven journey driven by the lyrics of the track Yere Faga, which take into question the challenges of the youth of today. Using herself as a metaphor Oumou sings about her own challenges as a young women in Mali, the discrimination she endured and how she came out victorious through perseverance.
The video was produced by my new French representation Art Bridge (Quad Group), below is a full listing of the crew involved:
Directed By: Chris Saunders (chrissaunders.co)
Directors Assistant: Cassandra Nunan
Performance Choreographer: Andrea Spisto
Edited By: Benjamin Weill
Colorist: Arthur Paux
Executive Producer (Art Bridge): Olivier Bassuet
Executive Producer (Ola Films): Olivia Leitch
Producer: Elizabeth Dahl
Production Manager: Arthur Maillard (Quad Productions)
Director Of Photography: Devin Toselli
1st Camera Assistant: Briony Macleod
Art Director: Adi Koen
Make Up & Hair: Lyn Kennedy
Shot on Location in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Young Futura
An energetic dance song driven by a repetitive driving beat as an undertone with a smooth lyrical delivery that instills movement into your mind. The videos intention is to inspire movement in the viewer. This songs essential backbone is in the progressive simple dance movement repeated in the lyrics, ‘Move to the left, take a step back, slide to the right, slide to the right,’ the videos intention is to inspire the movement through visual inspiration, repetition and style. This video pulls on the vision of the American wasteland with its strip malls and bowling alleys and it finds the influenced spaces inside a french satellite city space. The idea is to head out to the small town of Chartres, located 1hr west of Paris. There are two sides to small towns like this, the historic centre and the new sprawling American inspired outer cities, often taking pages from American modern strip mall architecture. These are the spaces and places the video will be set. Create a divide between the two continents and give a simple but important back drop to the main focus of the dance.
Produced - Guillaume Cabaret & Chris Saunders
DOP - Jon Oldmeadow
Styled by - Selim Conrad
OKZHARP - DEAR RIBANE
Directed by. Chris Saunders
Executive Producer. Chris Saunders
Produced by Chris Saunders
Cinematographer. Deon van Zyl
Art Direction & Wardrobe. Manthe Ribane
Choreography. Manthe Ribane
Editor. Deon van Zyl
Record Label. Hyperdub (UK)
OKMALUMKOOLKAT - SEBENZA
Directed by. Chris Saunders
Produced by. Olga Grigorova & Chris Saunders
Director of photography. Miles Goodall
Edited by. Malcolm Che'
Art Direction & Wardrobe. Jamal Nxedlana
Colourist. Terry Simpson
Executive Producer. Linda Notelovitz
Unit Producer. Sello Modiga
Wardrobe and art direction: Jamal Nxedlana
1st Camera Assistant. Lee Goodall Grip. Tyler Geldenhuys
DIT. Frances VJ
Stills Photography. Michael Magagane & Frances VJ
Camera & Grips Equipment sponsored and supplied by. Media Film Service (Johannesburg)
NOZINJA - TSEKELEKE
Directed by. Chris Saunders
Executive Producer. Olivia Leitch
Produced by Brenda Wilson
Cinematographer. Trevor Calverly
Art Direction & Wardrobe. JR Onyangunga
Editor. Malcolm Che
Record Label. Warp (UK)
Okmalumkoolkat - ABBK
Directed by. Chris Saunders
Produced by Chris Saunders
Cinematographer. Miles Goodall
Art Direction & Wardrobe. Jamal Nxedlana
Editor. Malcolm Che
Record Label. Hyperdub (UK)
LV Feat. Okmalumkoolkat - Spitting Cobra
Shot & Directed by Chris Saunders
Editor. Malcolm Che
Record Label. Hyperdub (UK)