Jamiroquai, NABIL and Jonathan Glazer: The Work That Made Alex Joss Thompson

Alex Joss Thompson is a director whose work spans many genres. Coming up through the well-trodden path of MTV his passion for music led him to direct music videos, live performances and branded work for the likes of Liam Gallagher, James Blunt, Mahalia and Noah Cyrus, collectively garnering hundreds of millions of views online.

After working with Boiler Room, Vevo, Warner, Universal and XL he soon found that he was compelled to create work that was less promo driven and more stimulated by human narratives. After directing and producing films for charities Youngminds and Depaul, he quickly found his calling creating work that helped to elevate brands and engage audiences through emotionally resonant work.

Never one to be put in a box he has since began branching into fashion, feature films and documentaries allowing him to further hone his lens on the world.

LBB> The music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Alex> As a child of the MTV era (full circle moment when I then worked for them) I spent days bored, sat in front of my TV, flicking through music channels absorbing everything from N*E*R*D to Slipknot.

But one music video that blew my mind was Jamiroquai’s ‘Virtual Insanity’. The styling, the set, the camera movement, the way Jonathan Glazer thought outside or inside (pun intended) the box just mesmerised me. I’d wait for the top of the hour when the playlist looped itself just to get another glimpse of it.

It wasn’t until I was studying Media Studies at school that I truly fell in love with his work and realised he created ‘Karma Police’, ‘The Universal’ and ‘A Song For Lovers’.

His work tapped into the hyper-real and surreal of your imagination and went against everything you would expect from a promo.

LBB> The ad that made me want to get into the industry…

Alex> Without sounding like a Jonathan Glazer fan boy but I clearly remember seeing the Guinness ‘Surfer’ advert on my telly and how it made you stop in your tracks when it came on.

The music, the VO, fully commanded your attention and was unlike anything else at the time.

I would have been eight when I saw it but I just remember from then on I wanted to work in the industry making impactful films.

LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…

Alex> NABIL’s music video for ALT-J ‘Hunger Of The Pine’. As a hip-hop head NABIL was my inspiration from working with Kanye. This was the first time I remember him doing something that was out of this genre. It’s just one location, one contributor, one story and a concept I reference ALL THE TIME.

It’s ability to hold your gaze and build tension through one story I feel is completely lost in today’s world of more and more VFX and transitions.

Too many videos these days include multiple set-ups, multiple story arcs, whereas this is simple (in whatever way a shoot is simple) and something I try to get clients on board with whatever the medium. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated to be good.

LBB> My first professional project…

Alex> My first professional project as a director was a documentary series for the UK blog site ‘Nation Of Billions’ (shout out to my mentor Marium Raja) on UK producers.

I shot, edited, sound recorded, graded, you mention it, I did it. It was my building block on how to put together a full film and I practically went broke trying to make 10 20-minute docs in six months from the ground up.

But it meant I could now call myself a “director” and kickstarted my transition from a shooter to a film maker.

LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…

Alex> “Still” makes me jealous or jealous in general is just recently Marcus Ibanez advert for Volvo shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema (‘Oppenheimer’, ‘Inception’).

3:46 (so can’t be shown fully on TV), a concept that revolves around affecting and impacting your audience rather than selling to them, it just feels like this was a brand who said “You guys are the professionals, we trust you”… probably wasn’t the case though. But damn what I’d do to be given that level of creative freedom and trust on a project.

LBB> The creative project that changed my career…

Alex> I really don’t think one project has “changed my career”. For me I look at some directors who just get that lucky break and skyrocket but for me it’s always felt like I’ve just been putting one foot in front of the other.

Small forward steps, gradually learning, gradually improving, hoping someone might appreciate what I’m doing.

When I win that Oscar - then I’ll be able to reflect.

LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…

Alex> I was lucky enough to work with a charity called Depaul on a number of narrative films alongside the next generation of actors from The BRIT School, to highlight youth homelessness to kids in schools up and down the country.

Not only was it my first foray into narrative but to be able to do something for a cause close to my heart whilst being given full creative control was something you rarely get a chance to do.

Not only that but the film worked as a spec for me to then be able to push further into narrative (which is my eventual goal) and has opened many doors in doing so.

LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Alex> When I worked as a cam op on a live studio show for 4music my old boss (love you Rich) used to LOVE swinging the camera onto me during a show segment.

As someone who likes to be behind the lens rather than in front of it I never knew what to say or what to do, whilst he evils cackled down the comms in my ear. In the famous words of Davina McCall all I could think of was “please do not swear” as the show was pre-watershed.

That aside it was one of the most fun times of my career where we had two hours of airtime to do whatever we wanted from skits to promos. It was car crash TV but so much fun.

LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…

Alex> I’m currently working on a feature doc for a HUGE fashion designer around his first show at PFW this year. It combines political and social conversations and taps into the surreal elements that have inspired me from early. Let’s see, we never know how these projects can turn out but it finally feels like right place, right time.

You’ll find more information about STORM+SHELTER and their roster of directors at https://stormandshelter.com.​