senckađ
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
EDITION
Global
USA
UK
AUNZ
CANADA
IRELAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
ASIA
EUROPE
LATAM
MEA
Creative in association withGear Seven
Group745

Therapy Takes on a Monstrous Form in Hypnotically Dark Promo for Empathy Test

11/05/2020
Production Company
London, UK
160
Share
Great Guns director Calum Macdiarmid helms the intensely choreographed music video for new single ‘Monsters’
When driving into a multi-storey car park, the last thing you would expect to see is a haunting, cloaked figure blocking your way. This, however, becomes the reality for one couple in an intense new promo for electropop band Empathy Test. Directed by Great Guns’ Calum Macdiarmid, the hypnotically choreographed music video for ‘Monsters’ sees two people confront a surreal, dancing creature as it becomes an emotional metaphor for therapy. 

The promo follows a couple who, whilst arguing in their car, pull into a carpark. Upon turning a corner, they happen upon a lone figure, cloaked in a white shawl and mask. With only its legs and arms exposed, the creature begins to dance as the couple watches on. As the film progresses, the atmosphere grows more intense, with the couple experiencing a range of emotions whilst viewers are presented with increasingly abstract images. The creature approaches the car, licking and throwing up onto the windscreen as we see flashes of the couple making love and interacting with the monster. 


Director Calum Macdiarmid comments: “Personally I always saw the monster as a psychiatrist who takes you on a beautiful, scary, and insightful journey into yourself. The dance she performs is a dance of life – a good analyst will take you on that dance. Whilst my original inspiration might have been marriage therapy, we wanted to leave it more open to interpretation, so that the monster could present many things in people’s lives.”

Calum took inspiration from director Chris Cunningham for the promo, particularly in terms of lighting and edit. The intense, fast-paced edit flashes with troubled thoughts as scenes rise out of the darkness and into sharp focus, presenting the viewer with stark, confronting imagery. The editing in particular presented a challenge, as the team first had to tell a story with a heavily abstract concept before working to choreograph the dance to the music – alongside the speed ramps and detailing that completes a music video. 

The promo stars dancer Isabella Mahmoud under the guise of the monster. Calum discovered Isabella through her Instagram account, performing beautiful provocative dances shot inside her house. Inspired by the haunting brilliance of her performances, Calum reached out with the script and explained the idea for the shoot. Whilst the surreal nature of the video presented issues with casting, Calum found the perfect solution. 

He adds: “I have to take this opportunity to give a massive shout out to my beautiful partner Julia, who stepped in to play the role of the wife, nailed it, and had faith in the project all the way. We don’t have a dancing monster therapist so I’ll have to use this moment to tell her I love her instead.”

The promo has also been nominated for a Berlin MVA.
Production
Post Production / VFX
Music / Sound
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
More News from Great Guns
Hires, Wins & Business
Great Guns Signs Director Finn McGough
27/09/2024
62
0
97
0
ALL THEIR NEWS
Work from Great Guns
Scratchy Bottom
Pampers
11/09/2024
20
0
TONKZ
Nerve, Songer, and D Double E
30/08/2024
21
0
Stunted Man
Sunbet
25/06/2024
10
0
ALL THEIR WORK
SUBSCRIBE TO LBB’S newsletter
FOLLOW US
LBB’s Global Sponsor
Group745
Language:
English
v10.0.0