The competition

In the spring of 2022, we launched a competition on social media to give away a fully produced music video. Putting together something like this can easily run into 5 figures before you can blink so this was no small prize.

Why did we do it?

The music industry has dramatically changed in recent years and many emerging artists are finding they have to operate much like a small business in order to grow. At Monoki we are passionate about supporting new talent so wanted to help.

We had a large selection of songs and artists to choose from but one song stood out, the catchy disco-house driven 'Body Sayin' by Anthony Hugues.

It also gave us the opportunity to make a music video unlike anything we had done before. One that was led by choreographed dance routines.

The planning

We met with Anthony and quickly realised that his visual ambitions for the track were very similar to what we had in mind. We went away and put together a storyboard incorporating a steamy dream sequence set in a nightclub.

Anthony also had a history as a dancer and enlisted help from Pineapple choreographer Claire Street who brought a crew of great dancers on board.

We had a false start after problems with our first venue but we had a plan b up our sleeve. We already film regularly at the Looking Glass Cocktail Club in Shoreditch and they were more than happy to lend us their club for the day.

With a new plan in place we were ready to go.

The filming (day 1)

The Looking Glass Cocktail Club is a regular bar in front and a speak easy in the back separated by a floor to ceiling mirror which doubles as a secret door.

Our plan was to use this mirror as the break point between reality and the dream sequence. However, after filming and editing we decided that the first minute of the video before going through the mirror didn't work for a number of different reasons. Primarily we felt it wasn't a big enough difference between reality and fantasy. More on that later.

The second half of the film incorporated set pieces, lavish costume changes and that tightly choreographed sequence through the chorus. We shot several takes of each section and in post production cut between takes to give the whole thing a tightly synchronised pace.

The life goal

Monoki CEO Paul and producer/director on the project had long held a secret ambition to work with his daughter Kyra. She has grown up sharing Paul's love of music and film. Paul always felt that someday it would be amazing if they could make a music video together. It was something he never felt would actually happen.

But here we are in 2022. Kyra is now a 21 year old post graduate after 3 years studying film and digital art and having a passion for lighting. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to make that dream a reality. So with Kyra leading the job of turning an otherwise dark room into a seedy club the second half of the video was in the can and looking perfect.

The filming (day 2)

A rethink was needed for the opening minute of the track and with over 30 seconds of intro before the hooky chorus, we were keen to keep the visual interest without losing the sense of story.

So the plan was to meet early on a Sunday morning at Anthony's flat in Wapping so we could catch the sunrise. We wanted to tell the story of Anthony arriving home still buzzing from the night before and using small flashbacks from the club sequence. Then Anthony puts the kettle on, collapses on the sofa and falls asleep as we replay the events of the previous evening.

The reception

This turned into a more ambitious project that we first thought with a crew incorporating dancers, a choreographer, a drag queen, make up, wardrobe, runners and, of course. lighting.

Every music video comes with it's own set backs and complications but what makes it a great experience for us is being able to think outside the box and come up with a result better than it could have been in the first place.

Want us to bring your music alive?

As well as producing music videos we love to film artists live too. If you'd like to discuss bringing your music alive with a great video - click on the button below and let's talk.