Playlist: Greg Hackett

What’s the best music video you’ve seen recently and why? 

I was obsessed with Tamino - Raven, directed by Thibaut Grevet. The cinematography is so rich and textured, the framing feels so instinctive and there's this restraint to it that just lets everything breathe… light, movement, distortion all working to the music. 

Then I found out he built those image sequences in-camera. No shortcuts, no post trickery. Properly refreshing to be that dedicated to your craft when half the time you can't tell what's real anymore

What’s the first music video you remember being impressed by?

I remember getting hold of the Spike Jonze DVD in 2003 and being completely blown away. Fatboy Slim - Praise You was on there and I just couldn't believe how much feeling you could get from such a simple idea. 

I was also obsessed with 411 Video Magazine back then, and it introduced me to new music but cut with skating footage. That combination of music and movement kind of planted a seed I didn't even realise was there in me.

And what’s your all-time favourite music video?

Björk - All Is Full of Love. Creating that much raw emotion through robotic characters… 

Chris Cunningham is an absolute genius. Still gives me chills.

What other directors/artists do you look to for inspiration?

In advertising, Mark Molloy has been on an incredible streak. I love his work. And since joining Park Pictures, I've done a proper deep dive into Lance Acord's back catalogue. What a director. His Nike Before ad is actually art. Genuinely one of the most beautiful pieces of short form filmmaking.

In long form, Chloé Zhao hasn't missed. Everything she touches feels completely alive and completely true. I go to the cinema a lot as I know I’ll be guaranteed to come out inspired.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Obsessed with Geese right now. Rival Consoles when I'm writing. Daphni when I need to move.

What’s your favourite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use?

Cadrage. It's a director's viewfinder app and I couldn't recce or scout without it. Changes how you see a location completely.

What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why?

All time? Radiohead. Just to add something to their visual canon would be amazing. The relationship between their music and their visuals has always been unique.

How do you feel the promo industry has changed since you started in it?

I started going to Adam Buxton's Bug nights when I first picked up a camera about twelve years ago. A music video was an event and there was a vitality to seeing the visual world an artist had created, in a room full of people who cared. I remember sitting in the crowd, watching Daniel Wolfe's video for The Shoes - Time to Dance with Jake Gyllenhaal. It was a real moment.

I kind of miss that. The 9x16 format, the phone in your hand, it's changed the experience of the importance of music video in culture. That said, the art form itself is still extraordinary. In five minutes, a piece of music and film can transform you emotionally as completely as ninety minutes in a cinema. That power hasn't gone anywhere, I don’t think.