David Reviews

 "You're not an artist, Peggy. You solve problems." Don Draper.

TOP 25 FILM PRODUCTION COMPANIES
These scores are compiled from a combination of our in-house rating system and user ratings. Only UK work from the last two years is considered.
 1. Biscuit Filmworks 87.6%  
 2. Spindle 87.2%  
 3. Blinkink 87.0%  
 4. Riff Raff Films 86.8%  
 5. Pulse Films 85.8%  
 6. Somesuch 85.0%  
 7. Kode 84.7%  
 8. Anonymous Content 84.6%  
 9. Blink 84.5%  
 10. Merman 84.4%  
 11. Academy Films 84.3%  
 12. Arts & Sciences 84.0%  
 13. Knucklehead 83.8%  
 14. MJZ 83.8%  
 15. Object & Animal 83.5%  
 16. Stink 83.4%  
 17. Caviar 83.0%  
 18. Rogue Films 82.6%  
 19. Another Film Company 82.5%  
 20. Dark Energy 82.5%  
 21. PrettyBird 82.2%  
 22. Smuggler 81.4%  
 23. Iconoclast 81.2%  
 24. Outsider 80.9%  
 25. MindsEye 80.7%  
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Recent Promos
(1-25 of 25)

Saint Levant
"Nails"
3 mins 06s
28 May 2023
The opening line of this simple promo track by Saint Levant deserves to go down in music history as it rhymes 'visa' with the name of porn star Mia Khalifa. The rest of the action is an energetic and comic examination of modern cultural mores, and director Mattias Russo-Larsson demonstrates a lot of flair in bringing it all together.

Katie Melua
"Love & Money"
4 mins 06s
6 Jun 2023
The star of this Kate Melua promo cleans houses to earn money for her son back home. As 'Love & Money' gathers steam with biographical lyrics ("Holding the line between the shows and interviews/Never had time to give the best of me to you"), the woman cleans and dances her way through a family home—but not the one she really wants to be in.

Halsey
"Lilith (ft. Suga)"
3 mins
5 Jun 2023
Major game releases are now multimedia, multi-project affairs, and the long-awaited launch of Diablo IV is no exception. The highly anticipated game has received a pop anthem in 'Lilith', which reunites Halsey and BTS rapper Suga, who have previously collaborated on the latter's 'Boy With Luv'.

Devon Cole
"1800-Got-Stress"
3 mins 25s
5 Jun 2023
Devon Cole continues her quest for mainstream pop glory with this promo for '1800-Got-Stress'. Like many artists who rose to prominence via TikTok, it's apparent that the singer has a talent for creating brief hooks... which the song dully drags between. The accompanying promo is a similarly laid back affair, featuring Cole performing in a taxi as it traverses darkly lit city streets.

Bishop Briggs
"Baggage"
3 mins 10s
5 Jun 2023
British-American singer Bishop Briggs embraces her sense of melodrama in this overwrought video for 'Baggage'. The singer - and a series of other characters - take on bright blue bruises which symbolise their emotional damage, acquired during various choreographed life events. It's a straightforward bit of symbolism, but one which is bound to appeal to the singer's existing coterie of enthusiastic fans.

Kodak Black
"The Don"
21 mins
5 Jun 2023
As far back as he can remember, Kodak Black always wanted to play a gangster. The Floridian rapper and trouble magnet gets his wish in 'The Don', a music video-cum-short film that tries so hard to make Black the new big cheese. The script is cheesy for sure ("Slow motion is better than no fuckin' motion"), but the grade and cinematography deserve credit.

Skiifall
"2 Charming"
2 mins 42s
5 Jun 2023
The passage of time takes on a dreamlike quality in this atmospheric promo for '2 Charming'. Caribbean-Canadian rapper Skiifall fuses dancehall beats with a drill sensibility, producing a globalised sound which draws in listeners of all stripes with its murky vibe and late-night atmosphere. Directing duo Rubberband capture that vibe perfectly in this promo, as it depicts the rapper hanging out in an empty parking lot.

Venbee
"Gutter (ft. Ren)"
2 mins 15s
5 Jun 2023
Chatham-born Erin Doyle (aka Venbee) condenses years of hurt and frustration into 'Gutter', a 2'15" rap sheet inspired by teenage turmoil and adult acceptance. "I should be dead in a gutter by now/Should be six feet under," Doyle raps, almost surprised that she made it past family trauma, relapses, and lockdown.

The Chainsmokers
"Self Destruction Mode (ft Bludnymph)"
2 mins 30s
4 Jun 2023
Two terminally edgy musical artists come together to glory in their "titanic egos" in the promo for 'Self Destruction Mode'. TikTok famous Bludnymph joins Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers in the partially animated piece, which sees the pair mug for the camera while flashes of digital enhancement suggests they're more comfortable inside a screen than IRL.

No Guidnce
"Is It A Crime"
2 mins 23s
4 Jun 2023
R'n'B newcomers No Guidnce rose to prominence, as so many of their peers do these days, via popular soundbites shared on TikTok. Whether their old school sound can keep their target audience's attention for a whole two and a half minutes remains to be seen, but this straightforward video of the band members performing in a rooftop car park ensures their vocals remain the star of the show.

Tenacious D
"Wicked Game"
1 min 50s
1 Jun 2023
You have to hand it to Tenacious D - after almost thirty years as a band, they're still having immense amounts of fun. While other longstanding groups split up, go to therapy, or make terrible music in an effort to recapture their glory days, Jack Black and Kyle Glass are busy putting out Chris Isaak covers and frolicking in the sea in their undies for the craic. When people use the phrase 'life goals', this is what they mean.

Lovejoy
"Portrait of a Blank Slate"
4 mins
1 Jun 2023
Brighton rockers Lovejoy get their heads examined in this intriguing promo for 'Portrait of a Blank Slate'. The band perform in a mostly-empty warehouse, before an array of mysterious, pseudo-scientific machines which monitor their impact on the brain of a man covered in sensors.

Dominic Fike
"Ant Pile"
2 mins 12s
31 May 2023
Florida native Dominic Fike has become known for celebrating his roots in his music promos, and that takes an intriguing new form in 'Ant Pile'. The singer flips through a series of projected images (including childhood pictures and references to his mother) in a darkened space, before taking a seat and allowing the sands of time to cascade over his hand. The cryptic, layered approach is sure to have fans clamouring to know more about the enigmatic artist.

The Blessing Business
"Moment in Time"
2 mins 55s
31 May 2023
Fans of Bon Iver and The National will be intrigued by 'Moment in Time' from up and coming indie group The Blessing Business. The accompanying promo's subdued visuals suit the track's acoustic vibe, offering glimpses into the creative process and flashes of animation which speak to a rich internal world. It's nothing we haven't heard or seen before, but it's executed with a sonic and visual deliberateness which should leave genre savvy listeners wanting more.

Jords
"Dirt in the Diamond"
20 mins 36s
1 Jun 2023
'Dirt in the Diamond', the debut album by Jords, comes with a twenty-minute short film directed by Renee Maria Osubu. Inspired by Jamaican mourning rituals like nine night – a celebration held before the funeral – the film centres on a family united in grief and joy after the death of Isaac.

Hozier
"Francesca"
4 mins 43s
31 May 2023
When asked to describe perennial Irish cryptid Hozier, the average fan might not highlight his live performances. The singer is known for his acoustic work more than anything else, the quiet strains of which seem like they may not translate to sold out shows in massive arenas. That assessment may change, however, after viewing the promo for 'Francesca'.

Queens of the Stone Age
"Emotion Sickness"
4 mins 30s
31 May 2023
Queens of the Stone Age aren't the first rock band to use 'Emotion Sickness' as a song title, but this promo makes their take on the phrase the most visually memorable. The multi-media effort from director Liam Lynch interprets each lyric in surreal fashion, plunging the viewer into a roiling mess of bull-headed assassins, cackling skulls, and mouse-faced punks out to seek and destroy.

Dua Lipa
"Dance The Night"
3 mins 31s
31 May 2023
The 'this Barbie is...' format is one of the most successful viral meme efforts of 2023, and Dua Lipa gets in on the action in this promo for 'Dance The Night'. A tie-in with the upcoming Barbie movie, the film sees the singer sport pink and glitter as she struts her stuff amidst clips from the film. It's well executed cheese, which fits the 'fantastic in plastic' vibe of the upcoming flick to a tee.

No Rome
"Brother"
3 mins 13s
31 May 2023
Like many of his peers, director Ben Brook is intrigued by the possibilities of artificial intelligence. He uses AI, archive footage, and live action in this No Rome promo, keen to show how technology both complements and contaminates reality. In a dystopian world full of screens, all the Filipino artist wants is some humanity.

Machine Gun Kelly
"Pressure"
4 mins 20s
30 May 2023
Machine Gun Kelly pivots back to rap as part of his continually transparent efforts to remain on trend for a young audience. The accompanying promo from long-time collaborator Sam Cahill is a mixture of familiar genre-based imagery (performing on a private jet and in front of luxury cars) and self-consciously 'offhand' reminders that Kelly is really famous and recognised by people everywhere he goes. Nothing ego-stroking about that at all...

Foo Fighters
"The Teacher"
10 mins 04s
30 May 2023
Clocking in at just over ten minutes, 'The Teacher' is the longest track perennial rock uncles the Foo Fighters have ever recorded. The accompanying promo is a fittingly epic effort from director Tony Oursler, who uses a mixed-media approach to take viewers on a whirlwind trip through the band's storied career.

Squid
"The Blades"
6 mins 40s
31 May 2023
As Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers once sang, the waiting is the hardest part. Charlotte Ritchie ('Ghosts', 'You') is pushed to the limit in this promo for 'The Blades', the latest noise epic from Squid. When a bored child wrecks the ticket queue system in a public building, Ritchie must wait until number 458 flashes up on the screen.

Lil Durk
"Pelle Coat (w. Alicia Keys)"
6 mins 17s
30 May 2023
Alicia Keys plays therapist in this intriguing promo for Lil Durk's new track 'Pelle Coat', which is unsurprisingly subtitled 'Therapy Session'. It's a shame that what begins as a complete conceptual departure for the rap genre soon returns to safe stereotypes, leaving the vulnerable behind in favour of shots of counting money and smoking weed. An extended sequence depicting the artist at prayer, however, wrestles the film's emotional tone back from the void.

Taylor Swift
"Karma (ft. Ice Spice)"
3 mins 25s
29 May 2023
Taylor Swift is back to her old tricks with the pretty, polished, and utterly soulless promo for latest track 'Karma'. For all certain factions of her 'Swiftie' fanbase talk up her song-writing abilities as though she were a modern day Emily Dickinson, most of the lyrics here serve as merch-ready soundbites which don't actually mean anything if you think about them for too long. We imagine "Karma is my boyfriend" is already printed on a mug somewhere.

Royal Blood
"Mountains at Midnight"
3 mins 07s
30 May 2023
Viewers sensitive to flashing lights should proceed with caution when viewing this kinetic promo for Royal Blood's 'Mountains at Midnight'. The monochrome effort depicts the sweatiest, most raucous gig you can imagine attending, bolstering the track's crunchy guitars and singer Mike Kerr's gleefully detached vocals by plunging viewers neck deep into a thrashing mosh pit.

Recent Promos
(1-25 of 25)

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