Playlist: Henry Scholfield

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

CANADA’s video for Beck. It takes a simple premise; ‘sister rescues brother from party’ and creates something entirely other. This is what I think videos should do… i.e. let you look at the world sideways. 

What’s the first promo you remember being impressed by?

I remember catching the end of 99 Problems on MTV at my mate's house (he had satellite telly). It totally hooked me. I insisted on waiting for it to loop back round to watch again. In the end I watched it four times over 5 hours and my mate's mum basically had to kick me out. It’s still my favourite video.

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

See above. If I was to add another it would be Gondry’s Chemical Brother’s video, for the way it turns your head inside out.

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

In terms of inspiration I’ve always thought that it’s something you gotta let come to you rather than look for it and then you end up finding it in unexpected places. I like to fill my head with lots of quite different and disparate things. Like, I love the art of Anthony Gormley, and Olafur Eliasson, I’m a big fan of Alex Prager’s photography and any choreography by Wayne McGregor, but I also watch a lot of SNL sketches, crappy movies and spend too much time people watching. I’m sure I should sound more high-brow, but honestly,  it’s a real mix.

Compulsion #1 by Alex Pager, 2012.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’m listening to Billie Eilish and Vince Staples.

Billie Eilish

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

I’ve used this thing called a Titan on a couple of jobs recently. It’s like regular motion control, but bigger. The camera movement range is awesome.

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

Kendrick Lamar, because of how he let’s his lyricism translate visually in a metaphorical sense. And his music is kick ass .

Kendrick Lamar

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

Right now it seems to be getting back to allowing more creative concepts into the mix. There was a time when I started where the industry was heading into a really risk averse mind set.

Music videos have had a resurgence of late; where do you see the industry being in five years’ time?

Thriving I reckon.  With everyone on YouTube, Vivo, Vimeo it seems that an artist’s video is part of what defines the track. They’re becoming important again.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

I make a caramel macadamia cheesecake that’s the sweet-tooth equivalent of crack cocaine.