Oulun juhlaviikot: Kultapumpeli Heini Susannelle
32. Oulun Musiikkivideofestivaalit huipentuivat lauantai-iltana RioLivessä pidettyyn Pumpeligaalaan, jossa palkittiin vuoden parhaat pohjoismaiset ja kotimaiset musiikkivideot sekä niiden tekijät. Tämän vuoden Pumpelipalkinnot ovat taiteilija Irene Suosalon luomia digitaalisia 10 sekunnin animaatiolooppeja, jotka voi heijastaa seinälle tai katsoa ruudulta.
Kotimaisen musiikkivideokilpailun pääpalkinnon Kultapumpelin voitti Heini Susanne NCO:lle ohjaamastaan Ei rakkaut-videosta. Hän saa Pumpelipalkinnon lisäksi Kinos Rentalsin lahjoittaman 3001 euron lahjakortin. Kotimaisen kilpailun tuomaristoon kuuluivat tänä vuonna toimittaja Anton Vanha-Majamaa, Tromssan elokuvajuhlien johtaja Lisa Hoen ja elokuvaohjaaja Mika Ronkainen.
Tuomariston perustelut:
Teos tarjoaa valoisan tulkinnan yössä puurtavasta taksikuskista. Videossa on hyvät vibet ja se onnistuu kertomaan eheän tarinan. Kyseessä on täydellinen paketti, joka on upeasti leikattu, kuvattu, valaistu, värimääritelty ja näytelty. Lopputulos on vangitseva, emotionaalisesti vetoava lyhytelokuva.
Kaleva: Parhaat kotimaiset ja pohjoismaiset musiikkivideot valittiin Pumpeligaalassa
Promonews: NCO 'Ei Rakkaut' by Heini Susanne
Heini Susanne directs a neon-drenched promo for Finnish rapper NCO, telling the story of a taxi driver’s night in an unnamed city. Combining narrative and performance, the video for Ei Rakkaut was shot across two nights in Lisbon, set against liminal locations like corner shops, gas stations and bars.
The cinematography gives the video a warm, inticing atmosphere. Moody yet colourful visuals by DoP Noa Korhonen complements the dark but playful mood of the song with orange and green lighting hinting to the albums theme colour orange. Shot with a Sonyfx6 and Nikon Nikkor vintage lenses, with the use of Lensbaby effect lenses to depict the various states of intoxication of the partygoers, it's chaotic and hypnotic. A perfect match to the bouncy vibe of the track - anchored by a playful performance from the artist himself.
Promonews: OLI 'Better Than Before' by Heini Susanne
The latest in a longstanding collaboration between Finnish director Heini Susanne and London-based artist OLI is an autumnal celebration of friendship and movement in a natural setting.
Heini Susanne's video for Better Than Before - following the likes of Don't Give Up and Float - stylishly combines portraiture, fashion and dance with a cast of characters captured on wide-angled lenses to create a sense of abstraction and wit around the images.
"The video explores connectedness by playing with human bodies intertwining with each other and nature," says Heini Susanne. "With the help of our fantastic movement director Jack Traylen, we got to mould bodies into shape like sculptures.
"Talent is seen growing as part of the organic world. The steady, slow-moving parts of these human sculptures in nature are juxtaposed with fast-cut bits from a dance scene taking place in a man-made environment. The energy of the dance scene alters from calm to hectic which is reflected on camera movement and angles. "We used mainly the LAOWA 12mm to create a world that hopefully steps away from the everyday, keeping in line with OLI's dreamy, otherworldly music."
Promonews: OLI 'Float' by Heini Susanne
Heini Susanne directs a gorgeous promo for OLI's Float, taking inspiration from the film Where The Wild Things Are.
The latest in a long-standing collaboration between the artist and director, the video offers a peek to the fantastical world of childhood with a melancholic undertone, imbued with a strong sense of craft and a sharp eye for detail.
Filmed in Finland during the summer, Susanne makes the most of a blissful setting, skilfully drawing out splendid performances from the young cast, and managing to capture a complex, illusory snapshot of youth, which feels both intimate and dreamlike.
OCD UK: MIND by Tusks
Known professionally as Tusks, Emily was keen to be vocal about her condition and raise awareness about OCD and break the mould on the existing stereotype of OCD. So this week, she launched this hauntingly beautiful new video for ‘Mind’, taken from her brand new album ‘Avalanche’.
Having been given a preview of the video last week, OCD-UK Chief Executive Ashley Fulwood commented "This really is an haunting visualisation of what it can be like to have horrific thoughts intruding on every moment, of every day, Emily nailed it.
Billboard: Meet Jamie Hannah, the Opera-Trained Pop Upstart Signed by Boy George
Boy George tells Billboard in a statement that Hannah brings “a fresh look and sound to the music market, as well as to our LGBTQ community. I've never heard a voice like his before, and I believe his music will pierce through!”
Now, Hannah’s emotionally raw acoustic version of “Sound Of My Youth” is being accompanied by the young singer’s very first music video (premiering below). Directed by Heini Susanne, with creative input from Hannah himself, the video makes the viewer feel like they are looking in on something extremely personal and passionate -- and as Hannah puts it, “very ethereal. Very me.”
Promonews: Dilemma ft SOFA 'Kova' by Heini Susanne
Finnish rapper Dilemma breaks the mould in Heini Susanne's effervescent promo for Kova.
Celebrating culture, togetherness and a refreshing sense of vulnerability, the video – which also features the rap duo SOFA – shines a light on a variety of different personalities, assembling across a number of glossy performance vignettes.
Eye-catchingly vivid and absorbing, the video cuts between pastel-washed setups in an industrial location, and a rather abstract black and white concept in the forest.
One thing's for sure, Dilemma is here to shake up the status quo, and Heini Susanne is the perfect visual partner to help him do so.
FAME Magazine: OLI Reveals Synth Scaping New Single What Happened To You
The accompanying video, beautifully shot in an empty ballroom, solemnly captures the shattering nature of the song. OLI is seen alone, centre staged singing to an empty crowd, capturing the aching feeling of loneliness found at the heart of the song.
Promonews: OLI 'Think About It' by Heini Susanne
Heini Susanne directs a tender video for OLI's Think About It, featuring genuine home movies of the artist growing up. […] Chromatic lighting and projection effects bring the visual to life, anchoring the concept in a poignant and reflective space.
Promonews: OLI 'When It All Goes Quiet' by Heini Susanne
Heini Susanne continues her longstanding collaboration with OLI, with this video for When It All Goes Quiet. The video features the artist returning home after a long night, and her moments of 'stolen time' before going to bed.
The use of vintage Petzvalux lenses, painterly compositions and creative lighting gives the video a solitary, peaceful yet melancholic feel, and this is elevated further by the inspired grade. Pushing colours towards earthly green and burnt copper tones, the video evokes a gently surreal vibe, inkeeping with the themes of the concept.
RUMBA: Dilemma ja Sofa elävät kovaa
”Musiikkivideolla halutaan murtaa rapin narratiiveja ja rikastaa suomalaisen hiphop-kulttuurin kuvastoa.” […] Musiikkivideon ohjauksesta vastaa Heini Susanne. Heini Susanne on kansainvälisesti verkostoitunut video-ammattilainen, jonka CV:stä löytyy yhteistyötä muun muassa Spice Girlsin projektin parissa.
Notion: ‘Mind’ by Tusks
With a goal of educating whilst taking you on a journey through Tusks’ inner-workings, the artist revealed “The aim of the video was to portray what it’s like living with a type of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) called Harm OCD, which I have struggled with over the past few years and is what Mind was written about.
Watch the gorgeous and insightful video for ‘Mind’ below!
Notion: OLI – Think About It
OLI has been a backing singer for Boy George and features Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan on one of her upcoming singles. Working with her long-term producer Benny D – also the brains behind many of Stormzy, Paloma Faith, and Plan B’s tracks – OLI’s first two songs, “Happy” and “What Happened to You?”, have already turned heads.
FMS Magazine: – OLI REVEALS VIDEO FOR ETHEREAL NEW SINGLE ‘THINK ABOUT IT’
OLI is the rising British alt-pop artist whose latest track, ‘Think About It’, is a deep dive into the singer-songwriter’s past. Released alongside a soothing video that patches together real-life home movies from the singer’s childhood, both pieces come together to create a deep and introspective experience.
Fame Magazine: OLI Gets Reflective On New Single
London based singer-songwriter OLI has returned with her first release of 2021, Think About It. An incredibly personalised track with an equally tender music video constructed partially from old home footage.
Both song and video evoke feelings of nostalgia, and the process of growing up in an existential and intelligent manner, as the song follows the maturity process of the British artist.
Music Crowns: OLI Reveals Dream-Pop Single ‘Think About It’
London-based singer/songwriter OLI returns with a gorgeous and reflective new single ‘Think About It’. The song is accompanied by a heart-warming video, featuring real-life home movies of the artist growing up.
CLOUT: OLI – Happy
Accompanying the track is its video. A beautifully shot, low key affair that provides an gentle yet captivating backdrop for OLI’s unique, non-conformist sound. The track and its video paint a picture of big things to come from the artist, there is a dreamy effortlessness to her sound that evokes euphoric, daydream-like feelings, and this video serves to emphasise this sense of carefree spirit.
FMS Magazine: OLI IS HERE TO MAKE YOU ‘HAPPY’
Despite OLI’s initial feeling of helplessness towards her family members despair, ‘Happy’ has proven her musicality and artistry to be a perfect antidote to mental difficulties, while the music video captures a nostalgic atmosphere with vibrant summer visuals that evoke a positive mood.
Caesar: OLI Shares Debut Single ‘Happy’
To accompany the release, OLI shared its dreamy music video, directed by Heini Susanne, which you can check out below!
FAME Magazine: OLI Reveals New Single HAPPY Alongside Video
The accompanying music video uplifts us even more with nostalgically colourful visuals that naturally remove any sombre lyrical tones.
Happy is a debut that can lift anyone who is down in the dumps.
Alfitude: OLI – Happy
Wolf In A Suit: Music Video: Happy by OLI
At Cost Magazine: OLI – Happy
A Little More Vodka, a Little Less Milk: Dormant
There is something jarringly optimistic about the salvation in the message that Sandtimer’s Dormant brings to what seems at the onset as a very down take on personal depression. It’s a song about going through the motions, about not making waves and the feelings of loneliness that just existing can bring. But it is hope, not depression, that wins in the end.
Wolf In A Suit: Music Video: What Happened To You by OLI
Alfitude: OLI – What Happened To You
The Harvie Post: OLI – WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU
Alfitude: OLI – Think About It
Analoguetrash: New Music: OLI – Better Than Before
OLI has a voice that threads pop, soul, and Americana together, aching with emotion while maintaining a wonderful sense of poise and stilled beauty. Though its lush orchestration will be a pleasure to hear at any time of the day, Better Than Before will make an ideal addition to your late-night listening playlists.
Be sure to watch the visually stunning clip that accompanies the release. You can listen to Better Than Before and more music from OLI on Deezer, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music.
PME Records: NCO julkaisi viimeisen singlen enne shawty-albumia!
Tuleva shawty-albumi on ehyt ja vangitseva kokonaisuus, joka käy läpi eron eri vaiheita. Levyltä on aiemmin kuultu mm. Ei Rakkaut, jossa soi yön hiljaisuus ja hetkellisen yhteyden kaipuu sekä leikkisä ovelan koukuttavaksi tehty Blastoise. Portugalissa kuvattu Ei Rakkaut -musiikkivideo palkittiin Oulun musiikkivideofestivaaleilla parhaan kotimaisen videon pääpalkinnolla – Kultapumpelilla. Kokonaisuudesta vastaavat tuotannollisesti pääosin Miikka Koivisto ja A&R-roolissa toimii Henri Pulkkinen.
Wikipedia: Oulun musiikkivideofestivaalit
