My Favourite Music Video: Andrew Telling on Kahlil Joseph's sublime Flying Lotus video

Filmmaker Andrew Telling is something of a rare gem in his industry, in that each film he makes bears his signature in every single shot, yet he’s able to shift seamlessly from one client to another. It’s pretty apt then that he picked an equally talented filmmaker for his favourite music video, Kahlil Joseph, whose short for Kenzo had us raving a couple of weeks back. He too has an inexplicable presence in his films, making sublime, quietly poetic works that leave his viewers stunned time and again. We owe Andrew a pat on the back for giving us an excuse to rewatch his masterpiece for Flying Lotus’ Until the Quiet Comes.

Andrew Telling – Flying Lotus: Until The Quiet Comes

I picked this Kahlil Joseph music video for Until The Quiet Comes because it’s the best collaboration between a filmmaker and a musician that I’ve ever seen. I remember when it came out at the beginning of 2012, I watched it again and again, talking to friends about it and bringing it up down the pub. It really struck a chord with me.

Why? Firstly, I love how Kahlil has chosen parts of songs from the Flying Lotus album to fit with his concept. I remember when I finally got hold of the record trying to find those specific moments and realising what he had done – he just made it so seamless. I’ve always loved the Norwegian Wood track by Jonny Greenwood, so to hear that resampled and then placed into a totally different context made this piece even more special for me.

Secondly, the film has this modern-day, dreamlike aesthetic capturing urban LA life. From the locations and mixed ages of the characters, to the more muted violent tones which are expressed through the dance-like movement from Storyboard P. Hey. There’s even a non-cheese Flyo cameo in there to boot.

There is also a great depth of colour throughout the piece – mostly due to the fact that it’s shot on 35mm film – and it adds this depth to the film. It also helps to develop the loose sense of freedom which runs throughout the short.

Maybe I’m biased as I’m a big fan of using music to lead any kind of story, but I guess that’s why this collaboration works for me on so many levels. For me, it’s a short film in its own right and not just another music video. I tip my hat to Kahlil.