Luke Losey
Encyclopedia
Luke Losey is an award winning film director, lighting designer and photographer. His visually arresting work has been seen in avant-garde
, theatre and mainstream media.
(Little Malcolm, If, Agatha, Babylon) and former British ballerina Sally Chesterton; and the grandson of Palme d'Or
winning director Joseph Losey
(The Servant, The Go-Between, Don Giovanni) and fashion designer Elizabeth Hawes
. He has one uncle, actor Joshua Losey, and one brother, film director Marek Losey
. He was raised in Paddington, London where he attended Hallfield Infants and Junior School in Royal Oak and then Hampstead comprehensive in Kilburn, North London. He left school without qualifications in 1984, and he is dyslexic.
. In 1975 a chance viewing of Kubrick
’s 2001
and the gift of a Brownie camera led to him becoming obsessed with capturing images, especially sunsets.
After leaving school in 1984 he worked as a runner on film sets and for production companies. He worked on Derek Jarman
’s film Carravagio, as the floor runner. He spent much of the mid to late 1980s working as an art department runner / assistant on films, music videos and ads. Involvement in the early rave and squatting scene in north London led to him getting involved in lighting and film projection, taking advantage of the abandoned buildings left from post war London. The squatting and rave scene summed up the DIY ethic of that time.
In the early 1990s he met UK electronic band Orbital
. With video artist Giles Thacker he created the visual elements of Orbital’s live show, a fusion of carefully prepared visuals and lighting that flew in the face of the staid fractal influenced imagery of the day, with wry observations on everyday life. A break away from the scene that was seen as radical at the time, it was much lauded and copied.
In 1996 Losey and Jes Benstock co-directed a music video for Orbital's single, "The Box
", starring Tilda Swinton
and inspired by time-lapse
animation. The promo won a silver spire for the Best Short Film at the San Francisco film festival, and got nominated for the best video award at the 1996 MTV awards. It also closed the Edinburgh film festival, opened the London film festival, screened at Sundance
and made almost every festival that year. Losey then created a second music video for Orbital
in 1998 called Style, with Jonathan Charles as director of animation. Style also uses stop motion
animation throughout and is a surreal take on Kafka's Metamorphosis, influenced by the work of Jan Švankmajer. Both The Box and Style continue to be widely shown.
In 1996 he formed avant-garde
/ electronica
collaboration Pressure of Speech, with cult music producer and engineer Mickey Mann and DJ Stika. Pressure of Speech recorded two albums (Art of the State and Our Common Past, Our Common Future), both of dark electronic folk music with strong political overtones. He had earlier spoken out against the 1994 Criminal Justice Act
. The live shows moved still further away from the happy upbeat ‘E’ related imagery of their peers into a darker more challenging show that took its visual cues from the conspiracy, paranoia and growing uncertainty about our environment. Pressure of Speech was John Peel
’s favourite band for a time.
In 1997 he was one of the four key artists who curated and collaborated a multi media installation that spanned 18 rooms in the basement of Shoreditch town hall. Entitled Incarceration
, it dealt with all aspects of the title from imprisonment, zoos, disability and mental illness Using the tools of contemporary media Incarceration was seen as an antidote to the hedonistic Brit Art of the time, most specifically the Sensation exhibition
at the Royal academy. Incarceration was the culmination of two years work and was seen by thousands of visitors.
(directing the video for his 1999 version of Adagio for Strings
) and Mercury Rev
. After a period directing TV adverts Luke moved with his young family to Australia, where he continued to direct and pursue photography. Periodically returning to the UK to design live shows for bands including The Libertines
, Turin Brakes
, The Verve
and more recently Magazine and Mott the Hoople
. In 2009 he shot the video for the cover of Gang Of Four’s Damaged Goods by Gaz Coombes
and Danny Goffey
’s side project The Hotrats. In July 2010 he joined Shameless, the new music video division of production company Park Village.
His most recent work has included a number of internet viral campaigns, a return to photography and advertising work and several short films, most notably i in 2007, a two-minute shot of an eyeball featuring industrial sounds, which won the Best Sound Design award at the Hamburg Film Festival and was shown at the Rushes Short Film Festival and the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and The Promise in 2009, also shown at the Ann Arbor Film festival. It garnered critical acclaim but its dark subject matter, a slow-motion depiction of a woman being executed, limited its distribution. He is now UK based. He exhibited work at the Latitude
Contemporary Art Exhibition in 2010.
. He has most recently directed a major 3D advertisement for ‘Ralph Lauren’ and a cinema release short film for ‘Mulberry’.
Luke is researching a drama called Subject 8 with producer Liam Garvo
and Coral Bark Productions. This short film is set in 1975 and explores the rise and fall of The Institute for Neurological Research, Leningrad. In the 1950s the institute was the world's leading research facility for ESP and Parapsychology, but in the mid 1970s, after years of insupportable claims, the institute was discredited and fell into decline. This project is in the early stages of production and fundraising.
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
, theatre and mainstream media.
Background and early life
Losey is the son of film producer Gavrik LoseyGavrik Losey
Gavrik Losey is an American born key participant in various aspects of filmmaking including producer and production manager.Gavrik was born in New York, the son of film director Joseph Losey and fashion designer Elizabeth Hawes. He attended the Little Red SchoolHouse in Manhattan, Poughkeepsie Day...
(Little Malcolm, If, Agatha, Babylon) and former British ballerina Sally Chesterton; and the grandson of Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
winning director Joseph Losey
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey was an American theater and film director. After studying in Germany with Bertolt Brecht, Losey returned to the United States, eventually making his way to Hollywood...
(The Servant, The Go-Between, Don Giovanni) and fashion designer Elizabeth Hawes
Elizabeth Hawes
Elizabeth Hawes was an American clothing designer, outspoken critic of the fashion industry, and champion of ready to wear and people's right to have the clothes they desired, rather than the clothes dictated to be fashionable...
. He has one uncle, actor Joshua Losey, and one brother, film director Marek Losey
Marek Losey
Marek Losey is a British-American film director and the third generation of film maker in the Losey family.-Background and early life:...
. He was raised in Paddington, London where he attended Hallfield Infants and Junior School in Royal Oak and then Hampstead comprehensive in Kilburn, North London. He left school without qualifications in 1984, and he is dyslexic.
Early career
As a child he was obsessed with science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. In 1975 a chance viewing of Kubrick
Kubrick
is a line of collectible block-style figures and associated products created by Japanese toy company MediCom Toy Inc. Kubrick figures are produced in three scales, designated as 100% , 400% , and 1000%...
’s 2001
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
and the gift of a Brownie camera led to him becoming obsessed with capturing images, especially sunsets.
After leaving school in 1984 he worked as a runner on film sets and for production companies. He worked on Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
’s film Carravagio, as the floor runner. He spent much of the mid to late 1980s working as an art department runner / assistant on films, music videos and ads. Involvement in the early rave and squatting scene in north London led to him getting involved in lighting and film projection, taking advantage of the abandoned buildings left from post war London. The squatting and rave scene summed up the DIY ethic of that time.
In the early 1990s he met UK electronic band Orbital
Orbital (band)
Orbital are a British electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, England consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows...
. With video artist Giles Thacker he created the visual elements of Orbital’s live show, a fusion of carefully prepared visuals and lighting that flew in the face of the staid fractal influenced imagery of the day, with wry observations on everyday life. A break away from the scene that was seen as radical at the time, it was much lauded and copied.
In 1996 Losey and Jes Benstock co-directed a music video for Orbital's single, "The Box
The Box (Orbital song)
"The Box" is a single by the British electronica duo Orbital. Taken from their 1996 album In Sides, the single was released in 1996 and reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.-The song:...
", starring Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
and inspired by time-lapse
Time-lapse
Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured is much lower than that which will be used to play the sequence back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing...
animation. The promo won a silver spire for the Best Short Film at the San Francisco film festival, and got nominated for the best video award at the 1996 MTV awards. It also closed the Edinburgh film festival, opened the London film festival, screened at Sundance
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and made almost every festival that year. Losey then created a second music video for Orbital
Orbital (band)
Orbital are a British electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, England consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows...
in 1998 called Style, with Jonathan Charles as director of animation. Style also uses stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation throughout and is a surreal take on Kafka's Metamorphosis, influenced by the work of Jan Švankmajer. Both The Box and Style continue to be widely shown.
In 1996 he formed avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
/ electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
collaboration Pressure of Speech, with cult music producer and engineer Mickey Mann and DJ Stika. Pressure of Speech recorded two albums (Art of the State and Our Common Past, Our Common Future), both of dark electronic folk music with strong political overtones. He had earlier spoken out against the 1994 Criminal Justice Act
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It introduced a number of changes to the existing law, most notably in the restriction and reduction of existing rights and in greater penalties for certain "anti-social" behaviours...
. The live shows moved still further away from the happy upbeat ‘E’ related imagery of their peers into a darker more challenging show that took its visual cues from the conspiracy, paranoia and growing uncertainty about our environment. Pressure of Speech was John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
’s favourite band for a time.
In 1997 he was one of the four key artists who curated and collaborated a multi media installation that spanned 18 rooms in the basement of Shoreditch town hall. Entitled Incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
, it dealt with all aspects of the title from imprisonment, zoos, disability and mental illness Using the tools of contemporary media Incarceration was seen as an antidote to the hedonistic Brit Art of the time, most specifically the Sensation exhibition
Sensation exhibition
Sensation was an exhibition of the collection of contemporary art owned by Charles Saatchi, including many works by Young British Artists, which first took place 18 September – 28 December 1997 at the Royal Academy of Art in London and later toured to Berlin and New York...
at the Royal academy. Incarceration was the culmination of two years work and was seen by thousands of visitors.
Later work
Luke directed many music videos in the late 1990s and into the new century, including work for William OrbitWilliam Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
(directing the video for his 1999 version of Adagio for Strings
Adagio for Strings
Adagio for Strings is a work by Samuel Barber, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11. Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year as he wrote the quartet...
) and Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker , Jonathan Donahue , Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a...
. After a period directing TV adverts Luke moved with his young family to Australia, where he continued to direct and pursue photography. Periodically returning to the UK to design live shows for bands including The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
, Turin Brakes
Turin Brakes
Turin Brakes are a modern folk duo, comprising Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, hailing from Balham, London. They had a UK top 5 hit with their song "Painkiller ".-1999–2003:...
, The Verve
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
and more recently Magazine and Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
. In 2009 he shot the video for the cover of Gang Of Four’s Damaged Goods by Gaz Coombes
Gaz Coombes
Gaz Coombes is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the English alternative rock band, Supergrass. He first entered the music scene aged sixteen as the lead singer of the band The Jennifers which featured Supergrass band mate Danny Goffey...
and Danny Goffey
Danny Goffey
Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974 in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) is an English musician and singer-songwriter best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the English Britpop band, Supergrass...
’s side project The Hotrats. In July 2010 he joined Shameless, the new music video division of production company Park Village.
His most recent work has included a number of internet viral campaigns, a return to photography and advertising work and several short films, most notably i in 2007, a two-minute shot of an eyeball featuring industrial sounds, which won the Best Sound Design award at the Hamburg Film Festival and was shown at the Rushes Short Film Festival and the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and The Promise in 2009, also shown at the Ann Arbor Film festival. It garnered critical acclaim but its dark subject matter, a slow-motion depiction of a woman being executed, limited its distribution. He is now UK based. He exhibited work at the Latitude
Latitude Festival
The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006....
Contemporary Art Exhibition in 2010.
Upcoming projects
Luke is currently working on on a film adaptation of Jessica Albarn's fairy tale book 'The boy in the oak', which is being produced by Alcove EntertainmentAlcove Entertainment
Alcove Entertainment is an independent film production and finance company, based in the UK and the UAE. Alcove Entertainment has occasionally acted as a distributor for its own films. The company was founded by Amina Dasmal and Robin Fox in 2005.-Company:...
. He has most recently directed a major 3D advertisement for ‘Ralph Lauren’ and a cinema release short film for ‘Mulberry’.
Luke is researching a drama called Subject 8 with producer Liam Garvo
Liam Garvo
Liam Garvo is an awarding winning producer who has worked on music videos, TV adverts, and numerous short films.-Background and early life:Liam was born William Chadwick Pollard on 9 September 1977 in Pasadena, Texas USA. He grew up in Lake Jackson, Texas, and graduated from high school in 1996....
and Coral Bark Productions. This short film is set in 1975 and explores the rise and fall of The Institute for Neurological Research, Leningrad. In the 1950s the institute was the world's leading research facility for ESP and Parapsychology, but in the mid 1970s, after years of insupportable claims, the institute was discredited and fell into decline. This project is in the early stages of production and fundraising.