Aoife McArdle
Aoife McArdle is a film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.[1] She is best known for directing music videos for Jon Hopkins,[2][3][4][5][6] U2[7][8][9][10] and Bryan Ferry and television commercials for Honda,[11] Samsung,[12] Audi, Under Armour,[13] Nike, PlayStation and Absolut. Her debut feature-length film, 'Kissing Candice', premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017 and at Berlin International Film Festival in February 2018.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]
Early life
Aoife McArdle grew up in Omagh, Northern Ireland.
She studied English Literature and Film at Trinity College, Dublin before going on to complete a Masters in Film & TV production at Bournemouth University. There she specialised in script-writing, directing, cinematography and lighting.
Her first music video as a solo director 'Isles' for Little Comets[22] won Best Music Video at Rushes Soho Shorts[23] in 2011 and was nominated for Best Indie Music Video and Best Editing at the UK Music Video Awards 2011.
Artistic style
Her narratives often centre around young people and themes of escape. [24] [25]
McArdle's visual style is characterised by distinctive, exterior locations, long, choreographed tracking and crane shots, low-key lighting and vivid colours. She favours anamorphic lenses and shooting on 35mm film.[26]
Filmography
Feature films
2018 | Kissing Candice | Irish Film Board | [27] |
Music videos
2020 | 'Trouble in Town' | Coldplay | |
2015 | 'Every Breaking Wave' | U2 | [7][8][9][10][28] |
2014 | 'Loop De Li' | Bryan Ferry | [16][29][30][31] |
2014 | 'Half-Light' | Wilkinson | [32][33] |
2013 | 'Open Eye Signal' | Jon Hopkins | [2][3][4][5][6][34] |
2013 | 'Red Dust | James Vincent McMorrow | [35] |
2013 | 'Glacier' | James Vincent McMorrow | [35] |
2013 | 'Cavalier' | James Vincent McMorrow | [35][36] |
2012 | 'Lesson Number Seven' | Clock Opera | [37] |
2012 | 'Seraphim' | Simian Mobile Disco | [23] |
2011 | 'Desire' | Anna Calvi | [38] |
2011 | 'Isles' | Little Comets | [22] |
Short films
2013 | 'Italy, Texas: Wild Souls in the Hot, Blind Earth' | Vice/55DSL | [23][39][40] |
2013 | 'Beyond the Fervent Heat' | Design Forum | [41] |
Television
2020 | Brave New World | Peacock | 2 episodes |
Awards
- 2018 Nominated for Crystal Bear, Best Film in Generation 14plus at the Berlin International Film Festival for Kissing Candice.
- 2018 Winner of Graphite Pencil for Best Direction at D&AD Awards for 'Equal Love', Absolut
- 2014 in Book for Cinematography at D&AD Awards for 'Open Eye Signal', Jon Hopkins
- 2013 Winner of Best Cinematography at UK Music Video Awards for 'Open Eye Signal', Jon Hopkins[34]
- 2011 Winner of Best Music Video at Rushes Soho Shorts for 'Isles', Little Comets[23]
- 2009 Winner of Best Commercial at Art Director's Club Paris for 'Ideal Man', GQ Magazine[23]
- 2008 Winner of Bronze Lion at Cannes for 'Ideal Man', GQ Magazine[23]
References
- "50 people to watch in 2018". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- Minsker, Evan (24 April 2013). "Jon Hopkins' "Open Eye Signal" Video Features a Skateboarding Odyssey". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
"The first single from Immunity is called "Open Eye Signal", and it is eight minutes long. Its accompanying video was directed by Aoife McArdle." Evan Misker
- Stout, Lyndy (26 April 2013). "On the Road". One Point Four Magazine. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- Cut, Final. "Jon Hopkins 'Open Eye Signals' Director's Cut". Retrieved 24 November 2015 – via Vimeo.
- Beta, Andy. "Jon Hopkins on His Stellar New Album 'Immunity'". MTV Hive. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
"I find it really important to work with amazing visual artists for videos and sleeves – for example Aoife McArdle's "Open Eye Signal" video is just the perfect visualization of the track." Jon Hopkins
- "Musikvideo der Woche: Jon Hopkins – Open Eye Signal". detektor.fm. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- The Creator's Project. "Every Breaking Wave". Vice UK. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- Grow, Kory (23 February 2015). "U2 Relive Northern Ireland's Violent Past in 'Every Breaking Wave' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- Munday, Rob (15 February 2015). "Every Breaking Wave". Short of the Week. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
Whilst U2's involvement in this long-form music video from Northern Irish writer/director/photographer Aoife McArdle will almost certainly steal most of the headlines, strip away their participation in this project (and even their music) and you'd still be left with a powerful and assertive piece of filmmaking tackling themes of love and conflict. Taking its audience back to the streets of Northern Ireland in the early 1980s, McArdle's 13-minute film throws its viewers into the violent conflicts of the time, with its high-energy tempo and passionate-performances making it a short you don't dare take your eyes off for one-second.
- Payne, Chris (13 February 2015). "Watch U2 Revisit Its Irish Punk Past in 'Every Breaking Wave' Short Film". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
U2 teamed with Irish director Aoife McArdle and the Creators Project to bring two Songs of Innocence tracks to life via a longform music video.
- Diaz, Ann-Christine (14 August 2015). "Honda Blasts Off in Brand Campaign From W&K London". Creativity Online. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- "Let Samsung Take You Through Some Intense Emotions in Aoife McArdle's New Spot". Little Black Book. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- "Bryce Harper Faces a Barrage of Numbers in Latest From Under Armour – Video – Creativity Online". Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- Roche, Simon (10 January 2014). "Faces of 2014: Aoife McArdle". State magazine. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
"McArdle is already contributing so much to the way we have been enjoying music. Aside from the work with Hopkins, a triptych of short films for James Vincent McMorrow's Post Tropical album is getting incrementally released, with one yet to come. The two artists she would ideally love to work with are poles apart (and will be revealed in our Faces e-publication coming soon) and she's also diving head first into writing and directing her first feature film. 2014 will be a year of sweat and long days for her so keep watching the screens, and in due course, the awards shows." Simon Roche
- Barter, Pavel (19 March 2015). "Scene that done that". Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- Meagher, John (23 November 2014). "Epic TV ads that sell us Christmas cheer and festive fun". The Irish Independent. Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
McArdle is currently at work on her first feature film and has just finished making a pop video for Bryan Ferry. She does not feel that her ad work – which also includes a striking one for Electric Ireland's sponsorship for the Minor Football and Hurling Championships – compromises her artistic merits as a filmmaker and points out that Christmas commercials, in particular, are getting ever more cinematic and ambitious.
- "Film 2017: Coming to a big screen near you this year". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- "Toronto International Film Festival". tiff.net. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- "TIFF Review: 'Kissing Candice' Oozes Sexuality and Dark Glamour". The Film Stage. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- "| Berlinale | Press | Press Releases | Generation – Generation 2018: Reflecting Reality". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- "'Kissing Candice' to Premiere at Berlin International Film Festival | Film Ireland". filmireland.net. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- Bec, Alex (20 September 2010). "Aoife McArdle: The Isles". It's Nice That Magazine. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Behind Magazine. "55DSL present ITALY, TEXAS a movie by Aofie McArdle". behindmagazine.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
As a director, Aoife McArdle is part realist, part dreamer with an eye for beautiful imagery. Her directing style blends a documentary-like approach with cool, cinematic visuals and a mesmerising atmosphere. Thanks to a knack for humour and a bonafide love of film and literature, Aoife's showreel has a healthy dose of wit and the brains to match. Aoife first made her name as a director in the world of commercials, making spots for the likes of Nike, GQ and Becks to name a few, and has so far been decorated with two Clios, a Cannes Lion and an award at The Art Director's Club in Paris. Since venturing into the music video scene, Aoife has made waves with videos that include a hypnotic promo for Simian Mobile Disco and a stark picture of modern British life for Little Comets, which earned the RSSF Best Music Video title in 2011.
- Lee, Jenny. "Arts Q&A: Film director Aoife McArdle on Flannery O'Connor, PJ Harvey and gay marriage". The Irish News. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- "have an exclusive look at the trailer for aoife mcardle's debut feature film". I-d. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- MVOD. "INTERVIEW – AOIFE MCARDLE". mvod.tv. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- "Film 2017: Coming to a big screen near you this year". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- U2. "Every Breaking Wave". IMDb.
- Gee, Catherine (5 November 2014). "Loop De Li exclusive video". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
The video for Loop De Li, the first single from Avonmore, is now available to watch exclusively on Telegraph.co.uk. Directed by Aoife McArdle, it imagines a wealthy American Psycho-style character in Britain (played by Sam Woodhams) who lives a playboy lifestyle and violently murders his friends.
- Diaz, Jesus (10 October 2014). "Bryan Ferry's new video is an intriguing orgy of sex and violence". sploid.gizmodo.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
The disturbing video directed by Aoife McArdle is great, featuring what it looks like a-clockwork-orangy, sexually-ambiguous young Ferry.
- Gil, Pacopepe (27 December 2014). "Loop De Li. Bryan Ferry". loff.it.
"El videoclip de "Loop De Li" está dirigido por Aoife Mcardle, en cuyo currículo figura haber hecho clips para James Vincent McMorrow, Jon Hopkins, Simian Mobile Disco, Clock Opera, Anna Calvi o Little Comets. Con una ambientación muy cuidada nos presenta a un grupo de jóvenes con un comportamiento muy indulgente, que degenera en excesivo y que finalmente se les va de las manos y termina con trágicas consecuencias. Recuerda en algunos momentos la inquietante estética de la película del cineasta austriaco Michael Haneke, "Funny Games".
- Hunger TV. "Premiere: Wilkinson – Half Light". hungertv.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- Pedrosa, C. "Wilkinson, "Half Light" (Aoife McArdle)". topoftheclips.com. Top of the Clips. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- UK Music Video Awards. "UK Music Video Awards Winners 2013". ukmva.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- "La trilogie vidéo de James Vincent McMorrow enfin terminée". Les Inrocks. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
C'est le genre de chose qui peut arriver quand on donne carte blanche à quelqu'un : il y a un an, alors que James Vincent McMorrow sortait son album Post Tropical, il annonçait que les clips seraient réalisés par l'Irlandaise Aoife McArdle et qu'il s'agirait d'une trilogie.
- Balfe, John (1 November 2013). "James Vincent McMorrow unveils 'Cavalier', first video from new album 'Post Tropical'". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
The video was directed by Aoife McArdle, who has previously helmed offerings from the likes of Jon Hopkins, Beck and Anna Calvi, and was conceived as the first part of a trilogy.
- Marvilli, Joe. "Video: Clock Opera – "Lesson No. 7"". consequencesofsound.net. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
Director: Aoife McArdle
- Bevan, David (22 June 2011). "Anna Calvi: "Desire"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
"Desire" is the latest single from London-based singer-songwriter Anna Calvi's self-titled debut, out now on Domino. In the Aoife McArdle-directed visual companion, the guitar-slinging chanteuse shakes a house with her crescendos.
- Frizzi Frizzi. "55DSL ti racconta come si vive in un'Italia di 1800 abitanti nel Nord-Est dello stato dei cowboy". frizzifrizzi.it. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
Ed è andata (benissimo) per il Texas, con un cortometraggio girato da Aoife McArdle, regista irlandese specializzata in pubblicità e videoclip, qua in una sorta di stato di grazia, alle prese con la vita di un paesino sperduto e con tutte le sue meravigliose banalità, con l'amicizia e con l'amore, quello semplice e luminoso, tra due ragazzini (interpretati da Brenden Reza e Gillian Vanderslice, entrambi texani purosangue).
- Bang, Anna (23 February 2013). "Italy, Texas | Aoife McArdle | 55DSL". Volt Magazine. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- Stout, Lyndy. "Beyond the Fervent Heat: Interview with Aoife McArdle". onepointfour.co. Retrieved 24 November 2015.