Take a Trip into a Gen Z Alice in Wonderland for Piri & Tommy's Surreal Music Video

Common People Films have recently produced the latest promo for TikTok sensations Piri & Tommy ‘On & On’ directed by the very talented Deadhorses. A directing duo from North London, Deadhorses specialise in stylistically driven, hyperreal, music videos and commercials. With a keen eye for the morbid and surreal, their vibrant catalogue stands out for its kinetic pacing and detailed narratives.

Director Deadhorses (James & Ivo): "Making ‘On and On’ was a great opportunity to express our post, effects driven style for this super bouncy bedroom-pop banger. Pitched as a gen-z Alice in Wonderland, the narrative revolves around P&T accidentally eating psychedelic frog filled hot-dogs at a backyard BBQ in a fabricated nuke-town. Piri and Tommy begin tripping balls and spinning between chaotic, colourful realms and insane dimensions. They sober up back at the BBQ just as a nuke is dropped onto them. The frogs, which hop and leap over P&T’s charred skeletons, are the only things to survive the blast To make this video feel trippy but not overripe we felt it was important to have physical elements such the platforms, outfits and props so that there was always a tangible aspect to each scene which stopped them spilling over into complete insanity. In ‘Alice in Wonderland’ the psychedelia comes from things being either too big or too small and so we thought it would be funny to have P&T dance on oversized flower beds and enter this spatially disoriented world via spinning 360-camera transitions." 

"A huge thanks is due to the wicked team over at Common People Films, especially Ramy Dance the Producer who helped us turn this fantasy dream into a material reality. Malcolm, a good-mate and brilliant DoP, took his craft and skill in building abnormal camera rigs to another level, drilling a goal-post rig together out of loose construction poles on-set. Working through his lunch break he always gives it the full monty. We achieved the overhead 360-camera movements with ease and aplomb, lifting the rig over and under our set. Our Art Director Soo was also incredible in rallying together their team and pulling off some mad sets which dissolved perfectly in with our 3D-backdrops. They constructed giant water lily pads and sunflower heads which acted as revolving platforms for P&T. Our colourist Megan at ETC was amazing, she really gave the shots a rich, vibrant bounciness and understood the film’s bizarre 'look' at an almost telepathic level. And lastly a huge thanks to Emily Jeffery from Polydor for believing in our vision and allowing us the time in post to achieve what we set out to do."

"‘On and On’ is a great display of our style and the techniques we use to craft our films and we are very excited about all the opportunities still to come :)"

Ramy Dance EP: “It was really inspiring working with James & Ivo! Witnessing their craft and work ethic was incredible and a pleasure to produce. From the minute we saw their work we knew they had something special and we’re really looking forward to developing them and our relationship further. They’re bursting with ideas and new techniques. We feel their “on trend” style is easily transferable to brand work, appeals to a younger audience and is really exciting.”