Short Form

Short Form rethinks how short-form media operates in contemporary culture. The book focuses on some of the most influential works in music videos and advertising, tracing how these formats evolved and why they became so culturally significant — through forty years of work by the iconic British production company Academy Films.

Inside is a generous collection of behind-the-scenes materials: production photos, storyboards, still frames, script notes, archival fragments and other details that bring the making of cult short-form films to life. Among them are works that shaped pop culture itself: Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity,” Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” FKA Twigs’ “M3LL155X,” as well as legendary campaigns for Guinness, Channel 4 and Levi’s.

The publication includes a foreword by Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest, Under the Skin) and several essays by key voices in screen culture, examining the history of these works and how short film functions today in the age of online media, clips, fast viewing and visual overload.