Provoked by a shared glance through a crowd, Jules Harbulot’s euphoric music video for LaFavi and RosalieDu38 track Memories takes us on a spiralling odyssey of intimacy and desire, blurring the lines of memory, future and imagination in just under two fleeting minutes. Cinematographer Mete Gültiken doesn’t waste a single second of the brief runtime, making precise use of film form, bombarding viewers’ senses with dizzying 360-degree movements, bird’s-eye angles and tactile lighting, evoking the warm sensation of being gazed upon. Paired with nimble match cuts, these images traverse time, evoking all the heightened passion and longing of a vast relationship in a singular ecstatic moment. The visuals are only intensified when paired with the track’s ethereal production, a fast BPM conjuring a disembodied headrush of desire. Having been nominated for Best Director at this year’s Berlin Music Video Awards, director/editor Harbulot joins DN to break down his meticulous editing process, choreographing subtle gestures with expressive cinematography and how he distilled intense emotion into a few brief seconds of performance.
What sparked the genesis of Memories?
The genesis of Memories was quite organic. My good friend, RosalieDu38, simply asked me to direct a video for one of his latest tracks, a collaboration with LaFavi, an artist based in the U.S. That was the straightforward beginning.
After RosalieDu38 and LaFavi approached you, did the idea come to you the moment you heard the track, or did the idea evolve more gradually?
The track is quite short, so I knew I had to keep the video concise. The idea didn’t hit me instantly; it evolved as I thought about what can emerge from something as simple as a glance—how much unspoken emotion and imaginary storytelling can come through in just a look. That idea of intensity in subtlety really stuck with me. I wanted to translate that feeling visually and use the edit to immerse the audience in that fleeting but powerful experience. It’s that feeling where everything happens at once, yet nothing truly happens, that I wanted to capture.
The idea didn’t hit me instantly; it evolved as I thought about what can emerge from something as simple as a glance—how much unspoken emotion and imaginary storytelling can come through in just a look.
You wore many hats: director, editor, exec producer. What freedoms or pressures came with that level of control?
Wearing multiple hats—director, editor, and co-financing the project as an executive producer—definitely came with both freedoms and pressures. The freedom was immense; I had complete control over the creative vision from conception to final cut, ensuring it aligned perfectly with what I envisioned. There was no creative compromise, which is invaluable. However, the pressure was equally significant, especially given the very low budget. It meant every decision, every resource, had to be meticulously managed. There was a constant need to balance my creative ambitions with those tight financial constraints. I’m incredibly grateful to my team, who believed in the idea and supported me every step of the way, making the impossible possible.
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The grainy texture gives the aesthetic a tactile and analog feel. Did you shoot on film or emulate that look digitally? What drew you to this aesthetic?
We emulated that grainy, tactile, and analog feel digitally. While shooting on film would have been wonderful, our limited budget necessitated a digital approach. What drew me to this aesthetic was its ability to convey a sense of intimacy and rawness. It adds a layer of timelessness and emotional depth, making the fleeting moments feel more visceral and real. It perfectly complements the idea of subtle, intense emotions that are at the heart of the film.
Memories’ concept is set up solely through a singular gaze. How did you go about directing Sarah Bramms and Vincent Justin’s performances within such a tight timeframe? And did your directorial approach differ when directing the more physically expressive moments?
Directing Sarah Bramms and Vincent Justin’s performances within such a tight timeframe, especially when the concept relies on a singular gaze, was all about subtlety and precision. We spent a lot of time in preparation, focusing on how even the slightest shift in their eyes or the most minute facial expression could convey complex and contrasting emotions. It was about creating an internal world that would manifest externally through their gaze.
When it came to the more physically expressive moments, my directorial approach definitely differed. While still emphasizing emotional depth, these scenes required a greater focus on choreography and body language to tell the story. However, even in these instances, the underlying principle remained the same: every movement, every touch, had to be imbued with the unspoken emotions we were exploring. It was about ensuring the physicality served the emotional narrative, never feeling cheap or gratuitous. Casting the right actors who could achieve this balance was paramount.
We spent a lot of time in preparation, focusing on how even the slightest shift in their eyes or the most minute facial expression could convey complex and contrasting emotions. It was about creating an internal world that would manifest externally through their gaze.
Your use of match cutting is so powerful. Can you talk us through how you achieved such a breathtaking effect?
The match cutting, especially as the couple falls onto the bed, was something I spent a lot of time envisioning during the conceptualization phase. The goal was to create a sense of seamless transition, almost as if time itself was folding in on the characters’ emotions. We achieved this through very precise planning during the shoot with my DP, ensuring the camera angles and the actors’ movements aligned perfectly between shots. In post-production, it was all about the timing. We meticulously cut frames to ensure the action flowed from one shot to the next almost imperceptibly, blurring the lines between different moments and emphasizing that feeling of everything happening at once. It’s a technique that truly immerses the audience in that fleeting but powerful experience I wanted to convey.
The visual style is so varied, ranging from extreme close-ups to ethereal, bird’s-eye wides. How did you work with DoP Mete Gültiken to develop such a cohesive visual language?
Developing such a cohesive visual language with Mete was a collaborative and iterative process. We started by thoroughly discussing the core idea of intensity and how to translate that visually. For the extreme close-ups, the aim was to dive into the micro-expressions and the unspoken emotions conveyed by a single glance. We worked on lighting and framing that would highlight these intimate details. For the ethereal, bird’s-eye wides, the intention was to provide a sense of detachment, almost like an external observer looking into a private, emotional space. The goal was for every shot, regardless of its scale, to contribute to the overall emotional arc and the film’s theme, making the transitions feel natural and intentional.
Can you tell us more about the post-production process? How did you approach cutting such a rhythmic piece?
Post-production was done in under a month, and it was a crucial phase, especially for a piece as rhythmic as this. My approach to cutting was highly influenced by the music itself. The track is short, and I wanted the visuals to mirror that conciseness and intensity. I treated the edit almost like a musical composition, focusing on the cadence and emotional beats. I really went on with my intuitions.
I treated the edit almost like a musical composition, focusing on the cadence and emotional beats.
Your directorial portfolio is so diverse in style and form. What can we expect to see from you next?
I have several different projects aligning, but my long-term focus is increasingly shifting toward narratives. I’m excited about exploring intimate human experiences and emotional depth through various forms. I can’t reveal much more just yet, but it will surely come up in the next few months!
