Shot on the UK coast, Octopus Inc's music video unfolds through performance and shifting conditions, with unpredictable weather shaping its final form
Octopus Inc's Favourite Colour: Black has unveiled 'Rise Up', a music video shaped as much by instinct as by intention, where an unexpected shift in weather transformed its planned ending into the film’s defining moment.
A chance meeting between Jessica Sweetman and Emmet J. Scanlan at an awards ceremony sparked the beginnings of 'Rise Up,' a project rooted in conversation and a shared desire to create something together.
The brief arrived as a script, written by Jessica and Emmet, carrying a clear emotional direction from the outset. From there, Favourite Colour: Black set about bringing it to life through Octopus Inc, navigating the familiar constraints of time, availability, budget and the ever unpredictable British weather.
Originally conceived to close on a soft, cinematic sunset, the film quickly shifted course when clear skies gave way to heavy cloud on the first day of shooting. Forced to rethink the ending in real time, the team captured an improvised final shot, raw, windswept and emotionally charged, which ultimately became the defining image of the piece.
“Shooting the ending first allowed the narrative to evolve across the second day, leaning into something moodier and more atmospheric,” said director Chris Turner of Favourite Colour: Black. “We went in with a clear plan, but the reality of the shoot shifted everything. The weather completely changed the ending we had in mind, and we had to adapt quickly. That improvised final scene ended up being my favourite part of the film.”
In a twist familiar to anyone who has shot on location in the UK, Hastings delivered the very sunset the team had originally hoped for, just as interiors were being filmed.
Rather than resist the change, Rise Up leans into it. The result is a cinematic, emotionally resonant music video that blends windswept coastal imagery with an intimate, symbolic narrative of struggle and renewal. Through understated performances from Jessica Sweetman and Emmet J. Scanlan, and a visual language shaped by shifting light and atmosphere, the film mirrors the themes of the track, resilience, vulnerability and, ultimately, rising above adversity.
For Favourite Colour: Black, the process is a reminder that while preparation is essential, the most compelling work often emerges in the moments where plans are reworked and something unexpected takes their place.
