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SHOWREEL 2023

A look at it all - from festivals and arenas to one-off popup shows demonstrating Surdevans style and technique across all sorts of genres.
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Calvin Harris

Livestream | 2022 | Creamfields/Beatport/Cinch
Over the weekend, creamfields racked up a whopping 10m views and it's not surprising with performances like this one from Calvin Harris
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Liam Gallagher

Online App | 2022 | Adidas/Sparkle Street
A spectacular one-off performance in an intimate venue from Liam Gallagher in partnership with Adidas to launch their new limited edition Spezial.
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Bastille

IMAG & online | 2022 | Kendal Calling/Engine No. 4
Bastille were on fire here along with the pyro that inspired the best air-drumming we've ever seen!
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New Order

Pay Per View Stream | 2021 | Live Here Now
A legendary band and a spectacular 14x camera Pay-Per-View show, broadcast live all over the world from the the London O2 Arena.
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Alesso & Zara

Livestream | 2022 | Creamfields/Beatport/Cinch
Another livestream with Beatport at Creamfields. This time with Alesso who shocked fans with a special guest - Zara Larsson
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Noel Gallagher

IMAG & Online | 2016 | Kendal Calling/Ground Control
A wild crowd and flares galore brought the fields to life with one of the loudest singalongs ever heard. Big pressure comes with filming such a musical great but we capture his essence perfectly here.
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Richard Hawley

DVD & Blu-ray | 2021 | Live Here Now
I think we'd all like to be able to play guitar like this. A stunning performance from Richard Hawley captured in the equally stunning Halifax Piece Hall.
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Brit Award’s Party

Livestream | 2021 | Mastercard/Live Here Now
Live from the O2 Arena, the Brit Awards Pre-Show Party presented by Alice Levine and performances from Hamzaa and Tom Walker
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Stereophonics

IMAG & Online | 2022 | Kendal Calling/Engine No. 4
With camera jackets at the ready, the heavy Lake District rain couldn’t dampen the spine tingling performance here from the welsh legends.
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Orbital

IMAG & livestream | 2019 | Ground Control
Quite a trip... 1x stage, 2x Artists, 4x head torches and 8x cameras... and god knows what else.
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Steps

DVD & Blu-ray | 2021 | Live Here Now
This special show from the O2 Arena reached No.1 in the DVD / Blu-Ray music chart - obviously not 'Better Left Forgotten'!
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The Kooks

IMAG & Online | 2022 | Kendal Calling/Engine No. 4
No gimmicks. No fireworks. And not a single person could resist singing along with this indie anthem (including us in the control room)
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The Damned

DVD & Blu-ray | 2022 | Live Here Now
The original band lineup filmed for DVD at the iconic Manchester Apollo. A loose and raw energy reflecting the pioneering punk band yet still feeling cohesive and high quality.
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The Wombats

IMAG & Online | 2022 | Kendal Calling/Engine No. 4
Proving you don’t need fancy lighting to make a crowd go wild, The Wombats lit up the audience not to mention all of us in the control room!
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Rudimental

IMAG & Online | 2016 | Kendal Calling/Ground Control
A crazy party on stage and a game of wackamole on the vision-mixer with everyone having simultaneous solo. Top marks to the camera ops for keeping up!
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SOFT CELL

DVD & Blu-ray | 2021 | Live Here Now
Sell out London show at the Eventim Apollo filmed for DVD to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘Non-stop Erotic Cabaret’
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Alt-j

Livestream | 2017 | Bluedot/Twitch
Alt-J headlined Blue Dot at this epic branded partnership with Twitch livestreaming 3 stages (and don’t even ask about how much fiber cable we used!)
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Madness

IMAG & Online | 2016 | Kendal Calling/Ground Control
Working hard again at festivals streaming to thousands at home. In typical northern fashion with terrible weather….it must be love
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Nile Rogers & Chic

IMAG & online | 2019 | Kendal Calling/Ground Control
After integrating with the existing tours visual package, we set about having the best disco in the fields and online.
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Chase & Status

IMAG | 2022 | Parklife Festival/Engine No. 4
An electric crowd and headliner with high energy feel good moments. Good luck counting the number of IMAG screens here at Parklife Festival!
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Plan B

IMAG & Online | 2016 | Kendal Calling/Ground Control
A silhouetted performance although challenging made for a powerful and passionate show. Capturing the tiny intricacies in the music was key to bringing this popular tune to life.
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SHOWREEL 2023
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Calvin Harris
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Liam Gallagher
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Bastille
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New Order
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Alesso & Zara
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Noel Gallagher
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Richard Hawley
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Brit Award’s Party
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Stereophonics
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Orbital
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Steps
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The Kooks
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The Damned
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The Wombats
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Rudimental
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SOFT CELL
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Alt-j
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Madness
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Nile Rogers & Chic
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Chase & Status
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Plan B

Signature


With razor sharp timing and in-depth musical understanding, John tailors each movement to amplify the spirit of the performance. Punctuating each song with accents, John enhances the musical experience by drawing an audience’s attention to subtle yet key details.

Like a conductor, he guides camera operators through the show, winding up tension and releasing it with a bang during crescendos. With an almost sixth sense, John has a natural ability to anticipate action on-stage which allows him to find ‘the shot’ and he uses it to tremendous effect.

There’s just something about it that’s hard to stop watching. He finds small yet key details that become alive and amplify the spirit of the performance and makes every moment count. To achieve this, he says half of it is a cheat - by meticulously analyzing the music, artist, venue and their audience behavior, experimenting and designing camera plots that complement each other, it starts to cut itself.

After 50+ festivals in all sorts of crazy conditions, John has developed a thorough working knowledge of other departments too (Staging, H&S, Audio, Lighting Design). This enables him to remain critical and analytical at every stage, adopting a prevention over cure attitude to solving problems. His ability to plan and enact a strategy efficiently makes every production under his leadership a stand-out success.

Collectively, John’s organisational and directorial precision combine and makes every show he manages a creative edge. With the highest level of control and a seemingly effortless workflow, John pumps every show with a burst of electrifying energy. This power surges through audiences, creating powerful moments and lasting memories.

John Surdevan - Multicam editing
With razor sharp timing and in-depth musical understanding, John tailors each movement to amplify the spirit of the performance. Punctuating each song with accents, John enhances the musical experience by drawing an audience’s attention to subtle yet key details.
Show at Jodrell Bank directed by John Surdevan
Like a conductor, he guides camera operators through the show, building tension and releasing it with a bang during crescendos. With almost a sixth sense, John has a natural ability to anticipate action on-stage which allows him to always find the shot and use it to tremendous effect. With tremendous impact?
Parklife 2022 directed by John Surdevan
After 50+ festivals in all sorts of crazy conditions, John has developed a thorough working knowledge of other departments too (Staging, H&S, Audio, Lighting Design). This enables him to remain critical and analytical at every stage, adopting a prevention over cure attitude to potential problems. His ability to plan and enact a strategy efficiently makes every production under his leadership a resounding success.
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Collectively, John’s organisational and directorial precision combine and makes every show he manages a creative edge. With the highest level of control and a seemingly effortless workflow, John pumps every show  with a burst of electrifying energy. This power surges through audiences, creating powerful moments and lasting memories.

About


John Surdevan

John is a multi-camera director with over 15 years experience, specialising in live music events. Clocking up over 5000 hours airtime across everything from festival IMAGs to large outside broadcasts and silly enough to keep doing it. Not to mention a live broadcast to cinemas all over the world

When he’s not in the hot seat, John is based at his production company Jackinabox with studios in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. From here he oversees pre and post production alongside R&D work with his business partner. And if that wasn’t busy enough, he also owns a photographic studio too.

Rewinding for a moment, John started his career in graphic design but his passion for music inevitably led him to directing music videos. He went on to direct countless promos for all kinds of artists along with activations for major brands, including Samsung’s Olympic Torch Relay at London 2012.

As his skillset developed, he moved into live production and fell in love with the adrenaline rush he got from directing multi-camera. Constructing the edit live and in the moment came naturally but paired with his existing technical and creative skills, it was a perfect match.

Everyone feels like they’re involved in something truly special when John’s at the helm. His infectious enthusiasm really encourages operators to push their creative limits. And when the going gets tough, John’s sense of humour and calm disposition see everyone safely through to the other side. Working in unpredictable environments, John has developed an unparalleled resourceful nature. From ballrooms and high heels, to wellies in the mud, he takes it all in his stride.

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Credits


Branded Livestreams

Creamfields with Cinch & Beatport
Brit Awards Pre-show Party with MasterCard
Liam Gallagher with Adidas
Joe Wicks at the O2 with O2 Telefonica
Hacienda Classical in partnership with YouTube
Orbital in partnership with YouTube
Bluedot Festival in partnership with Twitch
Kendal Calling Festival in partnership with Twitch

Pay-Per-View Streams

New Order
OMD
The Charlatans
Boston Manor
Peter Doherty
Merrill Osmond
Modern English
New Hope Club

DVD/Blu-ray

Steps
The Darkness
Richard Hawley
Soft Cell
Killing Joke
The Damned
Peter Hook & the Light
Kate Rusby

IMAG/Festival

Creamfields
Parklife Festival
Boomtown
Kendal Calling
Bluedot
Bloodstock
Slamdunk
Outbreak
Manchester Pride

IMAG/General

OMD
New Order
Robert DeNiro
Jayne Mcdonald
WHP/Central Cee
WHP/Chic
MCFC Awards
d&b Showcase
Dynamo/Adidas

Livestream

Gorilla TV, Episodes 1-9
MIF Festival (Prof Brian Cox)
Tim Burgess (Solo show)
Hacienda (40th anniversary)
Manchester Pride (Conference)
Pets At Home (Awards)
Gym Group (Guided workout)
Phillip Pullman (Book launch)
Soccer X (Panel show)

TV/Cinema

BBC Philharmonic
[BBC Red Button]

Paul Heaton & Jackie Abbott
[Channel 4]

The Charlatans
[Cinema]

Contact


Available as an independent freelancer or as a full service production company with Jackinabox typically delivering: Outside Broadcast, TV/Studio, Livestream, Pay-Per-View, DVD, Festival/Touring IMAG.
 
These facilities include Pre-Production, Production management, PPU & cameras, crewing, Audio acquisition & mixing, Post-Production… stopping just short at music licensing but happy to recommend.
 
If it sounds like we can help just drop us a line. We’re happy to discuss any kind of project, even if it's just pointing you in the right direction.
 
Looking forward to the pre-production already!

    NQ Photo Studio, Stevenson Square, ManchesterInside NQ Photo Studio - John Surdevan

    NQ STUDIO / JACKINABOX PPU
    11 STEVENSON SQUARE
    NORTHERN QUARTER
    MANCHESTER 
    M1 1DB

    0161 408 3626

    ENQUIRIES@SURDEVANCREATIVE.COM