Lose Against You — Music Video

Lose Against You is a song by Austrian singer-songwriter Nana D.. I worked on the music video as director of photography, alongside Austrian director Max von Lux. From the beginning, our intention was to respond to the mood and structure of the song rather than to illustrate it directly.

Working Together

The video grew out of a close collaboration between Max and myself. We approached the project with the idea that the images should follow the emotional rhythm of the music. Instead of building a clear narrative arc, we focused on atmosphere, pacing, and restraint. Many decisions came from listening closely to the song and allowing space for interpretation.

Screenings and Context

The finished video screened at several festivals, including the Vienna Independent Shorts, the Crossing Europe Film Festival, and the Vienna Filmacademy Filmfestival. These contexts felt fitting, as they place music videos alongside short films that experiment with form and storytelling.

Visual Language

From a cinematography perspective, the video avoids performance or spectacle. The camera stays close and patient, using framing, light, and movement sparingly. Together with the direction, this creates a visual rhythm that mirrors the song’s emotional shifts without explaining them.

A Simple Story

At the center of the video is a small narrative: a cat searching for its birth mother after discovering it was adopted. This story allowed us to approach themes of identity, loss, and belonging in a quiet way. Rather than resolving these ideas, the film leaves them open, trusting the viewer to connect their own meaning.

Between Music and Image

I see this project as existing somewhere between music video and short film. The images do not compete with the song, nor do they depend on it entirely. Music and image run alongside each other, each holding its own space.

Continuing the Work

Lose Against You reflects an approach to moving images that I continue to follow in my work: observing rather than explaining, keeping narratives open, and allowing emotion to emerge through form and rhythm rather than instruction.