Director

Sophia Ray

Ellie Goulding is trapped in a simulated dreamworld, in Sophia Ray's spectacular promo for Easy Lover, featuring Big Sean.&nbsp;The eccentric promo was shot in Sofia, Bulgaria, and explores a world whose characters aren't quite what they seem. In fact,&nbsp;they are Sims-like videogame characters that have found themselves in un-virtual reality...[imgtoken data:1]"It was inspiring to get the initial brief from Nathan Klein -&nbsp;Ellie's Creative Director - for this video, as he really mapped out the creative mood he wanted to take this new era for Ellie in, and gave me a lot of visual references to latch on to," says Ray."The concept of the video is based around these mysterious sim-like creatures, called Skins. These Skins are being controllable game-like characters - that live out bizarre 'realistic' lives in what appears to be a 'real' world. How and what is controlling them, however, remains unclear."The more the audience watch, the more we see the world and these Skins start to glitch and malfunction, giving the impression of a synthetic wider world where nothing is quite as it seems."The expansive world is created through stylish set design, otherworldly locations and a sense of enigmatic mystery, which perfectly encapsulates the artificial world Goulding inhabits.&nbsp;[imgtoken data:2]"Ellie wanted to play a few of the Skin characters in this world, where she could have a bit of fun with her styling and characterisation," continues Ray. "It was so cool to work with her and see these playful sides of her come out as she got into character."It was such a fun three-day shoot, as we travelled all over Sofia, Bulgaria shooting in crazy locations and finishing on a more chilled studio-build day, where we shot our game cube 'dollhouse' set up. Massive thanks to the production team, and Partizan, Mayling and Ayo for making the process so seamless and fun, Katie Dolan who trusted us implicitly and supported us along the way, and also the amazing Four Elements service team in Bulgaria."

United Kingdom

Lyubika Georgieva

Valeria Obretenova

Joana Nwamerue

Jade Denne

Valentin Georgovski

Grozdan Mihalov

Nathan Klein

Lyubo Yonchev

Mayling Wong

Mouthpiece

Partizan

Katie Dolan

Peter Kostov

Nikita Popkov

Rosen Savkov

Ayo Alli

Rosen Ignatov - (bulgaria)

Krasimir Hazarbassanov

Hristo Genkov

Eduard Moskalenko

Genadi Kirov

Simeon Kirov

Remi Black

Todor Soviv

Amidat Giwa

Milen Ivanov

Lyudmil Ivanov

Alina Manova

Francesca Brazzo

Velislava Velkova

Sam Allen

Richard Fearon

Black Kite Studios

Anuar Bazargeldi

Post Tribe

Nadya Konakchieva

Chan Chung

Kasin Wang

Polydor

Four Elements, Bulgaria

Ellie Goulding ft Big Sean 'Easy Lover' by Sophia Ray

Ellie-Goulding-Ft-Big-Sean--'Easy-Lover-'-by-Sophia-Ray

It's a dance to the death in Sophia Ray's blinding promo for Regard, featuring Olly Alexander of Years And Years.&nbsp;The video places Olly&nbsp;as an apprehensive contestant&nbsp;at the centre of a dance marathon, where he has to sweat, pant, dive and dance his way to an exhausted victory - all driven by Meshach Henry's trailblazing choreography. Meanwhile, Regard lingers as a mysteriously sinister driving force behind&nbsp;the&nbsp;scenes of this dark competition."The concept for the video was inspired by the 1969 Sydney Pollack film They Shoot Horses Don't They," explains Sophia Ray. "We wanted to take the themes from this cult classic and then give the video our own creative spin on them, setting it in a contemporary, perplexing, dystopian space."The video is a&nbsp;tour de force&nbsp;of creativity, wrapped in vibrant layers of choreography, post-apocalyptic styling and futuristic art direction, and emanates a minacious yet playful tone throughout. There is certainly a nod to&nbsp;Squid Game&nbsp;in there too.&nbsp;"It was such a pleasure collaborating with Olly again - as always - and really fun getting the opportunity to work on set with Regard," Ray continues.&nbsp;"It was great to showcase two totally different characters in the video when it came to both artists' involvement in the narrative. It was a labour of love from the whole team to bring this one together - and I am so grateful for the team's hard work."[imgtoken data:1][imgtoken data:2]

Ash Halliburton

Kiera Liberati

Letizia Maria Allodi

Nick Royal

Ayomide Alli

Kat Cattaneo

Hélio Ribeiro

Aidan Robert Brooks

Beau Pritchard James

Karl Hui

Nina Mangold

Max Roach

Meshach Henry

Coco Hirani

Ryo Narushima

Joe Brooks

Jordan Markov

Immersefx

Ministry of Sound

Regard ft Years And Years 'Hallucination' by Sophia Ray

Regard-Ft-Years-And-Years--'Hallucination-'-by-Sophia-Ray

Sophia Ray directs a whimsical fantasy epic for Years &amp; Years and Galantis.&nbsp;Inspired by films like Labyrinth&nbsp;and Gretel &amp; Hansel,&nbsp;the video for Sweet Talker&nbsp;is a sweet yet dark take on a fairytale, where Y&amp;Y's&nbsp;Olly Alexander finds himself trapped in an enchanted castle by a mysteriously sexy Beast.The concept takes the mythical tale of King Midas and turns it on its head, as Olly finds a magic sword on his escape - which turns anyone he slays into candy.Ray shows off her talent at creating interconnected yet distinctive set pieces - <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2021/09/07/sigrid-burning-bridges-sophia-ray/72699">most recently seen in her video for Sigrid's Burning Bridges</a> - in an exhilarating fashion,&nbsp;breathing life into a candy-coloured version of a medieval fairytale.It's an alluring aesthetic in which Olly Alexander can explore his mercurial on-screen presence&nbsp;- and offer a glimpse of his naughty side.&nbsp;

Diko Buchukov

Dimitar Donchev

Manol Mitrev

Jimmy Owen Jones

Jonny Thorpe

Glassworks

Jordan Markov - Immersefx

Kexin Wang

Louis Danckwerts

Years & Years, Galantis 'Sweet Talker' by Sophia Ray

Years-&-Years,-Galantis--'Sweet-Talker-'-by-Sophia-Ray

The new episode of <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" target="_blank">The Promonews Podcast: Talking Music Videos</a>&nbsp;- our series of conversations with creatives in the music video industry - is out today, featuring director Sophia Ray and producer Mayling Wong talking about their work making pop videos for some of the UK's favourite pop stars.<a href="https://www.promonews.tv/profiles/sophia-ray/33911" target="_blank">Sophia Ray</a> is a director based at <a href="https://www.partizan.com/" target="_blank">Partizan</a> in London - where <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/profiles/mayling-wong/47617" target="_blank">Mayling Wong</a> is the executive producer and head of music videos. They have been working together since Sophia signed to the production company&nbsp;in 2017, mainly focussing on videos for pop acts, including for&nbsp;Ella Eyre, Little Mix, Raye and Mabel.In <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" target="_blank">the first episode of a new series</a> of Talking Music Videos -&nbsp;in association with <a href="https://looptalent.co.uk/" target="_blank">Loop Talent</a> - Sophia and Mayling tell Promonews's David Knight and Rob Ulitski what&nbsp;draws them to the world of Pop, the key to their strong partnership, and how they ride out the ‘stress express’ when the best laid plans go awry - including on their latest video for Sigrid.<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="232" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/7xlA6GsQtJfhtUsxNYiFYz" width="100%"></iframe>In each episode of&nbsp;Talking Music Videos, the hosts&nbsp;talk to people making a significant impact in music video production right now.The previous six episodes - available to listen on Spotify and other platforms - feature the directors Lucrecia Taormina, Salomon Ligthelm, RUFFMERCY and Louis Bhose; Lee Fairweather, directors rep at COMPULSORY; and DoP Adam Singodia and colourist Vlad Barin.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Follow&nbsp;The Promonews Podcast&nbsp;- Talking Music Videos&nbsp;on&nbsp;Spotify,&nbsp;Apple,&nbsp;Google, and other platforms.

Partizan Darkroom

Loop Talent

The Promonews Podcast - new episode with Sophia Ray and Mayling Wong out now!

Sophia Ray has directed the music video for Sigrid’s Burning Bridges, in which the Norwegian pop star takes extraordinary steps&nbsp;to break out of the twilight zone of a failed relationship.Stuck in an urban world of hyperreal drabness, with a boy she longer wants to be with, Sigrid breaks the metaphorical barriers she faces by&nbsp;smashing&nbsp;through physical ones - she actually runs through walls; crashing through&nbsp;from city to forest, and back again.It's a&nbsp;great vehicle&nbsp;for Sigrid's spirited personality and her natural athleticism - and arguably her best acting performance in a video. It's also a departure for Sophia Ray, who brings a more Scandi-influenced aesthetic to this than her other, more&nbsp;colourful pop work - there's even a nod to Swedish auteur Roy Andersson in there.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp; &nbsp;The director, her producer Mayling Wong and DoP Carlos Feher filmed the video in Bulgaria with a local crew, including&nbsp;young art director&nbsp;Lyubika Georgieva - who created the walls that Sigrid could really run through..."It was fun to make this video," Sigrid has commented.&nbsp;"It’s a very emotional song so of course we needed a video that reflected that energy with running, dancing, and chasing. It was the first time I did some light acting which was very exciting and definitely something I want to do more."

Carlos Feher

Antony Stoev

Lachezar Indzhiev

Kiril Velichkov

Ahida

Mihaela Yordanova

Dimitar Nikolov

Connie Meade

Island Records

Sigrid 'Burning Bridges' by Sophia Ray

Sigrid-'Burning-Bridges'-by-Sophia-Ray

Sophia Ray teams up with Mabel and Maverick Media to celebrate 25 years of Pokémon, in the whimsical promo for Take It Home.Shot at the prestigious Savoy Hotel in London, the video features Mabel in a fantastical journey where she encounters the beloved Pikachu and Jigglypuff, two of the most iconic characters in the Pokémon universe.&nbsp;Dripping in ethereal styling and&nbsp;weaving her way through a magical dreamworld, Mabel is at home in the bold concept - and who couldn't fall in love with the VFX work on the iconic characters?&nbsp;

Charlie Scannell

Luke Goodrich

Nick Morris

Marcia Sousa

Greg Krzeszowiec

Thomas Bird

Hamish Wirgman

Rio Sreedharan

Nikki Wolff

Homespun

Maverick Media

Mariamu Fundi

B.art

Mabel X Pokèmon 'Take It Home' by Sophia Ray

Mabel-X-Pokèmon-'Take-It-Home'-by-Sophia-Ray

Sophia Ray gets together with near namesake&nbsp;Raye to conjure up a good old-fashioined song and dance extravaganza for Call On Me -&nbsp;inspired by years of watching old-school Hollywood musical numbers.&nbsp;The all-singing, all-dancing promo is filled with an abundance of glitz and glam, whilst the whole piece has an exaggerated cartoon-like feel to it.Whimsical and nostalgic in its aesthetic, the seamless transitions and clever camera techniques feel playful and clever, and encapsulate the artist's charisma&nbsp;and vibrant performance style.[imgtoken data:1]&nbsp;

Oli Falcon

Tom Wynbourne

Thomas English

Chris Steel

Alison Martin

Alex Gibbon

Lyndon Ogbourne

Shaquille Ross-Williams

Alex Price

Bea Sweet

Athene Aristocleou

Semera Kahn

Saorla Houston

Paleta

Cinelab Film and Digital

Raye 'Call On Me' by Sophia Ray & Raye

Raye-'Call-On-Me'-by-Sophia-Ray

Mae Muller struggles to make the choice between falling in love and keeping her independence, in Sophia Ray's ambitious promo for Dependent.&nbsp;Taking a deep dive into the artist's mind, we see a variety of scenarios exaggerating the crossroads she finds herself at, including a bathroom talk with the&nbsp;girls, and a dinner date with her love interest.&nbsp;Experimenting with POV shots and visual trickery in the art department, the video is a polished and playful visualisation of the track.&nbsp;

Jack Meredith

Emmy Robinson

Max Openshaw

Helio Ribeiro 

Adele Cany

Lisa Laudat

Zara Ali

Home Spun

Glasssworks

Digital Axis

Emily Tedrake

Mae Muller 'Dependent' by Sophia Ray

Mae-Muller-'Dependent'-by-Sophia-Ray

Little Mix set off to Mars for some virtual R&amp;R,&nbsp;in Sophia Ray's video for Holiday.&nbsp;Heavily inspired by fantasy and surrealism, we see the girls perform in a series of computer generated environments, switching their look from real-life mermaids to giant goddesses on a space beach.Combining a VFX-heavy concept with a more commercial pop vibe, the video remains pure Little Mix - confident and sassy&nbsp;with an overarching sense of fun.&nbsp;Brendan Bennett's magical VFX work contributes to the overall aesthetic, adding a kaleidoscope of colour and textures to complement the dynamic performances.&nbsp;

Tom Kelly

James Blann

Michael Hobdell

Jamar O'meally

William Pope

Lucy Cooper

Zack Tate, Jamie Mcfarland

Aaron Carlo

Heidi North

Kit Wells

Final Cut

Alex Gregory

The Mill

Brendan Bennett

Kat Catteneo

Sony

Little Mix 'Holiday' by Sophia Ray

Little-Mix-'Holiday'-by-Sophia-Ray

Sophia Ray remotely directs a VFX extravaganza for Ella Eyre's Dreams, in a video that sidesteps lockdown limitations to create something magical and unique.&nbsp;Collaborating with 3D artist&nbsp;Brendan Bennett, the striking visual depicts Eyre in a series of performance setups - set-up and shot by herself at her home -&nbsp;with digital effects swirling and emanating from her face and surroundings. The augmentations on her face are subtle to start with and become increasingly experimental - with guest artist Yxng Bane making an appearance from inside Ella's eye...&nbsp;Stylistically reminiscent of David LaChapelle's hyperrealist photography, the element of fantasy also harks way back to the age of the Surrealists.&nbsp;It's certainly a testament to the power of collaboration, and what can be achieved in the most unusual of circumstances.And as she describes below, Ella really enjoyed being the one-person crew of her own video shoot...<blockquote>I became the camera crew, lighting tech, nail tech, hair stylist and make up artist all at once and BOSSED IT TO BE QUITE HONEST.</blockquote>

David Spearing

Daisy Dean

Charlie Havord

Athene Aristocleous

Laura Clayton

Ella Eyre ft Yxng Bane 'Dreams' by Sophia Ray

Ella-Eyre-Ft-Yxung-Bane-'Dreams'-by-Sophia-Ray

Sophia Ray’s second collaboration with Ella Eyre is&nbsp;full of&nbsp;wild energy&nbsp;and a touch of the surreal, as she navigates her newfound single status and buries her negative emotions.&nbsp;The video follows Ella after a break up, where we see her take control of her life and reinvent herself. The edit rockets from one scene to the next, tracking Ella’s transformation as the&nbsp;exaggerated vignettes heighten the narrative, emphasising the artist's&nbsp;sense of empowerment.Full of wacky angles and videogame style animation, it's a contemporary take on the breakup concept, plugged in to the fast-paced social world we live in today.&nbsp;

Stephanie Paeplow

Joe Browne

David Calland

Ben Todd

Dan West

Damon Sewell

Daisy Deane

Marcia Lee

Kristina Theodoris

Chloe Ensor

Ella Eyre 'New Me' by Sophia Ray

Ella-Eyre-'New-Me'-by-Sophia-Ray

In the latest in our Behind The Video series, we look at the making of a video directed by Partizan/Darkroom director Sophia Ray for Ritual and Emily Warren that satirizes the modern obsession with social media and the intense pressures that can arise from it, all delivered via&nbsp;a riveting character study.&nbsp;The <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2019/07/12/ritual-ft-emily-warren-using-sophia-ray/59758" target="_blank">video for Using</a> is&nbsp;the story of Lily, who seeks fame as a social media influencer - and achieves her goal. But after the rise comes the fall, and Ray's video crams in this story and all the details that make it a credible allegory, in a world that teeters between believable reality and dystopia, and with a strong central performance by Cailin Russo as Lily.We spoke to Sophia Ray and Mayling Wong,&nbsp;Partizan/Darkroom executive producer who also produced the video, about how they made it.What was in the brief for the Ritual video that inspired you to do the story of the (wannabe) Influencer?Sophia Ray: The brief was quite specific from Laura Clayton (the commissioner) and the band. They knew they wanted a narrative piece that ventured into the darker side of modern technology. The idea was for it to be more centred around youth culture, so an influencer felt in the right realm to me. I find it quite a fascinating subject. It’s such a modern phenomenon, a very new kind of career which is based a lot around looking good with your success dictated by complete&nbsp;strangers. There has to be a darker side to this way of living.&nbsp; We’re increasingly seeing this kind of story, in everything from Black Mirror to other music videos. What did you want to achieve with your take on the issue? SR: It certainly is! I do enjoy the themes in Black Mirror, and it was one of my influences for this video for sure.&nbsp;But I wanted to put my own spin on how it was treated. I was inspired by films like The Neon Demon and Nocturnal Animals - a&nbsp;lot of the themes in these films being about keeping up appearances, superficial social circles and ‘living a lie’ - with a little more focus on human emotion over the coldness of modern technology. I wanted to strike that balance between the two. Create a character who is yes, kind of crazed and really irritating, but also you can see beneath it all there is real person in there. Which makes it even sadder when she seems to push her real relationships away with her obsession.I wanted the video to feel like it could be set today, and anywhere in the world, with the tone having that sympathetic-to-her-plight edge. I wanted it to feel like the addiction was almost out of her control; and quite believable that some existences right now, aren’t actually too far away from this.[imgtoken data:1]Above (from left): Sophia Ray, DoP Alex Jamin, actor Cailin Russo, focus puller Max Beauquesne<blockquote>She's a character who is kind of crazed, really irritating – but beneath it all, you can see there's real person in there.</blockquote>The video's strong narrative arc is accompanied by lots of enjoyable details. How much of it was planned at treatment stage, and how much came later, when you were in pre-production? SR: A lot of the general narrative arc&nbsp;was shaped at treatment stage. The finer details, like the boyfriend character, the crazed, OTT ‘face-app’ moment, and large scale, physical comments that haunt her.&nbsp;However, it was quite a long time in pre-production as we were auditioning girls and trying to secure our lead actors, which gave me the rare luxury of time&nbsp;to think about playful extra details as my shot list took shape. Things like the artwork that dressed her room, I wanted subtle hidden messages placed here. The emerging from the phone screen came to me in pre-production, almost like a dark call back to the product she is selling in the bathtub.The club scene was a new idea too. When we found the location for her ‘date night’ scene, we discovered it also had a little ‘club room’ - so it felt rude not to use it! It’s actually my favourite scene of the video, and also spurred the idea of the ‘verification tick’ moment. So I’m glad we managed to find a way to get it in!What were the big challenges for you, Mayling,&nbsp;once the job had been awarded?&nbsp;Mayling Wong: I think the major challenge, not only for myself but for Sophia, Laura and the management/label team was finding the perfect lead girl. It was something we definitely went around in circles on!But we eventually came across Cailin with the amazing help from Camilla at Camilla Arthur Casting.&nbsp;She had previously worked with her in LA and thought she’d be perfect for the role with her influencer background. And she was![imgtoken data:2]Above: Cailin Russo<blockquote>We wanted to get an actress who either had no social media presence at all, or someone who has lived this reality to some degree.&nbsp;</blockquote>As you say, your lead actor Cailin Russo is (or has been) an Influencer herself. What did her experience bring to the part? Did her being cast in the role impact upon the story? SR: The idea was to either get an actress who had absolutely no social media presence at all, or someone who has lived this reality to some degree.Cailin was a good fit.&nbsp;In her audition tape, she even touched a little on mental health and how it is important to sometimes out the phone down and have a break. She is an artist herself, so said she sometimes needed that breather away, to get back on top of her mental wellbeing and creative practice.Social media brings a lot of distractions. A lot of comparing yourselves to others. But of course on the flip side it is also good for her career - seeing it almost like a blessing and a curse. She has lived / and living that life (although not so extreme), so together we had a lot to cling onto when coming up with a character and a backstory for ‘Lily’.How involved were Ritual in the creative process? SR: Ritual were involved in the treatment process with amending and adapting ideas with me, and like I said, it was quite a detailed brief. They also had a strong vision with who they wanted to play our lead character. They had some great ideas and input on the comment copy and signage that we made both for real and in the graphic elements of the video. However they really did give me a lot of creative freedom in pre-production, my shot list and on set to let me shoot my ideas as I envisaged them. It was really rewarding to have that trust from the band![imgtoken data:3]Above: Tommy from Ritual (right), makeup artist Jess Clarke<blockquote>Ritual had great ideas and input on the comment copy and signage that we made for real and in the graphic elements of the video.</blockquote>What were the crucial elements in the planning of the video that gave you the platform you needed?&nbsp; SR: It helps having such a supportive production team. Mayling was incredible, she was a great to bounce ideas off of as well as going above and beyond to secure everything that I felt I needed to execute the video to the standard I wanted. It’s so much easier to be creative when the process feels harmonious and you really feel that support.Going over shots with <a href="https://www.promonews.tv/profiles/alexandre-jamin/23575" target="_blank">Alex [Jamin]</a> the DoP was also really refreshing. We went over the shots numerous times together, chopping, changing and honing the plans for our shots, coming up with ideas together as well as leaving room for those serendipitous moments and fluidity on the shoot day to try new things out. I wanted to make sure I had a plan B for those shots that we were a little unsure of how they would pan out until we were there! As there was so much to blast through and capture during the two day shoot, so we didn’t have the luxury of big chunks of time for each scene.&nbsp;I also wanted a rehearsal day with Cailin Russo before we got on set. We did a day of rehearsals before our first shoot day, so we had a space to try different things improvise certain scenes and see what struck a chord with us both. In those rehearsals I also learnt she has a wicked sense of humour. She didn’t take herself too seriously at all, which really helped with injecting that little bit of a manic nuance to the character. It was important to me to have that little glimmer of light relief to our main character Lily, and those subtle moments of humour were very welcome![imgtoken data:4]Above: Alex Jamin, Sophia Ray<blockquote>I like to have a keen eye on everything when it comes to production design and the way we dress a space.&nbsp;I like sets that tell you a little more about a story subliminally&nbsp;</blockquote>What were the key moments in the lead up to the shoot, that meant it all came together?MW: The dates constantly changed with this one – just due to people’s availability, flights changing etc. So there were so many components to line up before we confirmed. So, when we managed to secure our DOP Alex, it felt like all the starts came together! He worked amazingly with Sophia and was just as passionate about the project as she was.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sophia, You started out as a graphic designer. How does that inform your visual style as a director?&nbsp; SR: It definitely does inform my visual style as a director! Attention to detail is key for me, graphic design is all about colour, composition, different textures that compliment each other that also make sense to the message you want to convey with the work. Film making, creating moving images, although a totally different practice, holds a lot of similarities.Colour is very important to me in getting across a message or a mood. I like to have a keen eye on everything when it comes to production design and the way we dress a space. I like sets that tell you a little more about a story subliminally, something you might need to watch a few times to gauge the hidden nuances that back up a story. Everything having a reason to be placed there.Costume, colour and style is also really important to me, how it sits and lives within a space, what it tells us about that character. Obviously the graphics in the video were designed to suit each scene, and my design background helped a lot with this. I had a clear idea of how I wanted this to look, to compliment each scene.[imgtoken data:5]<blockquote>I loved shooting the club scene, having all the extras around Cailin and music on full blast really helped her to get into the vibe.&nbsp;</blockquote>How ‘hands-on’ do you get with the VFX elements of the production? SR: Really hands on. Glassworks were such a dream to work with on the post for this. Leanne [Pletersky] the Flame op had so much work to do in the three weeks we had put aside for post. So I designed up the graphics and created the identity in a lot of the 2D places to ease the workload, and we bounced ideas together on the placement, interaction and animation style together. It was fun to try things and create a space where we could trial an error together.&nbsp; Your recent video for Au/Ra had this dynamic going on between a girl’s bedroom and future tech. Was that an influence on how you approached the Ritual video? SR: To some degree. Both videos definitely explore similar themes. The video for Au/Ra was definitely more contained, it was one location, one room, and it was all about a strange and metaphorical transformation. It was more in the sci-fi, surreal sphere. Both videos explore the themes of the unravelling of ones psyche due to the constraints of modern technology, but the ‘Using’ video has more realism to its depiction, it covers a wider time span. The ‘Using’ video is also my first total non-performance video, where the narrative arc takes centre stage, and Au/Ra was a great place to develop that from!&nbsp; What were your favourite moments on the shoot - and what were the biggest challenges?SR: I loved shooting the club scene, having all the extras around Cailin and music on full blast really helped her to get into the vibe. Josh Brooks (Steadicam op) alongside Alex really nailed all the intense swooping camera moves in this scene! These shots were probably the most constructed and choreographed from the shot list, as well playing with varying frame rates and portraying totally different moods in the club through shooting choices - isolation, boredom and then euphoria! It was really fun to see the plans we made here come to life![imgtoken data:6]<blockquote>We almost had too much footage to work from. We even cut a couple of scenes completely in order for the video to have the pace we felt it needed.</blockquote>The biggest challenges were probably the Gym&nbsp;scene and also the Meltdown&nbsp;scene, mainly as they were the last scenes on each shoot day so we had quite a limited window to nail what we wanted. The Gym was a tricky space to shoot in and we had a ‘hard out’ time set there, so it was a lot of thinking on feet and combining shots to get across what we needed within the time. The Meltdown scene again had a big time constraint, also it was important getting Cailin into that good headspace to get across the crazed emotional reactions and inject them into her performance.MW: I guess just keeping on schedule was the biggest challenge!&nbsp;The first day we had a big unit move across London in mid-afternoon traffic… But with the amazing team from Partizan and our lovely 1st&nbsp;AD George we managed to get everything done – just in the nick of time.What were the biggest challenges in the edit of the video&nbsp;and in the delivery of the VFX elements? Were there any big decisions made regarding the narrative at this stage? SR: James the editor helped to make the edit process pretty pain free. He is incredibly talented! For the narrative arc - I had in mind the edit structure before I got into the suite, but James really helped inject that second perspective and playfulness into the timeline, he had a strong voice that was great to collaborate with.The biggest challenge was that we almost had too much footage to work from. We even cut a couple of scenes completely in order for the video to have the pace we felt it needed. We had more 3D built comments that Cailin interacted with, more moments with Felix Spooner the boyfriend character - which were some of my favourite shots in isolation, but the edit felt stronger without them.[imgtoken data:7]<blockquote>Cailin didn’t take herself too seriously at all, which really helped with injecting that little bit of a manic nuance to the character</blockquote>So I learnt from the process that sometimes you have to say goodbye to shots you love for the greater good of the edit! The decisions James and I made on this paid off as we got sign off from the client and band on the first cut we presented - which was amazing!&nbsp;The biggest challenge with the VFX was the reflection scene where Cailin’s face distorts in post. My original idea was to have a deranged 3D style ‘dog filter’, mocking those snapchat filters that are plastered all over our feeds. I wanted it to look as though it was attached to her face for real.&nbsp;Seeing it in fruition didn’t have the same impact I thought it would. It was almost too comical - not the right vibe for the scene! So the face melting and facial features glitching away approach was again a new idea Leanne and I adapted away from our original plan.• A Partizan/Darkroom and Promonews co-production. To find out more about being in a Behind The Video feature, contact at the email below. &nbsp;

Behind The Video: Sophia Ray & Mayling Wong on Ritual's Using

Lili_dreams only has 17K followers. It’s high time she fixed that. Sophia Ray directs this sumptuously photographed story about a wannabe influencer for Ritual.Real life influencer Cailin Russo&nbsp;gives a heartfelt performance as Lili, a young woman on a mission&nbsp;for online validation. She experiments with different smiles, products and filters, and initially she finds success. But ultimately, there seems to be nothing she can do to stay relevant and&nbsp;raise her profile. As she loses followers and friends alike, her online world becomes impossible to differentiate from reality.You’ve seen this story before, but rarely with this much flair. The video has a close relative in Nosedive, the episode of Black Mirror in which Bryce Dallas Howard pays the price for her obsession with social media and interaction-based credit. But where Nosedive was all pastels and nihilism, Ray’s video is a more sympathetic portrayal.Alexandre Jamin’s photography is a delight, rendered in all the jewel tones and honeyed glow of an Instagram fantasy. And VFX artist Leanne Pletersky has done great work with frame-jumping texts and 3D graphics that look both realistic and absolutely part of the world they’re helping to depict. Ultimately the biggest credit goes to Sophia Ray, who achieves a great balance between her characteristic visual polish and narrative drive. She really shows what she can do.

Sophia Ray

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