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Rina Sawayama 'Hold The Girl' by Ali Kurr

Rob Ulitski - 10th Aug 2022

Ali Kurr and Rina Sawayama are back together for another high-concept promo - a cinematic sci-fi drama with a twist, for Hold The Girl.

This has Rina on a Westworld-type world - on a ranch in the Old Wild West. And her repeated attempts to escape the place are blocked by an unseen, magnetic force - she is caught mid-air after falling from the roof, or pulled 50 metres across the scorched grass - and brought back to her starting point in the house. 

But when the walls start to crack and the earth moves, she discovers an alternate universe: herself, dancing in a high-energy studio setup with fellow dancers, celebrating an unabashed freedom. This Dogville-style studio set-up eventually fuses with the strange period world, and Rina breaks free. But there is one more twist in the tale.

Filmed in Bulgaria, shot by Diego Rosenblatt, and with choreography by Josh Pillmore, the video is the latest and arguably the most successful example of a superbly creative collaboration between the artist and director, which has always tested boundaries. Once again they have gone for something new, and leave the viewer marvelling at Sawayama's virtuosity.

"It was all about capturing the feeling of having the strength to leave a situation and then when that initial adrenaline rush leaves you," says Kurr. "All you are left with is the memory that can often leave you feeling even more alone." 

This is the latest in a collaboration that goes back to the start of both Kurr and Sawayama's careers. "We've been making videos together for over a decade now," reveals the director. "I constantly pinch myself on set when I think about how far we have come. From making videos in our flats with £50 art budgets to now getting to play with zip lines and stunt coordinators... we push ourselves each time to make something that's even more exciting and unexpected for her fans."

This follows the acclaimed video for This Hell, the first video released from the forthcoming Sawayama album, also called Hold The Girl. Kurr adds: "This drive and love for what we create, alongside her insane artistry as a musician, has resulted in Hold The Girl being one of my favourites to date and I can't wait to get back on set and start shooting something nuts again soon."

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Rob Ulitski - 10th Aug 2022

Tags

  • Narrative
  • Pick of the Day
  • Pop
  • Performance
  • Ranch
  • Choreography
  • Dance
  • Westworld
  • Ambitious

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Ali Kurr
Producer
Mayling Wong
Producer
Lyubo Yonchev
Production Company
Production Company
Four Elements, Bulgaria
Service Co Exec Producer
Rosen Savkov
Executive Producer
Mayling Wong
Production Manager
Samuil Djoganov
Production Manager
Ayo Alli
1st AD
Igor
2nd AD
Yana Lekarska
Production Coordinator
Miglena Savkova
Production Assistant
Diko Boutchoukov
Transportation Captain
Ivan Nachev

Camera

Director of Photography
Diego Rosenblatt
Focus Puller
Dimitar Donchev
2nd AC
Antoni Stoev
Steadicam
Nikolay Kerezov
Camera Trainee
Dimitar Tsvetkov
Video Assist
Alexander Vassilev
DIT
Rosen Andonov

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Manol Mitrev
Key Grip
Mario Popov

Art

Production designer
Lyubika Georgieva

Wardrobe

Stylist (Cast)
Grozdan Mihaylov
Stylist (Artist)
Jordan Kelsey
Hair (Artist)
Todor Sivov
Hair (Cast)
Greta Stefanova-Kandzhova
Make-up (Cast)
Maria Koleva
Make-up (Artist)
Mona Leanne
Make-up (Cast)
Krasimira Petrova

Choreography

Choreographer
Joshua Pilmore

Casting

Lead Dancer
Victoria Yaneva
Lead Dancer
Shola B Riley

Editorial

Editor
Jack Williams
Editing company
Assembly Rooms
Edit Producer
Joshua Gochez

Grading

Colour Producer
Angie Broomfield
Colour Producer
Chris Aliano
Colourist
Myles Bevan
Colour grade company
Time Based Arts

VFX

VFX
B.art Vfx Studio
Post Producer
Natali Borte

Agent

Director's Representation

Commission

Commissioner
Tom Connick
Commissioner
Will Frost
Label
Dirty Hit

Misc

DoP's representation
Plan B

Rob Ulitski - 10th Aug 2022

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