Louise Collins, who has been involved in numerous music videos as a casting director, has now made the leap into directing a music video for British-American singer songwriter Sylvie Wiley, capturing the extraordinary skills of aerial dancer Izzy Bloomer. Promonews talked to Louise do find out how it happened.

You would be forgiven for thinking that Louise Collins had enough on her plate with the busy career she has as a casting director, working on everything from feature films to major TV productions to music videos. But her close friendship with the talented young singer-songwriter Sylvie Wiley has given her the chance to scratch a creative itch and extend herself as another kind of director.

The result is the just-released music video for Wiley's song Stranger In My Sheets - essentially a dance piece, but a highly unconventional one: the performer is an aerial dancer, Izzy Bloomer, who twists, turns and hangs in the air, moving between hanging silks - as if defying gravity.

This is a marked departure for Collins, who for the past few years has been working in casting on prestigious productions in ever more senior roles. She has been part of casting teams for major productions - including HBO’s Warrior, His Dark Materials, The New Pope, and The Night Manager - and worked on leading feature films such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Assassin’s Creed, and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. She was recently a researcher on A24’s Pillion, directed by Harry Lighton and starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, as well as A Prayer for the Dying, directed by Dara Van Dusen and starring John C. Reilly and Johnny Flynn.

Now her first major feature film as a casting director will be released later this year: Christmas Karma, directed by Gurinder Chadha, starring Kunal Nayyar, Eva Longoria, Billy Porter and Hugh Bonneville - a project she co-cast alongside Jina Jay (Black Mirror, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). Meanwhile her contribution to music video casting in the UK is extensive and impressive, she has cast for major UK and US artists including Stormzy, Burna Boy, Shy FX, Ella Eyre, Jess Glynne, Lewis Capaldi, Jorja Smith, Samm Henshaw. 

We caught up with Louise to find out how she was diverted into directing the Stranger In My Sheets music video. We discovered that the video for Sylvie Wiley was a long time in the making, and a very rewarding, albeit highly challenging, creative process. 

Above: Louise Collins (left); Izzy Bloomer (centre); Sylvie Wiley (right)

PROMONEWS: Louise, your normal day job is as a casting director. How did you choose that as your career and what do you enjoy about the job?

LOUISE COLLINS: While studying Film and Television Producing at UAL, I discovered casting to be one of the most engaging aspects of filmmaking and the career I wanted to pursue. Casting two actors to portray a long-term married couple in our grad film was particularly inspiring. During auditions, we built trust and on-screen chemistry by running sessions like mini-workshops. I loved hearing the actors’ insights to the script, discussing their characters psychology and seeing the actors draw from their personal acting toolkit. I enjoyed giving feedback and still do, to fine-tune scenes until they felt authentic. There’s a special magic when everything clicks and the scene comes alive in the audition room. 

Casting is also a chance for directors and actors to meet and explore together. As a casting director, I enjoy initiating these partnerships, hosting collaborations, and witnessing the director’s process. Sometimes directors rely on me to help communicate their vision, especially when working with children, which makes the process even more rewarding.

The dancer transformed into a visual representation of the songwriter’s intimate reflections... the silks became symbolic of bedsheets.

How did this project start? Did you already have a connection to the artist, Sylvie Wiley?

LC: Yes, I first met Sylvie when she moved from Los Angeles to London to study at Goldsmiths. I heard her sing a rendition of my favourite song - Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams - at a student gig and was really moved by her voice. We became close friends and collaborated on a no-budget, DIY music video for her early song Crofton Road. Using a borrowed camera, I shot and edited it myself, filming in her student flat’s garden with her friend as her male co-lead. It turned out pretty well. During lockdown, we also co-wrote a screenplay and our first novel together. That all lead to this project.

What is the song about? When did you write it and when (and where) did you record it?

SYLVIE WILEY: Originally written when I was 19, the song began as a simple voice-and-piano piece. I wrote and sang the melody and lyrics alone in my Goldsmiths dorm, still processing a recent situationship where a guy told me I’d "catch feelings”- a comment I found patronising. The song explores that grey area of craving closeness and connection while knowing it won’t last, or come with expectations. Hearing my vocals. my close friend Seth Evans instantly came up with the haunting piano part, which we performed in class together the next day. That original piano part became the foundation for what eventually grew into the fully produced single.

I actually first released the song on SoundCloud six years ago as D7G, named after my dorm room where it was written and lived. It felt too raw and personal at the time, but I always knew I’d come back to it. In 2023, I finally did, recording the version that became Stranger In My Sheets.

Sonically, the track is rooted in intimacy. I worked with mixer and producer Alice Western, who brought the vision to life and shaped its sound world with subtle precision. My husband Jonathan added acoustic and electric guitar, weaving in texture, rhythm, and flow at the start of the track, before we brought in the drums. I also drew inspiration from Leonard Cohen’s lyricism and understated musicality, which influenced some of the instrumental choices.

Above: on-set on the Stranger In My Sheets video at My Aerial Home in London, DoP Ernest Tu (right) shoots dancer Izzy Bloomer  

What was the inspiration for the video’s concept?

LC: When I first heard the trickle of piano keys breaking the song’s suspense, an image immediately came to mind: a lone aerial dancer tumbling through the air on white silks. As the concept evolved, the dancer transformed into a visual representation of the songwriter’s intimate reflections, spending the night with a stranger. The silks became symbolic of bedsheets, and the dancer came to embody both the songwriter and the complexity of her emotions. The black and white imagery was inspired by the black and white piano keys and the tattoo ink of her lover.

Who is your performer in the video - and how did you find them?

LC: The performer is Izzy Bloomer. Izzy’s a multi-talented performer and director, who trained across Europe and Australia in various pedagogies: Antonio Fava, Eric Bont, Lecoq and Zen Zen Zo, in Commedia Dell Arte, mask, clown, circus, puppetry and Suzuki & Butoh. Known for solo shows and drag king personas, Izzy also consults for top UK circus companies.

When I started researching aerial dancers, most of them had colourful bold, theatrical looks - heavy makeup and circus-inspired styles - which just didn’t suit the feel of this project. Izzy stood out for their understated, authentic realness. Izzy has a quiet strength, a blend of vulnerability and resilience that resonated with our film’s tone and the intimacy of the songwriting. Izzy’s aerial and acting skills captured the song’s emotional nuance, its softness, power, and rawness, mirroring Sylvie’s vocals, which move from a whisper to a powerful belt.

Izzy has a quiet strength, a blend of vulnerability and resilience that resonated with our film’s tone.

Where did you shoot the video, and who were your important collaborators?

LC: We filmed the video at My Aerial Home in London, where Izzy regularly trains. And we worked in a small team of four: Sylvie who co-created and co-produced the idea of the video, myself as director, co-producer, casting director and editor, our aerial dancer Izzy and Ernest Tu was our DoP.

I’d previously had the pleasure of working with Ernest on a campaign I cast. While casting directors don't often have the opportunity to be on set, I was invited on this project to continue as the production talent manager for the ambassador talent. That experience gave me the chance to see Ernest in action and develop our working relationship. I was struck by how calm, focused, and humble he was. His experience in filming fashion also lent itself to the aesthetic of our film.

How would you describe the film, in its intention and aesthetics, and your approach?

LC: The films conceptual style creates a feeling of being set in the liminal space between sleep and consciousness. It explores the emotional tug-of-war between the woman’s need to protect her independence and her desire for physical connection. We flicker between romance and the threat of violence, both from the stranger’s intentions and from her own act of using the stranger as a form of self-harm.

The silks, symbolic of her bedsheets, offer comfort, forming a safe cocoon at times, and a quiet form of restraint at others. They sometimes let her fall freely; other times, they leave her hanging, caught in tension. Though there are moments of surrender, she ultimately holds herself back, protecting herself, suspended, unable or unwilling to fully let go, both literally and emotionally.

Above: Director Louise Collins on set of the Stranger In My Sheets video

To capture the song's emotional nuance, we broke the script into intimate close-ups of Izzy’s face, hair, body, and the flowing silks, using slow motion to highlight delicate moments. Wider shots revealed Izzy’s full form and the dynamic shapes created. We also shot close-ups of ink, both tattoo ink and ink from a pen, symbolising the songwriter’s thoughts.

As the track grows rockier, we replaced the silks with rope and Izzy’s white costume with black. The dancers movements thrash wildly, evoking anger, rebellion, control - a sharp contrast to the earlier grace and flow of the silks. We also shifted between a black backdrop, a white backdrop and the ceiling. These shifts gave us a dynamic range of footage to express the song’s full emotional arc.

What were the big challenges you faced in capturing the aerial dancer during the shoot?

LC: Our biggest challenge was having limited studio time to film due to our budget constraints. To navigate these challenges we had to focus on thorough pre-production, and we developed a detailed mood board, treatment, script, and shot list. We also held several meetings to discuss ideas, choreography and cinematography. Izzy and I worked out the initial stages of the choreography at this point.

I had also brought a range of costumes but during the fitting discovered that a minimalist approach worked best: a simple white tee for the softer scenes and a black mesh top for the darker rocky moments. The silks and rope became a continuation of the lines and motion of the dancers body like a costume in itself. The silks billowed out romantically, like a waltzing ball gown, while the rope looked almost like a whip or lasso, symbolising the couples tension and power play.

During filming, it was crucial to give Izzy breaks to catch their breath. We balanced sticking to the schedule with embracing spontaneous freestyle dance. I outlined each shot and directed both Izzy and Ernest, while Izzy guided Ernest on safe camera positions, communicating their comfort and energy levels. The three of us worked seamlessly like a well-oiled machine.

We didn’t have the luxury of a lighting team, so we used natural lighting and embraced the raw aesthetic that suited the chaotic, self-sabotaging rocky sequences. The visible ceiling beams, shadows, and industrial edges reflected the fractured, messy architecture of the protagonist’s mind. Though I’m sure Ernest would have welcomed a gaffer, I was very happy with the footage.

What other problems did you encounter in making the video?

LC: When Sylvie and I first conceptualised the film, we imagined a male character appearing alongside Sylvie, with close-up fragments reflecting her intimate experience told to us in the lyrics: his "brown hair", "tattoo", and "blue eyes". We planned a transition where the bedsheets they shared would blend into the aerial silks. But we decided to simplify the idea when we realized that adding more characters and bedroom shots took away from the dreamlike quality and the personal, lonely experience captured in Izzy’s solo performance.

What did you learn from the experience of making it - and are you planning to direct more videos?

LC: I learned not to throw too many ideas at a story. The team discovered that ideas evolve and things change, problems occur so adaptability and quick thinking are key. I also learned the importance of sticking to budgets and prioritising the safety of cast and crew. I learned to nurture your team with respect, trust, encouragement, fair payment, good food, and clear communication.

I’m currently developing a feature film with Sylvie and interested in collaborating on music videos with artists whose ideas resonate, excite, and align with my own feelings about the world, especially those exploring the female experience of the world.

• Louise Collins is a casting director; contact Louise via her agent Gabriella Capisani at United Agents gcapisani@unitedagents.co.uk or visit her site at Collinscasting.com​