Director of Photography

Nikita Popkov

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

Sophia Ray

Lyubo Yonchev

Mayling Wong

Mouthpiece

Partizan Darkroom

Katie Dolan

Peter Kostov

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;

Partizan

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

This intriguing and beautifully-made short film, set in a distopian future where a youth is created and controlled by a force represented by a shape-shifting lazer, was directed by Latvian director Anton Nenashev.Dialogue-free and with a soundtrack by Jameson Nathan Jones, Product 207 was filmed&nbsp;last summer as a lockdown project in what Neneshev describes as "a tribute to the beauty of youth and the nature of Latvia, where we found ourselves in the pandemic climax, the sunrises were endless, the light was transcendent, and it was impossible not to shoot."Don't look for any deep religious or other connotations, it is rather an aesthetic exercise. This video was filmed just like that, for the krasota." Which essentially means 'beauty', and this is exactly that. With great photography and visual effects - both in-camera and in post - this is mysterious and alluring alternative creation story.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Latvia

Anton Nenashev

Nenashev

Nikita Pichugov

Anton Beznosuk

Alexander Fedukovich

Eduards Razua

Alternative

 Jameson Nathan Jones 'Product 207' by Anton Nenashev

Nenashev-Team-'Product-207-|-Dedicated-To-My-Own-Latvia'-by-Anton-Nenashev

Taisia Deeva has directed a very stylish, choreography and VFX-based video&nbsp;for SAINt JHN, depicting an allegory of some key experiences that individuals go&nbsp;through whilst&nbsp;being a part of society.A lone figure is suspended over a large structure, floating as if frozen in time, before dropping into the building below. He lands in a white spotlight to the first beat of the track&nbsp;and realises he is not alone, as he sees glowing eyes staring at him from the darkness. Before long he is surrounded by dancers in black clothing and intricate geometric makeup, as they confront him through movement. The spotlight then becomes a&nbsp;ring for their dance battle, surveyed by an ominous masked figure who has control over the dancers.After their dance the protagonist remains&nbsp;the last one standing, undefeated against the odds - until he is&nbsp;confronted&nbsp;by a group of&nbsp;female dancers with the same intimidating aura...The stunning visual effects, made by VFX Headquarters, are key to creating the dystopian futuristic set up, as well as the striking use of lights and camera movement, both controlled by&nbsp;the rhythm of the track.

Nikita Popkov

Director of Photography

Videos featuring Nikita Popkov

2022 (2)

2021 (2)

2020 (1)

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