Rudá Santos's video for Ross From Friends, for the electronic DJ’s new single The Daisy, blends a reverence for speed-cubing competitions and a bittersweet twist worthy of a sci-fi classic.

We are transported through a trippy time-warp to an unassuming park, where a young girl discovers a Rubik’s Cube and a timer on a bench. Her passion for ‘speed-cubing’ ignited, we then follow her on a journey where she works to master her skills.

Our young heroine progresses to a speed-cubing competition, battling through to reach her goal in time. As she wins the competition, however, viewers are confronted with a surreal twist... 

Blending an admiration for speed-cubing with the unexpected ending, Rudá Santos also employed 3D animated sequences to bookend the film and reinforce the sci-fi elements. In order to capture authentic, realistic performances, he also chose to cast real Rubik’s Cubers in the promo - including Katie Mouchan-Davies as the main protagonist.

RUDA SANTOS:

Some of the UK's best speed-cubers... helped us bring the vision to life.

“I’ve always thought the Cube was a mysterious and fantastical object - so the idea to play with some sci-fi elements seemed very fitting and came naturally to me in the writing process.

"Having some of the UK’s best speed-cubers performing in the video also helped us bring the vision to life. Ultimately, we wanted the promo to function as both an ode to speed-cubing as a sport, and a thrilling and engaging short piece of its own.”