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On Man 'Worse Than It Seems' by Ian Roderick Gray

Rob Ulitski - 14th June 2022

A woman tries her best to hide an unusual medical affliction, in Ian Roderick Gray's video-cum-short film for On Man. 

Exploring discrimination and isolation, the video follows the story of a woman who has grown a third eye on her temple, and the derision she experiences from society as a result of her condition.

"On Man wanted to create something that would work as both a music video and as a film, with the song almost acting as a score," explains Ian Roderick Gray. "From the beginning, we wanted to avoid the tropes you often encounter in horror films or sci-fi. It was very important to us that the eye felt like a medical affliction and not a mutation or something you might find in the X-Men films."

The concept takes a heartfelt approach to the narrative, never stepping into parody or overly bizarre territory, and is anchored by the visual effects work on the eye. 

"I was lucky enough to work with the incredible VFX supervisor Puff Pisanwalerd, and she put huge amounts of work into the design of the eye, to create something that felt like it could be a natural growth or an unusual condition. The target was to make people feel uncomfortable when they looked at it and then feel guilty about that discomfort. We knew very quickly, that if the third eye didn’t work, the music video would also fail."

Luckily, that worry was unfounded, as the video works perfectly, ending on a hopeful, optimistic note. Brilliant work from Ian Roderick Gray and team. 

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Rob Ulitski - 14th June 2022

Tags

  • Director's notes
  • Narrative
  • Singer-songwriter
  • Medical
  • Eye
  • Short Film
  • Concept
  • VFX

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Producer
Adham Hunt
Executive Producer
Andrew Gannon
Production Manager
Rebecca Murray
1st AD
Laura Prast

Camera

Director of Photography
Anthony Dias
Focus Puller
Tom Reid
2nd AC
Connor Hammill
B Camera
Connor Hutton

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Will Courtney
Nick Cross

Art

Production designer
Andrew Gannon

Wardrobe

Make-up
Jessica Kell
Wardrobe
Lucy Williams

Casting

Lead actor
Andy Gibbins
Lead actor
Richard Mason
Lead actor
Katie Clarkson-Hill
Cast
Dylan Harvey, Julia Eve, Conor Southwick, Stuart Kuhan, Chas Synods, Gino Picciano, Elizabeth Gibson, Esther Akinyemi, Allan Gray, Dylan Harvey, Frances Gannon, Eva Gannon
Extras In Street
Stephen Jack, Micky Sutton, Gino Piccano, Chas Symonds, Kelsey Byers, Conor Southwick, Elizabeth Gibson, Dana Theiler, Juliana Barros

Editorial

Editor
Sound Design
Edwin Matthews

Grading

Colourist
Tom Knowles
Colour grade company
The Joint

VFX

VFX
Puff Pisanwalerd
Compositors
Kane Herd, Bas Chatmaleerat, Sherrine Byfield, James Lee, Will Ould

Agent

Director's Representation

Commission

Commissioner
On Man
Label
Houndstooth

Misc

Prosthetics
Suzi Battersby

Rob Ulitski - 14th June 2022

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