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.
Rob Ulitski - 14th June 2022