Shifting textures, built in a studio, cut fast

Promonews described it on release as "a hyper-stylised meditation on materialism and its role in shaping culture", and located the approach in the director's other life:

Evoking the fine art-inspiration of his photography work, Ligthelm's eye for framing and composition is on full display here, with shifting textures created in a studio shoot and a fittingly quickfire edit.

Two things in that sentence matter for a craft publication. "Shifting textures created in a studio shoot" means the variety is built physically, on a stage, rather than found across locations. And a fast cut against carefully composed frames is a specific tension: each image is made to be looked at and then not given enough time.

Credits as published

Director Salomon Ligthelm. Cinematographer Rina Yang. Production designer Thomas Bird. Choreographer Kloe Dean. Editor Elise Butt at Trim. Colourist Terry Simpson. Post and VFX by Blacksmith. Sound design Adrian Aurelius and Philip Flindt at Ballad. PRETTYBIRD, February 2025.

Nominations: Rina Yang for Best Cinematography at the UKMVA 2025 and for Cinematography In A Music Video at the BSC Awards 2026; Kloe Dean for Best Choreography at the UKMVA 2025. No win confirmed in any of the three.