From a very young age I have been obsessed with music videos. As a child I would wake up at 9am every Saturday morning to watch 'Video Hits' and eagerly await the Top 40 videos that week , video taping my favorite videos. I always dreamed that one day I could be part of a music video. (I've also always had the fantasy of producing/directing a music video, its on my list of things to do) As I got older and started to understand the role of a stylist I remember thinking 'God I'd love to style a music video' , so when by recommendation of a friend , I was called by a production company to do just that - style my first music video - I jumped at the chance and after receiving the confirmation email I danced around my bedroom in my underwear! *its the little things*
The video was for debut artist Noah Stewart, a classically trained singer signed to Universal records. Flying in from New York, the black and white music video was being shot in London and the inspiration was Old Hollywood Glamour, a style I've always loved. Think men in dapper suits and women in sexy , gorgeous gowns. Luxurious fabrics , amazing jewellery and beautiful hair. After meeting with the production team , the Director made it very clear that I had total creative control , all he requested was an amazing floor length black dress for the leading lady! Easy right? Well after 3 days of trailing vintage stores and most fashion PR agencies in London , this task was becoming near impossible. At the 11th hour (literally 10pm the night before the shoot) my best friend Laura presented me with a gorgeous one of a kind dress that fit the brief - and then some! As I went to bed that night , cases packed for tomorrow's shoot , I had butterflies in my stomach and woke up the following morning (at 5am) like a kid at Christmas. As my car came to collect me we drove through the dark London morning and I felt overwhelmed for the day ahead. The location for the shoot was the stunning Bentley Hotel in Knightsbridge, Chelsea.
Arriving on set were my two gorgeous friends who were there to assist me for the day. Holly, who I used to intern with at Vogue and her friend Libby who interns at Tank magazine. As the
three of us looked at each other we started to chuckle. All three of us were wearing black and white ensembles with seriously statement making shoes - great minds think alike no?
We started to get the models and extra's into hair and make-up when our first drama presented itself. Upon viewing the gorgeous floor length black dress the production team decided it needed to have a longer trail and after being told to "Make it happen..." I started to think 'What can I do to give this dress a longer trail' - before the thought it even came into my head my two assistants were on the phone calling fabric stores in Chelsea to buy some fabric , it was at that moment I realised how crucial it is to work in a great team! In the end we ended up pinning 2 other black dresses to the hem of the existing dress to give the illusion of a trail 'we can smooth it out in post production' said the crew , and with that it was Lights , Camera & Action! First scene ready to go!
The next 17 hours *yes thats right , the shoot was almost 20 hours in total* went passed in a flurry of costume, scene & location changes and it wasn't till about half way through when I found myself standing with the crew while the director called 'Action' that I started to get emotional (on the inside - one musn't cry on set hehe) at the reality of what my life was turning into to! My dreams were coming true and I just don't know how it came to be this way - too lucky for words! As we wrapped up the shoot , packed up the cases and said goodbye to cast and crew , I got into a cab at just after midnight and drove home into the London night with a tear in my eye. As I looked across the city, all lit up, I just felt an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I couldn't wait to get on set of another music video and was itching to see the final result of this one!
A mere 3 weeks later , I received a call from the production company booking me to style another video '...we know its really last minute but we were so impressed with your work on the Noah video we'd love you to style our next project' and before I knew it 4 days later I found myself at the BBC Television studios in West London at 6.30am with another suitcase of clothes for the day's shoot. It was for a rock trio called the 'Band of Skulls' , now most people will know that I love pretty much all music and have a very varied taste however safe to say my passion
sticks around the Hip/Hop & Pop genres, so I was not cool enough to know who the band were or quite how much of a following they have! The story for this video was unique , and unlike anything I've ever worked on as it involved professional martial arts sequences choreographed & 'performed' as such by some very talented kung-fu fighters. The styling inspiration came from the 70s and with that in mind the shoot begun! Going from doing a classical song to a rock song with a very catchy hook, the vibe on set was completely different & you could just feel the electric energy pulsing through the room! It was the type of feeling where as filming continued all members of crew would just keep looking at each other as we knew this was going to be something so amazing , and something that'd we'd all be so very proud to put our names on!
When I found myself watching both videos back a few weeks later , I squealed , smiled and cried simultaneously! Seeing the hard work and long hours put into every aspect of the video and then seeing the final product , is one of the proudest moments you can have as a stylist. Both videos will truly be an experience I wont ever forget and will always be very proud of! Hopefully one day I'll be styling videos for some of the hip hop & pop icons I admire so much! For now check these two vids out by following the links below! xoxo Deni
