PRETTYBIRD filmmaker Salomon Ligthelm reteams with English-Nigerian artist Little Simz on the conceptual and visually rich music video “Flood.”
Featuring Obongjayar & Moonchild Sanelly, “Flood” is a hyper-stylized meditation on materialism and its role in shaping culture.
Staying in a performance-based visual space, Ligthelm captures Little Simz in dramatic black and white. True to his signature photographic style–which borders on the edge of fine-art-like–the framing and texture of ‘Flood’ plays quite minimalist while the performances are equally playful and extravagant.
Ligthelm previously directed Little Simz’s 2021 award-winning music video “Introvert.”
Credits
Production Company PRETTYBIRD Salomon Ligthelm; Emily Rudge, managing director; Fiona Bamford-Phillips, head of production; Alex Chamberlain, producer; Chanel Parkinson, production manager; Rina Yang, DP; Thomas Bird, production designer; Luci Ellis, stylist. Editorial Trim Elise Butt, editor; Pia Ebrill, edit producer. Post/VFX Blacksmith Perry Tate, head of production; Adam Vevang, color producer; Hadley Puccio, production coordinator; Alex Parks, CG lead; Brian Goodwin, head of innovation; Remedy Jeannie, 2D lead; Terry Simpson, colorist; Kevin Ratigan, color assist. Sound Design & Mix Ballad Adrian Aurelius, Philip Flindt, sound designers & mixers; Gregers Maersk Moeller, exec producer. Special Thanks: Black Island Studios, One Stop Films, Panalux, Cinelab.
Rappers Khuli Chana, Blxckie and 25K team up with Patriot Films director Sam Coleman, who is repped by Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) stateside, to celebrate the power of inspiration for KFC Streetwise and Ogilvy Johannesburg.
Every groundbreaking artist has a story, a moment of inspiration that drives their next wave of creativity. But this doesn’t happen in isolation--original needs to feed original. “There’s a wealth of creative energy bubbling up in the youth of South Africa,” said Coleman. “Everyone is out to try and make a dent in the creative landscape. Inspiration is everywhere you look and all a creative person needs is that spark to go to the next level.”
This 90-second spot features a stellar cast of South African artists riffing off each other, and while KFC Streetwise has long been a mainstay of the country’s youth culture, an authentic approach was critical. Ogilvy turned to Coleman whose experience includes fashion and street culture.
Notable South African creators who appear in the commercial film include Kind Kid toymaker Sanele Qwabe, “Nail Pimp” Nailed Ntswembu, the Island Gals skaters, fashion designer Ruberto Scholtz, visual director Rowan Sakarombe, custom car pimper Ofentse Mphatsoe and metal band Botswana Metalheads. The transitions from one innovator to another were important considerations for Coleman. He explained, “You’re really talking about a ripple effect and how one idea sparks another, so I wanted to create seamless uninterrupted progressions that would evoke that feeling of inspiration and flow.”
KFC’s chief marketing officer Grant Macpherson said, “From a brand perspective, I want to work with directors who have a strong, passionate point of view – someone who brings bold... Read More
