Los Angeles-based creative studio and production company, Ways & Means, are adept at bringing a brief to life. Upon co-founding the agency in 2012, Lana Kim has worked as a producer across everything from music videos, to films and commercials, for brands including Spotify, Nike and Dior.
‘As soon as I saw the storyboards, I knew I wanted to be a part of bringing this idea to life,’ says Kim, upon being approached by Jaime Gerin, Olivia Rodrigo’s creative director, and co-director for The Cure music video. ‘Jaime had written on the storyboards “I cannot stress enough that the entire hospital is made out of arts and crafts”, and that note was very much taken to heart. So much cardboard and yarn!’
The making of ‘The Cure’ music video, by Olivia Rodrigo
Where did the idea for the hospital set originate?
Lana Kim: As Jaime listened to the song, she envisioned Olivia as a nurse trapped in a cycle, experimenting on hearts, and unravelling herself in the process – so a hospital made sense. It was our little handmade hospital!
The challenges were really the massive undertaking of building this set and making sure that everyone on the team was aligned on how to achieve these shots. Thankfully, we had an incredible team that made it all look like a breeze.
That balance between practical and digital was always part of the conversation from the beginning. Digital effects were only used to supplement and enhance the handmade feel. The sets were fully handmade, and the elements hand animated, but to combine these worlds, we needed some CG. So we partnered up with our friends at Pretend VFX to seamlessly incorporate the stop motion work with the live action, and enhance the world we had already built and captured in-camera.
Olivia Rodrigo with her cardboard guitar
(Image credit: Cloudy Tots)
What was the experience of working with stop motion?
Working with stop motion animation is always so magical. Animation is filmmaking distilled to its purest form – movement frame by frame coming to life right before our very eyes. Having (our other co-director) Cat Solen’s expertise made all the difference. She has a rare ability to draw emotion out of an inanimate object.
How did you balance the symbolic and practical here, such as with the yarn and the unravelling?
The unravelling was really the climax of the video, so we had to make sure that everyone was aligned on how to make that happen. It took many many meetings with Cat and Jaime, Liam our production designer, the animation team, and VFX team to align to make sure that happened seamlessly. What you see in the video is a mix of puppeteers pulling yarn that was attached to Olivia on set, and some stop-motion yarn that we shot during post production. All enhanced by CG and VFX.
Olivia Rodrigo in the hospital set
(Image credit: Cloudy Tots)
What details did you enjoy focusing on?
My favourite part of the operating room set was the glass block windows, which were made from plastic take-out containers. Liam Moore, our incredible Production Designer, really brought that spirit to even the smallest of details. A lot of the stop-animated “liquid” in the beakers are beads from Jaime’s personal bead collection.
Building the team is always the best part – so many people involved that are just so passionate and incredible at what they do. Overall, there were more than 125 people who worked on the project and helped make this video: from our production designer and the art team to the set, prop, and miniature designers and fabricators, wardrobe, hair and makeup, production team, to the DP and camera team, lighting technicians and grips, drivers, stop motion animators, editor, VFX artists and colourist.
How closely did you work with Olivia on this project?
Despite shooting other videos, hosting SNL and doing press, Olivia was very involved throughout the entire process. Looking at references, mockups, and storyboards, giving input each step of the way. She is one busy woman!
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