Editor Jeff Selis of Bonch Post reunited with director Melina Matsoukas of Prettybird on a new film starring Grimes, Lourdes “Lola” Leon, Amandla Stenberg and Kenya Kinski-Jones, part of the global campaign for “POP,” a fragrance by Stella McCartney. For the campaign, Selis cut a :60, a :30, and four :10 edits featuring each of the campaign’s stars.
Set in the California desert, the film sees the four young women embark on an adventure that takes them from a motel pool to the open road – naturally, they’ve filled their pink convertible with water. It’s all part of a fun, dreamy, style piece from the same director-editor team that delivered the music video for Beyoncé's "Formation," recipient of the first Entertainment Lions for Music Grand Prix at the Cannes International Festival for Creativity. Selis won the 2016 AICE Award in the Music Video category for his work on that project, which is also up for Video of the Year, Best Pop Video at the MTV VMA’s August 28.
The film is soundtracked with “Venus Fly,” a track from Grimes (f. Janelle Monae), whose views on the environment complement McCartney’s new eco-friendly fragrance. Along similar lines is the inclusion of 17-year-old The Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg, considered one of the most influential teenagers in America (she’ll next star in the YA adaptation Everything, Everything). As she recently told SuperSoul.tv, “If you have experienced oppression, if you have been historically oppressed, then your love for yourself is your revolution.”
“The marriage between brands and personalities is complex, because these young people really have a connection with their respective audiences,” Selis observed. “This campaign was tricky: it features four strong young women with their individual fan bases, so there were specific shots that reflected the image of one girl and if it had all four girls in it, it had to match all four personalities.” Selis said he relished the challenge, because, as he explained, “This is really about the attitude and emotion brought by the players.”
Selis currently is working on a project for Drake that will drop the end of this month, and just cut a video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His other recent work includes an Anthony Mandler-directed spot for Joe’s Jeans, starring model Bella Hadid. That ad differed from the POP campaign in that dialogue was integral to the story. Drawing a contrast between commercials and music videos, Selis noted the role music plays in the spot process. “With commercials, you often don’t know the track you’re ultimately cutting to,” he said. “Even on POP, where we knew the music would come from Grimes, we played with several tracks before settling on ‘Venus Fly’”.
Selis has spent two decades in the field he describes as a “beautiful accident. I started in photography and discovered the Avid as a means of creating visual poems and playing with images. Someone asked me to cut a music video, then a commercial, and years later, they keep asking.” Previously at Room in Venice, Selis joined Bonch Post in 2008. “I love being part of Bonch,” he concluded. “It’s relaxed, artistic and communal, with a very cool vibe. It’s home.”
About Bonch Post
Founded by editor Jarrett Fijal in 2007, Bonch Post is a full-service boutique providing offline editorial, color correction and finishing. A roster of distinctive talent combined with a warm, collaborative environment have made Bonch the go-to post house for Beyoncé, Lady GaGa, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Lana Del Rey, Rihanna, and others. Over the past few years, Bonch’s repertoire extended to high-profile commercial projects, including the Sans campaign with David Beckham via AR New York (directed by Anthony Mandler), the latest spot campaign for Stella McCartney’s Pop perfume (directed by Melina Matsoukas), and the acclaimed short film,“Time” (directed by Floria Sigismondi) for Saatchi Saatchi. Multiple winners of the MTV VMA for Video of the Year have been cut at Bonch Post, which is also a three-time winner of the Moonman for Best Editor.
In addition to Fijal, the Bonch roster is comprised of editors Marissa Charlwood, Chris Davis, Chip Eddy, Steve Forner, Jeff Selis, Adam “Zuk” Zuckerman, and colorists/finishers Kevin Kim and Bill Pollock. Jeff Weidemann is Executive Producer at Bonch Post.
