BARBIE had a record-breaking opening weekend, and with the attendant fanfare comes Barbie The Album, which includes “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa, the first single released off the soundtrack. Union’s Vinnie Hobbs edited the video, which features a cameo from director Greta Gerwig. Also cut by Hobbs is the official music video for another Barbie The Album track: Karol G’s “Watati,” feat. Aldo Ranks.
Dua Lipa appears in the movie as Mermaid Barbie, and when this playful, meta music video begins, we’re informed via freeze framed super that “This Barbie is making a music video.” The walls of Dua’s dressing room facade fall away, making room for mirrors, stairs, backup dancers – and the enormous disco mirror ball that figures mysteriously into the BTS narrative of the story.
In “Dance the Night,” Lipa takes her place atop a giant Barbie heel, as the video cuts to scenes of the film’s own disco party with Margot Robbie, Issa Rae and others. At the video’s conclusion, Gerwig rises from her director’s chair to inquire about the “missing” disco ball. “Dance the Night” was co-written by Lipa, Wyatt, Caroline Ailin, and Mark Ronson.
Directed by Mike Ho, ‘Watati’ takes the party to the beach, blending trap and reggaeton along the Barbie-fied Malibu shore. Karol G and Aldo Ranks crafted the bouncy lyrics for the Spanish-language track, and the video has no shortage of energy and imagination, as the stars engage in watersports and space travel – in Barbie’s world, everything is possible!
“It was exciting to hear Greta's input on these music videos because it's rare to get feedback from the director of the main film when working on promotional content, such as a music video,” said Hobbs, who was invited to edit the projects by (Atlantic Records President) Kevin Weaver. “Greta wanted the ethos and anthropomorphic psyche to match the film, so everything felt connected.”
A five-time Best Editing VMA nominee, Hobbs edited Cardi B’s crowd-pleasing “WAP” feat. Megan Thee Stallion (directed by Colin Tilley), and MGK’s (Machine Gun Kelly) “Bloody Valentine” (Michael Garcia, dir.), which won Best Alternative Video at the VMAs in 2020. Recent work includes Doja Cat’s “Vegas” (Child, dir.), and his spot resume includes projects for McDonald’s, Nintendo, Hennessy, Audi, Rolls Royce, and Nike Jordan Family “Back to School,” among others.
Born in Okinawa, Japan, to a pair of educators, Hobbs experienced the Japanese culture while being “Americanized” at home. At 18, he went to the US to study mass communications at Seattle University, where he honed his audiovisual skills. He next studied journalism and print advertising in India, before moving to Berkeley, CA. There, he “learned video editing by making mistakes and experimenting” with low budget rap videos and BTS projects. He cut Jonathan Singer-Vine’s feature, “Licks” (2013), which screened at SXSW to great acclaim, precipitating a shuffle to Los Angeles. In 2014, Hobbs found himself in the same room as Colin Tilley; the two clicked immediately, and, cutting videos for the likes of Birdman and Sean Kingston, Hobbs entered the world of big budgets, deadlines, clients, video commissioners, artists, managers, and directors.
The success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” video was followed by collaborations with Cardi B., Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Big Sean, Drake, Kanye West, Skrillex, and more, across 100+ music videos. “Alright” also led to Hobbs’ first :30 spot assignment, for Reebok. Commercials for Audi, and from there, Rolls Royce, followed, reflecting the organic evolution of the editor’s diverse career. He cut Under Armour “Curry,” and contributed to the editorial for sneaker doc Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 (dir: Dexton Deboree). The aforementioned “WAP” brought new life and energy to viewers during the pandemic, and Doja Cat “Vegas” is among Hobbs’ recent output, distinguished by collaborations with filmmakers like Tilley, Tanu Muino, Dave Meyers, Director X, Nadia Lee Cohen, and Jesse Terrero.
