Ringan Talks MassiveAttack & Casting Rosamund Pike

Earlier this week Massive Attack released a new track, Voodoo in My Blood, which came accompanied by a striking new promo directed by Rattling Stick's Ringan Ledwidge and starring actress Rosamund Pike. 

The video features a mesmerising performace from Pike as she is seemingly possesed by a shiny, metal sphere. Below Ledwidge reveals the inspirations behind the idea, why he wanted to direct it and why Pike was the only actress for the job.

How did your working on the video come about; did they approach you/you them?

Massive Attack and I have known of each other for a while. Previously the stars had never aligned, so when the track came in I was determined that this time they would. They’re such wonderful artists and have such an incredible track record with all that they do that it was a bit of a dream to be honest.

You’ve not worked on many music promos, and the last one was some time ago; what attracted you to this one?

I’ve always loved making music videos but I guess as my commercial career developed it became trickier to find the time to do them. It also feels like there’s a hunger again for music videos to challenge the way we look at things again.

What attracted me to it? Massive Attack! It’s a no brainer. Everything they do oozes class and integrity. As soon as I heard the track was coming my way I wanted in.

What was it about the track/lyrics that inspired the idea for the video and was it an immediate response?

Ideas are funny things. Sometimes they just come to you, other times it's like getting blood from a stone. This was one of those rare occasions where it just came to me. I’ve been thinking about technology a lot of late. About how it’s sexy, alluring and terrifying all at the same time.

The track felt like a good way of exploring that idea. The way I see it, technology is benign until we engage with it. For some of us it becomes addictive and can possess you in a way. That was the story and the kind of emotions that I wanted to tap into.

For some reason a sphere came into my mind. Which lead to me recalling a movie called Phantasm that I loved when I was a kid. In it there’s this terrifying stainless steel, swiss army knife of a ball that kills people in gruesome ways. The other was a movie called Possession in which the lead actress becomes possessed. They’re films that have always stayed with me so I used them both as an inspiration and leaping-off point.

Why was Rosamund Pike the right actress for the story?

Rosamund, from the get-go, was who I wanted. I’d obviously seen Gone Girl and thought she was incredibly impressive. It was a role that I don’t think previously you’d associate with her and she nailed it.

There’s something about someone who has real poise and presence losing it and being possessed that is incredibly captivating. It’s disturbing and somehow sexy at the same time.

I felt that Rosamund could capture and enjoy exploring it. It’s a brave part to take on as you have to be utterly committed for it to work and she went beyond that to deliver a performance that I think is electrifying.

How did you pitch the idea to her and what do you think attracted her to the project?

I did a video pitch as she was shooting when I approached her. It's the first time I’ve done that but it just felt like the right way to go. The idea is very simple but the nuance is quite hard to explain in written words as so much of what's in the video isn’t tangible, it’s emotive.

I know from speaking to Rosamund that she liked the simplicity and clarity of the idea and the vision of what I wanted the finished piece to be. I also think that, as an actress, she liked the challenge of the part. It’s something different. And I think for anyone creative the opportunity to do work that’s a little out there is rare.

Do you need to actively like the music/track to make a promo for it?

Whatever the project commercial or music video I have to be into the material otherwise I don’t have a connection or want to tell a story.

What was the hardest part about the production process?

Ellie Fry, who did a brilliant job producing, probably had the hardest part. Our budget was very limited so we had to pull in a lot of favours to make it work. As well as Ellie I have to say a big shout-out to the Electric Theatre Collective who did the special effects. They surpassed what I thought was possible.

Do you think there will be a shorter gap between this promo and your next one?

I’d like to think they’ll be a shorter gap till my next promo. It was good for the soul.