How Oura made a big impact with a miniature set

What was your reaction when you first saw the script?

I loved the script as soon as I saw it. The best scripts are often simple ideas that can be expanded and explored. 

The first priority is to get the scale right, because pretty much everything depends on it.

This was a portrait of humanity going about their lives, but instead of people, they were hands wearing Oura Rings. 

When you know you're working with such an intricate set, what are your first priorities?

The first priority is to get the scale right, because pretty much everything depends on it. Without that it doesn't matter how great the sets are, they'll instinctively feel wrong to the viewer. 

Above: The finished spot for Oura Rings' Wear Your Best Life.

How long did the set-build take, and what did you have to take into consideration in the build?

We only had three weeks to build the sets, which put an enormous amount of pressure on the art department and model makers. But production designers John Beard, Zuzana Suchá and their team of 35 model makers did an incredible job. It was a joy to see their creations come to life. 

It's a portrait of humanity and I wanted the buildings, in all their minute detail, to reflect that.

I worked closely with the team because I like to have a lot of input on all the details within each scene. My goal was for these models to feel like an entire city, with the different shops and restaurants, the democratising underground train, the park run, the rooftop swimming pool and the apartments, where we glimpse through the individual windows at the end. Each scene needed to offer something new. It's a portrait of humanity and I wanted the buildings, in all their minute detail, to reflect that.

Above: Superprime director Sam Walker on set for his Oura Rings film.

How did you find [finger choreographer] Lilach Chen, and what did she bring to the project?

Probably the first thing I said when we started this project was we needed a choreographer, an expert who knew what they were doing and had done hand performance at a high level before. Lilach Chen is incredible, and has the biggest hand dance YouTube channel in the world, so she was the ideal choice and the first piece of the jigsaw for the production. 

I didn’t want it to feel like a silly or childish film. It needed heart and humanity.

Once Lilach was on board, we worked closely together to choreograph what I wanted for the film. I didn’t want it to feel like a silly or childish film. It needed heart and humanity. Of course, most people have played around with their hands walking on two fingers before, so the goal here was to try and make the viewer momentarily suspend disbelief and start thinking of these hands as people. 

To do that we made sure the hands respected the laws of gravity, both in terms of staying as upright as possible and moving with the speed of a human rather than the speed a hand can move at. It was all about tiny movements rather than big, comedic physicality.

Above: Behind the scenes on the Oura shoot. 

What was the casting process like for the spot?

The price of entry was to be an expert hand movement artist or dancer who could translate small hand movements into real emotion. We wanted the hands to feel like a reflection of the world around us, with a natural variety of ages, skin tones and personalities. From there, Lilach selected who she thought were the best performers, the ones who had the most control over their fingers at a small scale. 

Everyone can pretend their fingers are legs, but conveying real emotion through those same movements requires much more control.

Lilach and I then devised rough performances for each scene, which we sent to the actors to replicate. Everyone can pretend their fingers are legs, but conveying real emotion through those same movements requires much more control and subtlety than it looks.  

What was the biggest challenge directing hands as opposed to faces/bodies?

The shoot was all about subtlety and precision. The instinct of most performers is to do big and jokey movements because that's how you generally do it when pretending to walk with your fingers for a child. But this was all about tiny movements, imitating human-proportioned physicality. 

The movements didn't have to be big for the camera to pick them up because we would always be close. Restraint was the key, along with following the laws of gravity. In the underground train scene in particular, you can really feel the different personalities of the different people come to life. 

Above: A behind the scenes film of Wear Your Best Life.

You're used to shooting things in-camera but on a - literally - much larger scale; how did this compare and was there ever any discussion about using AI or digital methods to get the desired effect?

I approached this in exactly the same way I approach my larger-scale films. My goal is often scale, and this was no different, even though in reality, the sets were tiny by comparison. 

The beauty of this idea was always going to be its in-camera nature. I don't think I would have directed it if it were to be done mostly in post or AI.

The beauty of this idea was always going to be its in-camera nature. I don't think I would have directed it if it were to be done mostly in post or AI. I think people still crave and appreciate human endeavour. The practical craft itself has an inherent humanity, and it adds charm to the idea. 

Above: The model makers creating the intricate set for Wear Your Best Life. 

What was the thinking behind the music you chose, what job were you looking for it to do?

The soundtrack is a long way from where we started. Originally, the concept was set to a dance track, which would have worked too, but where we ended up gives the film a real sense of empathy. You really connect with and feel a kinship towards these hands. They are us and we are them.

You really connect with and feel a kinship towards these hands.

The soundtrack is an original composition by Luke Fabia at Soundtree. I love it, and could listen to it all day. My goal was to start with something contemplative that really draws the viewer in and creates empathy between you and the hands, but then builds to an optimistic, epic swell that leaves you feeling good about humanity and the human condition. Hopefully forgetting for a moment that you've just been watching hands.