There probably isn’t a track in 2019 that made you do your crazier bass faces and dance moves than “sinking”, by Enei.
From a dark and monstrous soundscape to a dreadful and massive foghorn, it hit the drum & bass scene by storm, destroying clubs, and bringing novelty to the genre, with this incredible techno-inspired 4/4 kick drum. Released on Critical Music at the end of 2019, certified-banger and instantly established as a drum & Bass anthem, this massive track needed a massive music video.
In this article, you’ll get to discover the ‘behind the scenes’ of this fiendish music video, directed by a super talented woman, known as Ksenia Shutochkina.
As you may have guessed from her name, Ksenia is Russian, like Enei. Equally gifted and talented in her field as an art director, she gained a lot of recognition for her work when “Sinking” got nominated in the top 10 best drum & bass videos at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards. Additionally, it was also nominated at the Berlin Music awards. And, if this wasn’t enough, Ksenia also represented Russia at Festival de Cannes, among many other similar successes.
If her name sounds somehow familiar to you, it’s probably because this isn’t her first time working on a drum & bass project with the master producer Enei. Indeed, the creative videographer actually directed the sensual music video “Just One Look”, featuring Charli Brix, six years ago.
Shooting takes a third of life, sometimes more, so I think that work should be done with love. – Ksenia
Let’s now jump into the thrilling Sinking music video.
The scenery is made to measure, leaving no stone unturned. The whole thing is worthy of a blockbuster: blood, metal chains, dead bodies, dented faces, a blinding light in a very dark strange venue, undead, and the biggest foghorn you have ever seen in your life… How insane and captivating is that!
First filmed in a soft shaky and very realistic way, with plans moving from left to right, right to left, giving the impression we see the scenes with our own eyes. All the ingredients are reunited to make us shiver. On top of that, the perfect symbiosis between the visuals and the music is so satisfying: Ksenia has perfectly managed to combine a cinematic-horror movie approach with a dynamic, massive, and violent music track, resulting in a super immersive atmosphere. Lastly, a great part of this video is the surprise ending, with Enei’s studio in the middle of this terrible atmosphere. It’s as if all happened in the producer’s mind, and it was only a product of his inspiration to create this banger.
As we wanted to learn more about this content and share with you some exclusive juicy and interesting facts, we sat down with Ksenia to discuss the process of making this video.
Hello Ksenia, we are very happy to exchange with you about your work in videography. We’ll use the music video you did for the track “Sinking” by Enei as a case study for our community! To begin with, I’d like to tell you congratulations on creating such incredible visuals and atmosphere.
Could you tell us more about the process behind the making of this music video: did you work remotely with Enei to create this specific fiendish, rhythmic & monstrous atmosphere? How long did it take you to make it?
Thanks! The atmosphere was the main thing I focused on in this video, so I’m glad you noticed it.
When Enei let me listen to this track, I said that the track is top, and we should definitely shoot a video for it. He agreed and gave me complete freedom.
Initially, the script was different, there was also a horror stylization, but the characters were in the style of the Halloween of the Victorian era. We planned to shoot in the UK and wanted to find the right location. But in the UK, the process, unfortunately, dragged on, and we moved the shooting to Russia. There, I saw an old film studio that was littered with military boxes from the previous filming and suggested changing the script to make it look like it was taking place on a military base. Enei liked it so much that he even came to support me and play a small role. The guy in the gas mask is him. In total, the whole work took us about a month.
How many people were involved in this 3:54 clip?
To be honest, I don’t remember the exact number of people. But I think the credits are more or less accurate figures. Probably 30-40 people. We had a great team, everyone was on fire with the idea and, despite the fact that we were filming for about 16 hours without a break, everyone worked clearly and smoothly.
Which equipment did you use?
We used Alexa mini. The director of photography was the most talented Ksenia Sereda, and she shot most of the shots by hand and a few with dolly tracks. We also used dynamic light that pulsed to the rhythm of the music.
I found out you also produced the music video of another Enei’s track: ”Just One Look” (featuring Charli Brix), how did this project come together?
When I heard the phrase “just one look”, I immediately wanted to tell the story of how a girl can melt just from one look of the chosen man. I offered Enei 2 scripts to decide from. And he picked the one we shot. Which I am very happy about. We filmed for several days. Among the actors, there was only one couple, and all the other actors met on the set.
Except for these two videos, did you ever work on a drum & bass project before that? Do you think working specifically on a d&b track changes your mindset when producing the video for it?
Unfortunately not, but I would love to work with other drum and bass musicians as well. I like this style – it’s deep and danceable, I like to notice and visually emphasize musical accents.
By the way, what’s your relationship with drum & bass? Are you a listener or/and a drum & Bass raver?
Enei made me discover the world of drum & bass and thanks to him, I heard a lot of various musicians and also visited many good raves.
To learn more about you, we’d like to know how and when your journey into video-making began.
I studied directing in St. Petersburg, Russia. With my graduation film, I participated in the Cannes Film Festival and many others. Then I started making music videos. Now back to the cinema.
Do you make videos on a daily basis? If so, what kind of videos are they? What are the most common stuff people require you to create?
Unfortunately or fortunately, I do not shoot every day, the longest time in video production is preproduction. For example, I prepared for the last work for more than two months, and we shot for only 4 days. And after shooting, it takes about ten days for post-production. Therefore, I physically cannot shoot every day. Well, if only my dog is on the phone.
Most often I am asked to film something about youth. There are also requests for love, sensual stories. And I really look forward to when I will be offered to shoot horror.
Let’s dive into your own sensibilities. We’d love to know what drives you the most in this discipline. What do you love the most about producing videos? What kind of atmosphere do you prefer working with, etc.?
Recently, I have been listening to myself more and more often and thinking about what hurts me, what is important for me now, and then I try to tell this thought in music videos. The last three works were just that – about my experiences. But if there are ideas, but there are no suitable orders, then I write them down and think about how to turn them into a film script.
If we talk about what I like most in the creative process, then this is the merging into the flow with other participants in the filming. For example, when I’m talking about a shot, and the Director of Photography (DOP) suddenly offers to shoot it better than it was in my head. And the production designer immediately tells the options for how you can emphasize the idea through the scenery. Cinema is a collective art and I like it when the creators are on my team. At the same time, I am against democracy on the set, I think there should be one leader. A friendly atmosphere is important to me. When one for all and all for one. At every work, I try to get to know each member of the team. Even with every illuminator. I want everyone to feel that they are important. Shooting takes a third of life, sometimes more, so I think that work should be done with love.
Throughout this process, what is your favorite part?
I really love creating the setup and filming, especially if the budget is equal to what was planned and there are no restrictions. Unfortunately, this has never happened before in my life. I like editing only if there are no hard deadlines.
Do you have any upcoming projects that our readers will enjoy hearing about?
All last year, I worked in Russia with Russian musicians, so, alas, I think you hardly know them.
What are some future projects you’re currently working on? And, will you be working with Enei again in the future?
Now I am working with a screenwriter on a script for a thriller about a girl who finds out that her man is using her to forget his ex-wife – taking her to the same restaurants, taking her to the same resorts where they were, even asking her to wear similar clothes, etc.
And, will you be working with Enei again in the future? It will depend on the budget.
Thanks so much to Ksenia for the crispy talk, and for taking the time to share with us her experience. We cannot wait to see what’s on the horizon for drum & bass inside the world of videography.