LOS ANGELES — Lord Danger (www.lorddanger.com) director Mike Harris recently worked with artist Madison Beer to concept and shoot her new video for Hurts Like Hell (featuring Offset). The piece harnesses the emotional power of Beer’s song in a story of abuse that is upended by a mightier force.
Fear of emboldened women has been politically framed as witchcraft for centuries, and Hurts Like Hell confronts this directly. The video addresses toxic masculinity, paying homage to cinematic horror, from opulent classic films to 1980’s slasher movies.
“It was such a rewarding experience working alongside Mike Harris and having him help take my ideas and make them a reality, far surpassing what I had expected,” relates Madison Beer. “I was inspired by witchcraft and felt that it perfectly fit with the theme of the song, which is about teaching someone a lesson. I am so grateful for his brilliance and professionalism as a director.”
The project was shot using an Arri Alexa Mini with Atlas Orion anamorphic lenses. A DJI Ronin 2 Pro was used for the Steadicam shots. Aaron Grasso served as DP on the shoot, with Dean Smollar handling Steadicam. The edit, completed using Adobe Premiere Pro, was a collaboration between Harris and Chancler Haynes of Cosmo Street (http://cosmostreet.com) in New York City. Calvin Serrano provided VFX and Quinn Alvarez of Apache gave it its color treatment.