Shab's new Perfume video represents a remix of the track, while celebrating her Persian culture. Directed by Éli Sokhn (www.badasskid.com), Perfume was shot in a North Hollywood studio, making use of a dozen setups. Clearly the center of attention, Shab is accompanied by eight dancers and underwent multiple costume changes.
According to Sokhn, the location was secured by the project's producer, Laith Souqi. Marti Boncacas served as director of photography, shooting with a Sony FX3 camera, paired with DZO lenses and mounted on a DJI Ronin gimbal.
"The biggest challenge was the timeline," shares Sokhn. "Once the budget was approved, we had just one week to prep and execute the entire production."
Shab flew in from Dallas the week before the shoot with the goal learning the choreography, alongside the dancers.
"Every day counted," Sokhn adds.
Further adding to the production's list of challenges was the availability of Sokhn's core creative team.
"I have long standing collaborators that I trust, and we have a strong creative shorthand, so it was important to build the schedule around everyone's availability while still staying on track."
The budget also forced the team to be strategic.
"No matter the size of the budget, there's always one more shot you wish you had time or resources for," notes the director. "As we got to the final hour of the shoot, we were racing against the clock to capture one additional shot that was originally planned, but was more of a 'good to have' than a 'must have.' Thanks to my 1st assistant director, Constantin Preda keeping the day running efficiently and on schedule, we were able to fit it in and still wrap cameras on time."
Eden Gamliel cut the video using Adobe Premiere Pro. Additional credits included creative co-director Richy Jackson, assistant choreographer Sophia Hall and production designer Emily Ward.