FEATURE: Ella Hooper – Cowboy Man (Dir. Lizzy Bailey)
Ella Hooper, former frontwoman of the Australian rock band Killing Heidi, is now six years in to the country and Americana chapter of her solo career; a radical reinvention that sees her in her own lane and flourishing. Her fourth solo album, Overnight Success, is set to release on October 2nd. On multiple trips to Nashville to record, Ella was wryly optimistic about the ‘dream-boat cowboy husband ’ she might find and bring on her returning flight home to Australia. Her modest checklist: “Ethical, self-made, good-hearted, rugged-looking, preferably air sign, and old-fashioned, but thoroughly woke”. This cowboy never quite materialised, but the fantasy did, inspiring her latest single and sneak peek into the album, ‘Cowboy Man’. The tune is her way of poking fun at the current cultural obsession with cowboys and cowgirls, while also speaking to her own experiences of longing for the perfect fantasy man. The accompanying music video takes the idea a humorous and clever step further, as an eclectic ensemble of cowboy suitors vie for her heart in a series of sometimes ridiculous and always fun ‘cowboy auditions’.
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
Director Lizzy Bailey, closely collaborated with Ella to build her initial cowboy audition vision into a script and narrative arc. The concept left them plenty of room to have fun too:
“We both wanted it to be silly, a bit camp, and a bit sexy – never taking itself too seriously (…) We were both quite aligned, so there was a lot of “Yes!” and laughter at a thought or idea one of us threw out when we were workshopping together.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
The casting was deliberately broad, with drag artists and actors of all different shapes, sizes, aesthetics, and identities bringing something unique to their colourful scenes. Director Lizzy Bailey and Ella Hooper wanted to star an interesting and diverse range of men who could speak to different kinds of masculinity. Lizzy Bailey elaborated:
“Our intention with the storyline was to reiterate Ella’s lyrics – she wants a man, not a boy. Talking about this together, we agreed that being a ‘man’ vs. a ‘boy’ was more of a headspace than anything else – someone mature and self-aware. We agreed masculinity isn’t confined to one look or experience, and we wanted to show that by casting openly, while keeping in mind the characters we came up with who were archetypes of performative ideas of masculinity – the intellectual “feminist,” the romancer, the sleaze, etc…”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
For video producer and casting director Madeline Claire French, the cowboys needed to represent a real ‘gamut’ of people and personalities, each bringing something distinct to the world of the clip. Casting itself was an “all hands on deck” approach. Some of the actors were the crew’s existing friends, others were through casting agencies, and some were even found through the director looking on Instagram and sliding into DM’s as Madeline explains:
“We wanted to be able to play with and spoof some of those familiar cowboy and masculine archetypes without ever making the people themselves the joke or being insulting. Everyone was invited to bring their own personality and energy to it, which I think is what makes the lineup feel so joyful and varied. And ultimately, the point is that none of those categories really matter. By the end, Ella isn’t choosing the “right” kind of man – she chooses herself. So hopefully audiences can enjoy the humour and characters along the way, while also taking away that you don’t actually need to fit yourself, or anyone else, into a particular box.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
Costuming was an important part of the storytelling and in bringing the cowboy characters to life. After all – who can pull off playing a double Gibson guitar and make it look cool without a cowboy hat, bedazzled denim jacket, and what appear to be speed dealer sunnies to match?! Not to mention Ella’s iconic suit (a customised Reigner piece) designed by Chloe Greaves. Ella Bourne, who spearheaded the costume department alongside Flora Bellamo, spoke to their approach:
“We really leaned into each actor’s personal vibe and married what they had in their own wardrobe with what would stand out on screen. We wanted to create distinct points of difference between each Wannabe Cowboy, so they had their own personalities. We were really lucky to collaborate with some amazing designers such as Reigner for our Rockstar Cowboy which really elevates the screen presence and is a suit that you would absolutely wear on a night out. We sourced some incredible items from well-known costumer Rose Chong, and being able to match authentic boots, cowboy hats, and accessories with some sparkles and mesh pieces was a blast. Double denim is always fun too.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
Every good cowboy needs a good bar to stomp around in, and after looking around at a few pubs, RSL’s, and performance halls, the crew decided on The Union Hotel in Fitzroy, Victoria. Director Lizzy Bailey shared insight into the choice of location:
“We wanted a location that blended two worlds – U.S.A., the home of country music, and Australia, Ella’s home. It needed to feel intimate, full of character, and set up well for how the ‘audition’ process would work. We loved the old-world charm of the building, with its characterful dressings like pinball machines, vintage TV sets and wallpaper – it was such a great canvas to start with. Production Designer Bianca Milani then did a fantastic job enhancing this with her eye for detail, finessing the shots and adding extra props like shimmery curtains, neons, candles and cowboy hats”.
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
The wider visual language and aesthetic of the video were guided by two words that acted as a creative north star of sorts for Ella as she shaped the tone of Overnight Success in the recording studio. “Shitty shimmer”. Ella Hooper gave the exact definition:
“It means I want things good, but not so polished that they’re ‘cold’ or plastic-y, it’s more of an op-shop, Bakelite aesthetic, over plastic or chrome. I want things real, but at the same time chintzy and glamorous. Accessible, but a bit moth-eaten.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
Director Lizzy Bailey then gathered a variety of images of films, music videos, and shoots to build a mental image of what this would look like. Lizzy took influence from old Hollywood images with a contemporary touch:
“We looked at lots of cowboys and worked out we wanted a modern twist on the idea of a cowboy, with Orville Peck being a big influence. Then there were leather daddies, guys with big bellies, guys covered in tattoos, lean guys. We wanted to celebrate the beauty of all types of men, while maybe poking a little bit of fun of them at the same time. Outside of the cowboys, our mood board also consisted of dimly lit scenes from strip bars in American films, glistening muscles, pink roses, a scene from Everything Everywhere All At Once where the heroine is a dominatrix and even a gorgeous shot of Jacob Elordi in Saltburn lying shirtless in pockets of sunlight on a red carpet surrounded by darkness. Put together, it created an overall visual aesthetic that was sexy, tacky, opulent, kinky, divey and camp.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
For Ella Hooper, one of the most exciting and satisfying parts about being an artist is how it empowers you to translate the “wacky idea” and vision you have in your mind’s eye into a reality, through the help and support of your creatives. “It never gets old”, she says, and she was stoked that the team understood what she was going for:
“I’ll admit it isn’t the most straightforward creative brief – but Lizzy and the Iris Arc team actually got right on board with it and totally nailed it. I’m so glad, as making a full production video is a rare treat these days, so I wanted it to fit the world of my album correctly, while having scope to expand it as well, which this clip did beautifully.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
The end result of the cinematography was extremely rich, giving life to all the elements at play on-set from production design (Bianca Milani) to lighting (Sean McGlynn) to hair & makeup (Sam Pearce) and of course costume (Ella Bourne & Flora Bellamo). Director of Photography Carl Allison expanded on the technical offering at hand:
“We used ARRI Ultra Primes, which render a lovely sharp and clean look without looking too clinical. Paired with ‘Glimmer Glass’ filters that produce a soft, clean halation that present subjects in a flattering light with subtle smoothing of blemishes (not that any of your talent needed it) The final element is the special sauce touches from colourist Ted Deacey.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
Video colourist Ted Deacy used a palette of orange, red, and yellow to enhance the clip, and match the colour palette of Overnight Success, as per Ella’s wishes for consistency across all visual assets of the album. Director Lizzy Bailey continued:
“Ted gave these colours beautiful richness and depth, and then pushed some of our blue and cyan lighting even further to give our shots shape and contrast. He also came up with the idea to add extra sparkle to some moments where Rhinestones picked up the light, which was a really fun addition.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
It was all tied together by the editor, Marc Verna, who was invited on set by Iris Arc Pictures, giving him the benefit of being able to plan the cut while takes were still being made in an ‘insightful process’. He spoke to us about his experience on this clip:
“Working with Ella and Lizzy on this video was really a dream. Our goal was to sit in each character’s scenes and learn who they were, bringing each cowboy to life, and then build throughout the music video to reach a crescendo along with the track where we bring the whole thing home in a cacophony of visuals to match the sound.”
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- BTS photo by Eloise Beathe
Even though Ella Hooper leaves her wannabe suitors in the dust, the result isn’t for naught; for a sly and humorous deconstruction of the myth of the cowboy is achieved and some stellar work from cast and crew too. Anyways, maybe the real ‘Cowboy Man‘ was the friends we made along the way.
