Watch Epic Rihanna Star Trek Beyond Video for “Sledgehammer”
Earlier today we published this feautrette in which Rihanna talks about her longstanding love for the Star Trek franchise. Now, we've got something truly spectacular; behold the video for Rihanna's "Sledgehammer," the first ever shot entirely on IMAX cameras. (According to Entertainment Weekly; it should be noted Adele's "Hello" was also filmed on IMAX cameras, but presumably for only two shots.) Director Floria Sigismondi talked to EW about how much of Star Trek Beyond's DNA is in Rihanna's video, and unsurprisingly for a superfan like the superstar, there's quite a lot:
"We wanted to use some of the elements from the film. I watched the film and gravitated towards some, like the floating rocks. I thought that could help elevate my world and make it otherworldly. We used the broken moon, we used the swarm ships, and we used [Starbase] Yorktown—that’s the big floating thing that looks like a planet but is actually a base where people live.
We tried to incorporate those elements but create a standalone piece where Rihanna is a mystical being on this otherworldly planet. She has her own character not rooted in the film. She’s harnessing her power to manipulate the elements. She is able to conjure light and stars and ultimately transform into the universe itself, becoming the stars and the planets. I love the idea of transcendence. When you listen to the lyrics of the song, she’s this sledgehammer breaking things down. It’s about pushing through your boundaries, and Star Trek is also about exploring the unknown, so I drew from that. I wanted to leave the audience with the feeling of an expansive universe, one we all live in yet know"
See for yourself:
