The Artist Explains: Ruby Ryan - 'Phosphenes'
New Jersey singer-songwriter Ruby Ryan talks to us about the goofy love story in her quirky music video for ‘Phosphenes’ taken from her new 6-track EP, ‘You Could Move In’.
How did you decide on the video treatment/visual for the “Phosphenes” music video?
The Director of Photography, Alex Tichy and I made an outline and storyboard based on this made up scenario of a person trying to pluck up the courage to reach out. The love story thing is sort of classic and I felt like the song was just setting me up to address these rom-com tropes here. I wanted to poke at how innocent and dorky being in love can be.
How does the video connect with the song?
The video is leaning into that “I’m so in love it feels stupid” kind of feeling. I’m basically making fun of me and my own life and how love feels so intense sometimes but really it’s just a game.
I ran mostly with the lines “You don’t ever say what you mean to me, you never tell me about anything. I don’t ever say how I feel, I’ll never show you the worst of me.” It’s supposed to be like ‘if i feel you holding back I’m not going to embarrass myself and tell you all about how I feel.’ So I wanted to make a video where these people with giant mask heads who literally couldn’t move their mouths or make facial expressions could find a way to be expressive and tell each other the truth.
Do you have any unforeseen behind the scenes/making-of stories you can share?
My favourite is the scene where I’m standing in the little lake, I’m not sure if people have noticed but I thought it would be so funny if I stood in the water with my shoes on. So there’s a little part in the end of the music video where you can see my shoe lift out of the water. When we were filming that, the assistant cameraperson and a dear friend of mine Steph, was recording a video of me walking into the water on her phone. The floor was all muddy and slick and I had no idea. So she got on video me marching confidently into the water and then nearly slipping, I didn’t even end up falling. She’s cracking up and I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling. It was so stupid. I pulled a muscle in my abdomen trying not to fall in there with my tele.
(I’m attaching the video from Steph’s phone I find it so funny.)
Could you tell us more about the ideas/themes used?
The video is playing with the interaction between the quirks of romance tropes and humour on the surface.
What do you hope people take away from watching the video?
I hope people watch it and this reminds them that life is just a little game. Whatever they’re holding on to, or scared of, they should just say it.
Interview by Karla Harris
Ruby Ryan’s EP ‘You Could Move In’ is out now!