Tyrone Lebon offers behind-the-scenes look at “Nikes” music video

“I Shot a Video for Fun,” Boys Don’t Cry, pp. 88–89.

In Frank Ocean’s new magazine, Boys Don’t Cry, video director Tyrone Lebon published a photographic series titled “I Shot a Video for Fun,” which showcases his production of the music video for “Nikes.” Ocean premiered the video on Apple Music alongside his album, Blonde, released in conjunction with Boys Don’t Cry.

In the magazine’s opening letter, Ocean wrote about his experiences producing the magazine, including his “Nikes” video shoot with Lebon, saying:

I found it romantic, sometimes, editing this project. […] My memories are in these pages, places close by and long, ass-numbing flights away. […] Throwing parties around England and mobbing freeways in four project M3s that I built with some friends. […] Shooting a music video for fun with Tyrone Lebon, the genius giant.

Lebon’s article features multiple scenes from the video. The opening page reveals the shooting date and location as April 2015 in London, England, and shows Ocean holding a framed picture of Trayvon Martin, whom he pays tribute to in the song. On the following pages, a “mermaid” is seen in an aquarium, a man holds a talking chihuahua, a devil dances in a theater, and a stunt double is engulfed in flames.

One image in the series shows a baby lying on a bed, which is seen at the video’s conclusion and may pay homage to the iconic ending of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Another movie reference comes with a photo of two models sprawled across a pool of cash, recreating a famous shot from the 1999 film American Beauty, replacing the original’s rose petals with one-dollar bills. Both 2001 and American Beauty appear in Ocean’s movie list on a later page in the zine.

Scans of the magazine and photos from the series are available below.

Scans:

Select a photo below to view it fullscreen.

Video:

“Nikes” music video by Frank Ocean (Vimeo: Tyrone Lebon, 2016-08-22).

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