MUSIC VIDEO
RATHER
BE ME
JAKE ALDRIDGE · NARRATIVE MUSIC VIDEO
A one-day, multi-location production about self-doubt, comparison and the moment an artist chooses to step outside his own head.
- Artist
- Jake Aldridge
- Production
- Full-day shoot
- Crew
- One videographer
- Techniques
- VFX + drone
THE CONCEPT
A CONVERSATION WITH HIS INNER SELF
Jake Aldridge returned to The Camera Guys with a song about self-acceptance. The video opens with him reading negative reactions to his music and measuring himself against the lives presented on social media. As the story develops, that pressure gives way to a clearer idea: he would rather be himself than perform for somebody else’s approval.
That idea shaped the visual language. Dark, contained interiors place Jake inside his own thoughts; cloning shots let two versions of him share the frame; and the final exterior scenes open into brighter light and more optimistic colour.
The song has been described as a self-acceptance mantra that pushes back against self-doubt and insecurity. Our job was to turn that introspective theme into a progression the audience could feel without the video simply illustrating every lyric.
THE PRODUCTION
ONE DAY.
MANY WORLDS.
Full-day filming
One videographer covering bedroom, home cinema, gym, bathroom and exterior scenes across multiple setups.
Visual effects
Greenscreen, rotoscoping and compositing used to clone Jake and create his dialogue with an inner self.
Designed transitions
A perspective-shifting mirror shot inspired by Contact became the turning point in the narrative.
Aerial production
Drone footage expanded the scale once the story moved beyond the confines of the house.
THE VFX
MAKING THE INNER VOICE VISIBLE
Several scenes needed Jake to perform opposite himself. We filmed locked and repeatable passes, then combined greenscreen work with detailed rotoscoping so the two performances could overlap naturally rather than feeling like a simple split screen.
The bathroom sequence carries the idea further. Beginning at the mirror, the camera appears to follow Jake through the reflection and into the room as the viewpoint changes. Inspired by the famous mirror transition in Contact, it marks the point where the film starts to leave the closed loop of comparison behind.
For a small music video crew, effects like these depend on planning on set: eyelines, timing, camera position and clean plates all have to support the edit before post-production begins.
THE VISUAL ARC
FROM SHADOW INTO COLOUR
An Airbnb gave us a practical production base with enough variety to create several distinct worlds in one day. The bedroom, home cinema and gym were treated with dark, moody lighting, placing Jake in spaces that felt inward-looking and compressed.
After the mirror transition, the visual mood changes. Jake steps outside, the compositions breathe and the grade becomes brighter and more colourful. The production design, lighting and colour grade work together to make that emotional release visible.
The spiral staircase became the shoot’s defining image. We extended its geometry in post and traced the banister with light, transforming the architecture into a golden—or Fibonacci—spiral: a visual metaphor for growth, movement and finding order inside the noise.
THE FINISHED FILM
WATCH “RATHER BE ME”
Jake Aldridge’s introspective music video, produced across a full-day shoot with one videographer, multiple locations, drone cinematography and a VFX-led edit.
BEHIND THE FRAMES
THE IDEA
IN MOTION
PROJECT SUMMARY
MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
WITH A NARRATIVE CORE
THE ARTIST
JAKE ALDRIDGE
A returning client with a song rooted in real experience. “Rather Be Me” turns self-doubt and social comparison into a direct statement of self-acceptance.
WATCH ON VIMEOTHE PRODUCTION
THE CAMERA GUYS
Concept-led music videography combining a compact one-person shoot, location lighting, drone footage, greenscreen, rotoscoping, compositing and colour grading.
PLAN A MUSIC VIDEOGOT A SONG
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