Ella Henderson Reminisces Colourful Childhood Memories in Wistful Take Care of You Video

Fresh from her fourth UK Top 10 hit, ‘This Is Real’ with Jax Jones, Ella Henderson continues her comeback with her new single, ‘Take Care of You’. ‘Take Care of You’ is an instantly memorable pop anthem about loving someone through difficult times. With Ella stating “This song is for everyone I love, as well as a message of self-care - a personal reminder to look after myself, both mentally and physically.”

In the video we find Ella on her computer reminiscing about some of her favourite childhood moments. The Mill’s director, Rauri Cantelo, was inspired to explore the theme of nostalgia by incorporating the ‘brutalist’ design of Windows ‘95, citing it as his main point of reference, but giving it a strikingly colourful, popping-candy-esque update for the modern day. “By using a well-recognised interface we immediately portray a sense of nostalgia that the audience can attach their own memories to” he explains. 

Rauri created the accompanying promo remotely, with the use of iPhones and drones, at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown. Sending a drone pilot to Ella’s house not only allowed him to capture imposing aerial shots, but also meant that the shoot complied with the UK government’s guidance on safe social distancing. By patching into the live drone feed he was able to provide real time feedback to both the drone pilot and Ella herself.

Describing working in lockdown he states: “It’s a very surreal process, as there’s no commutes or physical meetings. It’s really easy to feel as though you’re not doing enough. So we contrasted that by working 24/7. For the initial stages of this project, producer Lucy Hawes, and graphic designer Jo Guthrie were operating from New Zealand, so I’d be spending all day with Lola Webster (storyboard artist, treatment designer and researcher), researching and editing the animatic, to then ‘pass the baton’ over to Lucy and Jo in the evening to review and continue their end. Lucy would also make sure I didn’t blow all the budget on turning Ella into her own version of the iconic Windows paperclip assistant. One can only dream!

“In all seriousness though, creating something in the midst of a global pandemic, with a team of people working on it from the other side of the world, really relies more so than ever on collaboration and ensuring that a shared belief in the concept is established prior to anything being done. 

“Also, having an open dialogue with Ella from the very beginning meant I was quickly able to bounce mock-ups and ideas over to her, to get her input from a very early stage. It’s just really all about transparency and clarity from the get-go, as we’re all trying to make something great in a very controlled and fast moving environment.”