Guinness Surfer, Aftersun and The 2022 Women’s Euros: The Work That Made Sarah Jenny Johnson
Sarah Jenny Johnson is a self-shooting director who places story-telling and people at the heart of everything she does.
Working across documentaries, fashion films, sport and independent music videos, she is committed to giving important stories a platform, focusing on political and social issues, marginalised voices and activism.
Having spent the last 10 years developing and honing her technical abilities shooting fashion commercials and music videos, and collaborating with a variety of teams, budgets, and locations, she is proud to be crafting content that packs a punch.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Sarah> The Guinness surfer ad. I remember seeing it and being completely blown away. Just how they were able to fit this story and these visuals (huge, striking, almost nonsensical) into 30 seconds or so. And how bold that it has almost nothing to do with Guinness as well!
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Sarah> This stylised documentary called Bombay Beach. Again, I remember watching it and feeling how bold it felt. How different. I was like ‘Oooh I want to do that!’ It really made me think.
LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Sarah> 'Aftersun'. I saw it at the cinema and it hit me right in the face. And I watched it again at home recently. I’ve also gobbled up any interviews and info from the director / crew / actors. It’s such a striking, subtle piece of work. But definitely something you need to watch again to understand the nuance and the depth of what you’re seeing–hence the revisiting!
LBB> My first professional project…
Sarah> BTS + social content for Boohoo.com adverts! This was such a fun job at the time. Totally wild and colourful and chaotic. We went all over the world and did some mega shoots.
I’m so grateful for the time I had there and the pals I made (some besties for life!) But I couldn’t have done it any longer. It was definitely a job for your twenties!
LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
Sarah> Any and all BTS on Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet!
I’m just fascinated (and also totally awed) by the dedication and patience it takes to get these programmes to work. And then how the team is able to create a narrative out of it that you invest in and care about.
I like to think I’d love to do it but sometimes having seen what goes into getting ‘the shot’... I don’t think I’m intrepid enough to do it!
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Sarah> The 2022 Women’s Euros - this really was a game changer for me.
I'd been self-shooting / editing branded content and fashion pieces as a freelancer for a few years but was definitely stuck in a bit of a rut.
So with a huge (but gentle) nudge from my wife, I bought some new camera, looked into different avenues to find work and committed to being a better filmmaker. I then stumbled on to a camera assisting job for the Women’s Euros when it was hosted in the UK. I really had no idea what I was doing and had never even done any sports content before.
Luckily, the crew I was with were so generous with their time and knowledge that by the time the next summer had come around I had fallen in love with women’s football and was on a plane to New Zealand as part of the documentary crew for Women’s World Cup ‘24.
Since 2022 I’ve worked on three major tournaments and will be heading to Switzerland this summer for the W-Euros ‘25.
I’m so grateful to be involved in the sport as it becomes as big as it deserves to be and love every minute of it… though I will say going from filming the crowds at an Icelandic women’s game to a Glasgow Rangers men’s game was quite a shock to the system!!!!
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Sarah> My self made documentary ‘ELI’ about a Trans friend of mine. So we created it over about seven to eight years and it was initially presented as three short films. Now all three have been blended together from 2016, 2018 and 2022 to document his journey.
It just started out as a small idea to film one evening after work as he had just started to transition. And then we slowly realised (and are still realising, I guess) that it was actually something much more important and we needed to keep revisiting it.
It pretty much feels finished now but with the current climate I think it’s a body of work that we will all be committed to going back to.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Sarah> I did a lottt of DIY music videos for a friends’ band years and years ago - and I’m very glad some of them never saw the light of day! Please don’t google hahahaaa!
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Sarah> I did a Chanel shoot for Vogue last year.
It was self-shot in Manchester where I live so it didn’t feel like a big deal at the time because I was on familiar turf. It was only after everyone was sooo pleased with the edit that I realised how big that platform was and thought "woah… a LOT of people are going to see this!”
You’ll find more information about STORM+SHELTER and their roster of directors at https://stormandshelter.com"
