Scarlett Bovingdon's Full Circle Moment
Scarlett Bovingdon’s editing journey began in 2016, cutting trailers at Vice, where her eye for dynamic, storytelling-driven work quickly earned her a reputation as a rising talent. By 2018, she had solidified her place as a fully-fledged editor.
Over the years, Scarlett has had the privilege of working with high-profile clients like Nike, Adidas, Peloton, Asics, and Chivas, as well as collaborating with artists such as Ashnikko, Celeste, Glass Animals, and Ed Sheeran.
Scarlett’s passion for storytelling shapes everything she edits, creating work that connects on both a visual and emotional level.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Scarlett> Lady Marmalade. Still one of the greatest female collabs of all time.
I think it was the anticipation of its release (and video) that I remember feeling most at the time. After hearing the track I think on the radio before it had come out, I strolled down to Virgin Megastore to find the CD single and the salesperson had no idea what I was talking about, I was gutted - it was all I could think about.
I’ve always loved girl pop/girl groups - this was the ultimate girl group and the video was full of drama, extravagance with the silhouettes and red/gold tones set against the sultry moulin rouge backdrop.
The overly feminine aesthetic paired with the sometimes aggressive vocals and energy makes it super empowering and an all time favourite.
The Levi x Babylon Zoo ad I learned was the first time Levi’s used a new artist and the outcome changed that music/advertising dynamic for sure. It made the song blow up and in my childhood era of fibre lights, glow in the dark stars and blow up neon chairs it definitely leant into that '90s aesthetic.
I thought the alien girl was so cool. I used to wait for it to come on and then blast the volume up haha. It must have been the first time an ad made me fall in love with a song.
I still love other worldly work and often seek out directors who lean into the surreal/escapism aesthetic.
LBB> The ad that made me want to get into the industry…
Scarlett> AMEX - CURTAIN feat CONAN is just everything you want from an ad in my opinion, it’s not on the nose and takes you on a journey.
It’s light-hearted and makes time for the small moments that usually get cut ie him asking how his grandfather is.
The music changes and interweaves so perfectly, the timing and execution is perfect.
I love seeing Indian culture on screen as I used to travel a lot there growing up. It’s a witty and self aware take on exclusivity and I like how it plays on the notion that true luxury isn’t just about access but it’s creation. The creative was spot on.
When I first saw it I reached out to the editor Chris Franklin back in 2019 to say how inspired I was by it and he was nice enough to reply and give me some career advice!
I’m now recently repped by his edit house in New York which has been a really nice full circle moment for me.
LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Scarlett> Django Django - Wor is one of my all time favourite music videos and I like to give it a watch now and again especially if running on low reserves.
I used to work at VICE (which Noisey was a part of) and this takes me back to those roots of promo/documentary which was how I started. It’s the sort of work that makes you want to go out and make something and forget all the noise of the industry.
It’s a music video/doc hybrid set in the chaotic world of India's Well of Death stunt riders and puts you right in it. There’s just something very pure and original about it.
LBB> My first professional project…
Scarlett> I used to work as a production assistant on some e-commerce shoots for Burberry. I was self teaching myself how to edit during that time and one day on a shoot they were down an editor so I said I could do it. My edits took longer to get signed off than the others but I did it and it was professional! Ha
LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Scarlett> I think any creative that undermines its audience or is too on-the-nose tends to feel uninspiring to me. I’m drawn to work that challenges perception and invites deeper engagement.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…
Scarlett> Guinness - Made of black - I remember at the time it feeling very very cool and one of the first at the time to play with that mixed media feel. Also no product which is always bold in the best way. It’s music led so the edit goes where the track goes and those are my favourite type of pieces to edit.
Mette - Mamma’s eyes - Vid Price recently cut this and it’s a masterclass in match cutting/integrating archive. The best of the best
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Scarlett> In my opinion it doesn’t really work like this, well not for me it’s all taken a lot time, graft and resilience over being at the right place at the right time.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Scarlett> I think any kind of work that shines a light on certain issues or challenges a narrative.
My recent work for Safe! I’m very proud of - even though it’s not an edit piece, sometimes it doesn’t need to be or it shouldn’t be to do what it needs to do. It’s important to do what’s right for the story/objective and do what you can to bring out the performances to let the emotion hit home and bring awareness to its message.
The ad I did for bumble looked at the gender dynamics in dating and its outdated nature making it challenging to build healthy and equal relationships. These conversations are important and being a small part of creating content that encourages people to think and hopefully talk about it, is what it’s all about.
LBB> I was involved in this, and it makes me cringe…
Scarlett> Hahaha my a-level film makes me cringe, I still have it on DVD somewhere hidden. It was called ‘A day in a cats eyes’ shot on my mini dv cam and was basically the life in the day of my cat….standards are definitely higher now, but I got a B (I don’t know how)
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Scarlett> Kaleen - We Will Rave. When Jordan (Rossi) sent me the treatment for this I knew I was coming back to my 00’s pop era and to do that for Eurovision where the video will be a part of music history felt so exciting!
The list of many references I was asked to watch was an education ie Paula Abdul, Michael Jackson, Britney, Girls Aloud. I think I spent almost a day just watching and it was the best day. It turned out to be one of my favourite performance pieces so far.
