For many people, food is a love language. It’s safe to say we’ve all experienced a foodgasm at one point or another and who hasn’t been seduced by a dessert in a bakery window? Well, luckily for all of the foodies out there, there’s now a Clip for that. This series is for anyone who has ever looked at a cake and felt some type of way about it.
Read on for a Q&A with Mena Gonzalez from GIPHY Studios to learn more about the project and what inspired her to come up with her dreamy cake man.
Produced by Chris Cimino
Art Direction/Direction by Mena Gonzalez
Starring Elizabeth Arnold & Jean-Paul Barjon
Prop Fabrication by Suki-Rose
Editing & Sound Design by Mena Gonzalez
What was the inspiration behind Eat Your Heart Out?
Mena: It’s that moment of the day when you get that first pang of hunger and you begin fantasizing about what to order or cook for your next meal. I wanted to depict that insatiable yearning, the feeling we have when we think about what to pleasure our palate with next. In this case, it was a decadent chocolate hybrid cake-man.
Enjoy this insert from The Matrix of a classically chocolate flavored orgasm cake.
Mood Board:
How did you go about designing and creating the cakehead prop?
Mena: I was referred to Suki-Rose by our Creative Director and she did not disappoint! I have to say, it was a bit nerve-wracking though since I had never met Suki in person, and she had never met the talent or had the opportunity to fit his head for the prop. It was an interesting challenge to say the least.
As far as design goes, I knew I wanted a decadent chocolate cake. It’s not only my favorite flavor, but I also thought it would fit better thematically with the moody vibe. I sent Suki some references and we went back and forth deciding on what would work best aesthetically as well as functionally. The whole process went off without a hitch and I was really happy with the final product.
What was your favorite part of the project?
Mena: Seeing everything come together on set was a huge payoff for me. I spent all these weeks in isolation conceptualizing the shoot from my bedroom/office in a haze of blue light emanating from my monitor. With everyone only able to communicate virtually, it was great to finally see Jean-Paul dancing in the cakehead for the first time on set. I knew then that we had executed the vision.
A Concept from the pitch deck:
What was your favorite Clip from the project?
Mena: This one really sums it up for me:
How do you hope people use your Clips?
Mena: I hope they get sent to sexy people on their birthdays and anniversaries — — really, for any celebratory moments in their lives. The pack was created for all the foodies and flirts out there, I see you.
See the full collection on GIPHY here and follow GIPHY Studios on Twitter and Instagram.
