Lola Ellis and Frances Lee, co-directors of the independent short film Velvet, spoke with NYOTA about collaborating with college students across schools, the visual references that shaped the film, and Velvet being a love letter to art itself.
Velvet follows a Plain Girl who gets transported into the pages of a magazine, forcing her to confront and reclaim her creativity that’s been dulled in the real world. The short film will explore five distinct magazine spreads or sequences. Can you walk us through the inspiration behind them and why those specific worlds felt like the right ones to include?
Just as we felt a tension as eager creatives in a monotonous college environment, the sequences in the film parallel our own reality. We intentionally chose mundane settings: a tennis court, office, house, park, and forest–to juxtapose the surreal identity Velvet brought to each sequence. We wanted to lean into the bold, absurd, and antithetical, to challenge the expectations typically placed on individuals in such environments.
For example, the House x Pin-Up Doll scene was our own critique of the domestic fantasy of a perfect home or perfect life, and how suffocating it can feel when you don’t actually want any of it. The Office x 60s Mod scene was a play on respectability politics and the cost of professionalism on creativity and individuality.
The nature of each sequence was informed by our own personal experiences, and their distinct visual identities manifested from the Pinterest boards, movies, and artistic inspirations that we could only dream of living out. Unexpectedly, it was a way for us to bring out our inner child through a meaningful approach–pulling from nostalgic references, vintage inspirations, and imagined realities.
From the costume and set design to the magazine-inspired format, the world-building feels deeply rooted in girlhood and fantasy. What visual or emotional references shaped that atmosphere for you both?
From the very beginning, we knew we wanted Velvet to feel like falling into a surreal world, the way Alice in Wonderland falls down the rabbit hole, or Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz steps into color for the first time. We wanted the film to feel modern, bold, and unapologetically feminine in a way. We kept coming back to that feeling of stumbling into a world that operates by its own logic, where everything is a little too bright, colorful, and strange. Both Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz inspired us to be bold in both color and scale. Structurally, we were chasing something that felt curated and dreamlike, similar to that of a magazine or scrapbook. Subconsciously, it felt like we were drawing from that very specific girlhood feeling of building a fantasy in your bedroom: collages, mood boards, and magazine cutouts always felt like a key part of girlhood to us.
Velvet blends narrative filmmaking with elements of a music video, including original music and choreography. What drew you to this hybrid approach?
At its core, Velvet is a love letter to art itself. Every form we pulled from film, music, dance, fashion, and print we chose because we genuinely love those things and want to uplift any and all creatives. We wanted the film to feel like a celebration and collaboration of different art forms and be able to blend those genres seamlessly. We wanted to build a world where all of those elements could coexist, and we were so excited to band together so many different creatives to pull this off. We are people who are moved by a lot of different creative forms, and we wanted Velvet to reflect that. It’s kind of our way of saying this is what we love, this is what moves us, and we wanted to pour all of it into one place, one passion project!
You previously said that Velvet is somewhat reflective of your own creative journeys, especially since starting college. Was it a natural process for you both to draw inspiration from your own lives and experiences while making the film?
It definitely felt natural! We never explicitly sat down and thought, “let me put my life on screen,” but as we were following what felt urgent and alive, we quickly realized our story was reflecting our own experiences. Being in college often feels like you are trying to figure out who you are as a person as well as an artist simultaneously, and those two things are so intertwined that it’s almost impossible to separate them. Everything you think you know about yourself gets tested, your creative identity included. Velvet subconsciously became a place for us to process all of that, and making the film became a part of the journey the film is about. I think the most honest art forms always have an autobiographical aspect to them, even disguised as fantasy. The world of Velvet is certainly heightened and imagined, but the feelings underneath it of desires to be seen and understood are completely real. I think Velvet is emotionally true in a way that we hope people resonate with, especially anyone who has ever been in an in-between space of knowing you want to become but not quite being there yet.
What started as an idea between two friends has now grown into a collaboration with around 30 college students. What has it been like building such a large creative community around the film?
It’s crazy that Velvet began out of a sense of feeling stuck in uninspiring environments, and we somehow grew a community of like-minded, creative individuals who cultivated a vibrant space for the project to come to fruition. It was almost like seeing color again to be surrounded by people with such passion and vision. It’s been absolutely awesome to collaborate with students across so many schools and see how they express what Velvet means to them through the costumes, set design, lighting, and more. We never thought that Velvet would become what it is today, and we are still in shock by the amount of support we’ve received and the people who believe in our idea. It’s really shown us that community is crucial to the creative process–to be inspired, to be challenged, and to be seen by those who trust your instincts.
This film also feels like an ode to fashion; you’re also selling merch to fund the production. How did fashion become such an important part of the film and the Velvet world beyond the screen?
When we first came up with the idea for a creative project, we had no idea what route to take it in. We started with a Google doc titled “Lola x Frances Creative Project” and dumped all of our interests onto the page, including fashion and film. We were lucky to have had the opportunity to build something from scratch–creating a world that was completely rooted in our own imagination. We knew that fashion would not only be a crucial part of communicating the surreal identity of Velvet, but also a passion we suddenly had creative liberty over. We basically got to live out our Pinterest dreams through this film–from punk regency, Vivienne Westwood-esque looks to pin-up doll, Sabrina Carpenter-inspired garb. We framed each sequence around the wild, bold, and extravagant looks we would’ve loved to rock if given the occasion. Beyond the screen, creating merch was a natural way for us to fundraise while extending the world of Velvet into a tangible design.
How has it been directing a project together as close friends? And where do you see this creative partnership going in the future?
Working with each other has been the most rewarding experience and definitely something we will both take forward in our future careers! It is very rare to find someone whose artistic visions align effortlessly with your own, and we are so grateful to have found each other and been able to depend on each other throughout this formative experience. There is a level of closeness in our work relationship that can only stem from living and spending so much time together. We know and trust each other’s instincts and visions, and we are confident when it comes to taking creative risks together. As for where this is going, we are just getting started! This project brought us even closer together, and we are definitely forever bonded by it. We’re both hungry to grow and hope to continue pushing each other in our respective work–it is really encouraging and reassuring to have someone equally as ambitious and eager to flourish creatively. The most exciting part is that the best work we do together has yet to come!
Velvet premieres at the end of May. Any final words to invite people into the world of the film?
We have been living inside this world for so long, and we cannot wait to share it! Velvet is filled with fashion, music, and dance, and will feel like the best fever dream you’ve ever had. We made this film for girls like us, who have a lot going on inside: dreamers, artists, and those who feel everything a little too much and a little too hard. So…stay tuned to watch Velvet! Some things just have to be felt. (Get it?)
Instagram (@velvet.shortfilm) | TikTok (@velvetshortfilm) Lola’s Portfolio | Frances’ Portfolio
