“Blue Ocean Floor” is track #10 on the album The 20/20 Experience, was written by Chris Godbey, Justin Timberlake, Timothy Mosely, James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon.

Story & Direction: C.S. Daniel Lim
Creative Development: Wilsun Cheung x C.S. Daniel Lim
Presented by: ADAYS

Edit, 3d & Postproduction: C.S. Daniel Lim
Cinematography & Lighting: Wilsun Cheung x C.S. Daniel Lim

Underwater + Arise shoot:
Model: Teresa van der Meulen
Locations: Ewoud Bras, David Hager
Gymnastics Specialist: Eveline van Leeuwen

With special thanks to: Shuh-Wei Soo, Jenny Kan, David Hager, Eveline van Leeuwen, Mitchel van Eijgen for their kind assistance and support.

And big thanks to: Kah-Kih Yau, Andy Cheung, Woutair Koomen, Vincent-Paolo Corputty, Ruben Daas, Jaap Redeker and Wouter Hager. And Teresa for her amazing performance.

A love story dedicated to the art of music and video.

The short film tells a love story in Iceland. A display of endless passion. where the protagonists fight for their love. Subconsciously the sense of attraction between the two is an intense desire. With the male protagonist reaching out and the female protagonist struggling for her existence, arising from darkness to light, they strive to succeed to be brought together.

Essentially it’s about how much you can take and whether you are able to commit and fight for it. And at the end, after your battles, it makes everything so much worth it.

Destiny is calling.
Justin Timberlake’s Blue Ocean Floor had been lingering in my mind since the first time I heard the song in 2013. And after a year, when I got back from our honeymoon in Iceland, I was with full conviction, enchanted and certain, that JT’s mesmerizing song and Iceland’s scenery are made for each other. And should be brought into a synergetic context: A music video treatment for Mr. Timberlake.
“It simply fits the song, it is lyrical, it tells a story. But at the same time it’s quite touching and provoking, having elements like ambiguity, emptiness or nascency. Which gives the story more weight and structure.

The idea was to make the music video look more ethereal, leaning towards a short artistic film. Floaty movements, vulnerable expressions, cosmic synchronization are key in designing the atmosphere. Nowadays we’re always surrounded by lots of stimuli. Everything is instant, the necessity for snappy impulses to hold people’s attention and their liking, became self-evident. With this piece, I wanted to slow things down a bit. Enable people’s mind to take time, absorb, savour and linger in it.”

Ways of working.
Exploring the fields between artistic abstractness and cinematic FX, was genuinely important. The aesthetics and design enhance and convey the story for the dream-like song. With limited amount of props, we were still able to come up with some crafty set-building for the close-ups of the lakes in Iceland. Third important element was to be able to try things out, pushing the analogue and digital ideas during the creative process, the moderate interflow between CGI, live-action and Special FX.

Using scientific approaches, such as cymatics, smoke capturing, glycerine and liquid insertion, we were able to create some natural forms and patterns for the ‘Nascence hand’ shots, a window of opportunities. The ‘Arising from darkness to light’ shots were a different experience, working with trampolines, water-tanks (under water) and clothing design.

The video was taken and created in our studio and various locations in Amsterdam region.

"When I asked Wilsun, if he wants to be involved with some scientific artistic set-experiments, he replied – I’m in! From the bottom of my heart, I genuinely thank my brother in crime. And my humble gratitude to everyone involved in this immersive labor of love project. Thank you."

“I dedicate this project to Justin Timberlake and his work of art. It was truly an inspiring and joyful experience to create this music video concept for JT’s Blue Ocean Floor. I'm a great admirer, I feel that he’s a one of a kind artist as well as a genuine human being. If an opportunity arises, it would just be an absolute privilege to truly make the video for an artist like him.”