Barbadian filmmaker Vonley Smith can now add Fenty x Puma to his impressively expanding portfolio, as he reaches new heights in his film career and brings honour to his country. Vonley, who is known for his unconventional and boundary-pushing approach to film-making, was among filmmakers from across the globe who captured footage for a campaign that teased the release of the new Fenty x Puma sneaker, the Avanti. During the interview, he spoke about his journey in the industry, which began with him editing animated music videos to now working on an international project with global icons.
Opening up about a pivotal moment when “things just started to happen,” Vonley shared: “I got reached out to by Hometeam. It’s like a global network of the very best filmmakers, and they focus on telling large scale, culturally-rich stories.
“Once I saw the email from Hometeam, I was like ‘Wow,’ I was shocked and I was ready for the challenge. I thought, ‘Alright well, let’s do it!’ and geared up to be in filmmaking mode.”
Vonley’s acceptance meant that he was responsible for shooting the Barbados segment of the campaign, which took place in five countries around the world, all coordinated within the same production schedule. The other locations were Paris, Shanghai, London, and New York. The campaign video was a collage featuring two giant, branded, silver balls, which bounced and rolled through the streets, sometimes getting stuck between building structures. Seconds-long footage of each location were thematically connected by the same superimposed balls, carrying the Fenty and Puma logos. “With the concept they had, they wanted to tie in the roots of Rihanna to market and tease her historic move to work with Puma and release a sneaker line that is diversely inclusive, which works for everybody, like all different age groups,” he said.
Ahead of Avanti’s September 15th launch, Vonley made his way to the film site in Rihanna Drive, formerly Westbury Road, to capture Rihanna’s childhood home, where she grew up with dad Ronald, mom Monica and brothers, Rorrey and Rajad. Years of invaluable knowledge had to be applied to frame the scene, such that the visual effects would appear realistic when added in post. Despite challenges, such as rain that extended the filming time and the intermittent appearance of tourists stopping to photograph the home along the narrow road, Vonley filmed successfully using an iphone, set at the requested quality parameters.
“It wasn’t like you had to simply film the shot, because you’re filming something that isn’t there, that’s going to be there when it has already been filmed. So, I had to take the lighting into consideration to get the effect to look realistic,” he said, noting that he was communicating with the production team virtually during the one-day shoot.
Describing the project as a significant milestone, Vonley highlighted its scale and the unique experience of collaborating with the high profile team. “It’s a new age of collaborating, [with filmmakers] creating all over the world at the same time. And to indirectly help or add toward what Rihanna is doing, it’s pretty cool to know that and to experience that,” he said.
Vonley said he experienced a “full circle” moment, in which several opportunities “just happened at the same time.” He was referring to an invitation by his alma mater, the EBCCI, to present a film screening on Monday September 11th at the Walcott Warner Theatre. (That was one day before the Fenty x Puma campaign video was released on the Puma Sports Style Instagram page.)
The screening featured Vonley’s past work, such as a short film called “Murphy’s Law”, which was created for a Barbados Film and Video Association (BFVA) 48-hour challenge. Vonley said that was the time “Murphy’s Law” was screened since it won the bronze medal for comedy at the Tokyo Film Awards in September 2022. It was made with filmmaker Jason Russell, as part of the “Movement Film Collective,” the name of their production team. Along with Jason and Vonley, an actor named Dippy also played a significant role. Another film presented was entitled “1%”, which won an environmental award at the Green Screen Trinidad Film Festival last year.
Vonley emphasised the role of his educational background and the skills he honed while pursuing a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts majoring in Film, even though he did not complete the degree. He, however, said he intends to resume his studies. “It’s really up to you and it’s really up to the spaces that you’re in for you to thrive and create,” he said.
Vonley’s journey began with a passion for Japanese culture and music, which led him to create animated videos on Youtube. His work garnered a small following online, and laid the foundation for his future career. His transition to filmmaking was driven by a desire to understand the intricacies of visual storytelling.
Now, Vonley is in the process of creating his first feature film, a project that spans different Caribbean countries that connect to his roots, namely St Vincent, Trinidad, and Barbados. The feature film is a multifaceted documentary exploring an interconnected story on the ocean, humans and water. The title of the documentary, which is set to debut in 2024, was previously called “Voice of the Ocean” but it has been changed and is now being kept a mystery. While reflecting on his career thus far, he offered advice to aspiring filmmakers: “Don’t let your creative flame die out, try your best. Life will hit you down and throw things in different directions, and that’s okay because it’s for you to go through those things and come back full circle. Life is always about circles.”
Vonley said he wished to thank those who were instrumental in his success, such as his personal assistant “Ace” who helped him during the campaign production, and to Fenty x Puma in collaboration with Hello Superheroes and That’s Jimmy, and Hometeam: “Big shout outs to everyone,” he said.
The Fenty x Puma campaign video was posted on the Puma Sports Style Instagram page on Tuesday, September 12th.
