A portrait of the Siren.
A thirty-second editorial film introducing Nikolina’s aquatic identity. Her face meets its reflection, her eyes open, and she walks towards us, dripping with water. We discover the Siren through her gestures, her skin and the prosthetic details of her body.
Dark water, thin backlights and drifting particles surround her. Reflections shift our sense of space, while the speakers give each image a physical pulse. A faint blue-hour sky and a last glimpse of grass suggest a world beyond the darkness.
A constant water flow through a lit canal runs out. An isolated detail, surrounded by darkness.
Nikolina is rising from the depth. We only see a brief shot of her moving towards a surface that reflects her face; as soon as she touches it, we understand it’s water. An abrupt cut brings us to the next image. This shot is mainly built in VFX.
An abrupt cut to a photograph of her eye at the instant of opening. A brief, intimate detail before we see her walking towards us.
Shot from afar, she walks slowly towards the camera, dripping with water. We zoom in very slightly as the camera advances and tilts down. During the slow tilt, her prosthetic modifications reveal her as the Siren.
Thin slits of backlight and slight diffusion from above give the image an eerie look. Soft light reflected up from the water carries simulated water movement across shots 01–03. Flying dust and debris in the foreground convey a sense of relentless motion. A minimal array of regular speakers sits behind her.
Her fragmented reflection then fills the frame. As she drips, the falling drops break the surface. An eerie water transition takes us into the closing images.
From an extremely low viewpoint, Nikolina poses above the camera. A wide lens and slow dolly make the space feel impossible; a low pedestal keeps the practical water shallow.
Seen from above, Nikolina rises from a crouch and walks away. A side dolly pivots around her; we will assess the rounded pond environment reconstruction later.
The speakers follow us through the whole sequence. The first bass beat lands exactly as she emerges. Vibrations are timed to the images, and a faster and faster bass beat builds tension until the end.
Eleven shots across the water veil, mirror and element setups. Images below are framing and atmosphere references; the capture options are specified for each shot.
Nikolina walks toward camera across the water veil.
A tighter horizontal full-body view: the reflection is upside down while the upright feet remain visible.
Nikolina poses above the camera while standing one step higher on a pedestal.
Nikolina starts crouched, stands and walks away.
Nikolina lies on a gym bench, her head and legs appearing to float beyond it as the mirror descends.
From behind Nikolina’s shoulder, her face becomes more visible in the descending reflection.
The speaker cone may visibly vibrate to the hard bass.
The loud speaker wall makes the water pulse rhythmically.
Capture one intimate eye photograph with no visible technical motif.
A pipe drains into darkness, with light at its far end.
An aquarium against a dark background holds debris drifting eerily through the frame.
Conceptual side views, not to scale. Final framing and rigging will be tested on set.
Nikolina lies on a gym bench, with head and legs beyond the support, while the mirror lowers. Soft light comes from below; the main light stays opposite camera.
She walks on the shallow water veil over dark cloth. Backlight and faint top diffusion combine with soft light reflected from below; simulate water movement in that reflection.
From a very low camera, a wide lens and slow dolly look up at Nikolina on a low pedestal. Keep the water shallow and carry the moving water reflection up from below.
Production order and practical requirements for the day.
Dark cloth beneath shallow water. Backlight and faint overhead diffusion, plus soft light reflected up from the water with simulated movement for shots 01–03. Shoot the walk, tighter inverted reflection, very low pedestal view and overhead exit before the changeover.
Nikolina lies on a gym bench, head and legs extending past it. Lower the mirror on a controlled rig. Add faint diffusion from below and put the light opposite camera. Take the eye still before talent wraps.
Speaker and water vibration can be filmed or photographed. The pipe may be captured here, another day, or made in AI. The aquarium debris can be on-set slow-motion video or full CG/AI.
NASTY Magazine editorial featuring Nikolina
Production: Truecolor
Film: 1 × 30 seconds
Formats: 9:16 / 4:5 / 16:9
Planned shoot: 15 October — Milan
Final delivery: 2 November