magna studios and Lucky Generals Reveal How They Pulled Off a Practical, Three-Shot Sequel to Jamiroquai’s Iconic ‘Virtual Insanity’

It’s not easy to do a remake, especially one that enjoyed such a peak cultural moment, like Jonathan Glazer’s legendary music video, ‘Virtual Insanity’ for Jamiroquai.

But Lucky Generals’ chief creative officer Shelley Smoler and chief strategy officer Damien Le Castrec, together with magna studios directing duo Julien & Quentin, have pulled it off with aplomb with their campaign for Beefeater 0.0% gin.

Rather than attempt to make a straightforward remake, they found their angle by treating the project as a practical, three-shot sequel, relying on clever set-dressing, precise grip work, and of course, bringing OG performer Jay Kay on board to revive his legendary improvised dance performance. There was no AI involved in the making of this film.

Here, Shelley, Damien, and Julien & Quentin talk about breaking down the logistical puzzle of building nine rooms out of three moving sets and what it took to honour a classic while pushing it into new territory.

LBB> Why were you inspired to recreate the iconic Jamiroquai video? Tell me about the decisions to change elements within the promo

Shelley & Damien> Before choosing ‘Virtual Insanity’, we chose Jay Kay. He's probably not the first person you'd associate with moderation, but that's exactly what made him so interesting. He once lived a life of excess, yet today he's embraced moderation and is still getting more out of life than ever. Thirty years on from ‘Virtual Insanity’, he's still going strong. Just look at those moves.

That made him an unexpected but incredibly relevant ambassador for Beefeater 0.0. Once we'd chosen Jay, ‘Virtual Insanity’ became the obvious choice. It's the song he's most closely associated with, and its 30th anniversary gave us the perfect opportunity to revisit a cultural icon with a twist.

The remake became a story about getting more: more rooms, more experiences and, of course, more hats. One of Jay's most iconic trademarks became the perfect creative device to show that, thanks to Beefeater 0.0, moderation isn't about getting less out of life. It's about getting more.

From the start, we didn't want to make a shot-for-shot remake. We wanted people to recognise the DNA of the original while still being surprised. Instead of simply recreating the famous room, we expanded the world, taking Jay beyond it and into nine new spaces inspired by his passions and personality, filled with Easter eggs for fans to discover.

LBB> Congrats on such an epic remake! What was your initial response to reading the script and your thoughts for interpreting and honouring Jonathan Glazer's legacy?

Julien & Quentin> To be honest, we hesitated at first because the original video is such a monument of pop culture. It was only as we thought about it more, found our own angle, and started imagining the piece as a sequel rather than just a remake that we grew more and more attached to the project.

LBB> How did you navigate the pressure of doing it justice while making it your own and relevant for today?

Julien & Quentin> What convinced us to take on the project was the idea of rebuilding the original video's set only for the introduction. And then letting the viewer discover what's behind it. We were impressed, intimidated even, by the legacy of such a pop culture object but receiving a proposal like that is also a chance, so we went for it. Above all, our goal was to respect the original work, and simply take it somewhere else.

LBB> How did you decide to approach the project and why did you decide to adopt an AI-free approach for this campaign?

Shelley & Damien> It's been 30 years since the release of ‘Virtual Insanity’, and fans are still fascinated by how the video was made. For the remake, we wanted to protect the DNA of that masterpiece by doing it for real, without any digital trickery.

‘Virtual Insanity’ is a critique of our obsession with technology. The brilliance of the original video is that it practised what it preached. It made the impossible feel possible through human ingenuity, not technology.

So while there were easier, quicker and cheaper ways to remake it, it felt wrong to rely on the very thing the song was warning us about. We wanted to honour that ingenuity by pushing the boundaries ourselves and give fans another chance to ask, ‘How the hell did they do that?’

We built nine practical sets and created every movement physically. In many ways, that made the project harder than if we'd done it digitally. Every movement had to be meticulously rehearsed and perfectly timed because there was very little you could fix afterwards. It also meant we could create behind-the-scenes content that celebrated the craftsmanship behind the production rather than hiding it behind visual effects.

BTS of Jamiroquai x Beefeater.

LBB> Why were Julien & Quentin the right guys to partner with?

Shelley & Damien> Julien & Quentin direct films that meld rich pop culture references with a deep love for cinema. They pay incredible attention to detail and craft, making their work feel polished, but still authentic. We were also looking for directors that have an understanding of music and choreography.

Their treatment simply blew us away – they instantly grasped the fine balance of honouring the craft and genius of the original, and still moving it on with a fresh, surprising twist. It also helps that they are really nice guys, and as a team, we all got on really well and were on the same page stylistically. We were always pulling in the same direction, together with our clients, wanting to make the work as strong as it could possibly be.

Their approach combines meticulous pre-production with spontaneous on-set creativity, which was very much needed on this project.

LBB> It was a completely AI-free shoot done in three shots, relying heavily on craft and performance. How complex was the pre-production and planning process?

Julien & Quentin> Using a lot of AI made no sense to us on this project and that's actually what motivated us to go further, to ask ourselves the big ‘practical’ questions. The thinking part took quite a while... We had many meetings with our production designer Luke Moran-Morris, and there was a real buzz of energy from the team, with everyone bringing their own ideas to shape the final approach. The result genuinely came from collaboration: the grips, the art department and the SFX team.

LBB> What were the most technically challenging aspects of bringing the campaign to life and how did you overcome them?

Julien & Quentin> This project revealed a lot of challenges. For instance, we built three set structures that we re-dressed several times to arrive at the nine rooms you see on screen. It took a lot of thinking to figure out how to chain them together, when to re-dress them and how to use the sets in both directions.

Then came rehearsals, where we had a single day to discover the whole system within the moving platform, including how to accelerate, slow down, and stay in sync with Jay and the music.

Once again, it's beautiful proof that practical filmmaking is still possible, and that it demands coordination and commitment from every single department. It's a real pleasure when it works.

LBB> Jay Kay worked on the choreography with you, tell me about syncing the performance to land with the song... How many takes did it take?

Julien & Quentin> Not many, actually. We prepared the general directions in advance, without ever locking Jay Kay into a precise approach to his steps. Our role was to direct him on where and when to arrive, on the story we wanted to tell, and to give him an outside eye on his performance. When it comes to the actual movements, Jay Kay has a style so entirely his own that he's the one who deserves the credit.

We've loved and followed dance for many years, and we were genuinely blown away by the way he works. He doesn't really have a ‘school’. It's a kind of constant improvisation. He never did the same take twice, but always with the will to do better.

LBB> What was it like working with Jay Kay?

Shelley & Damien> Jay choreographed the entire performance. The directors gave him the key moments he needed to hit, but the choreography itself was all his. He loved the idea from the beginning and was incredibly invested in getting every movement right. He was almost self-directing at times.

He also brought an enormous amount of personality to the production. We filmed lots of behind-the-scenes content of him making drinks, telling stories about his hats and entertaining everyone on set. He even brought items from his own collection, including hats and personal objects, which found their way into the room designs as Easter eggs for fans to spot.

LBB> How does the campaign align with Beefeater 0.0 brand values?

Shelley & Damien> It brings together two British icons that share the same belief: moderation doesn't mean less. It means getting more out of life. After all, you wouldn't expect one of the oldest and most iconic brands to still distil in London to tell a boring moderation story.