A picturesque film with smooth camera work, original choreography and glitter; “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” has it all. After releasing her newest album, Taylor Swift took to theaters nationwide to give her fans a glimpse into a behind-the-scenes of the album’s making, significance and music video production. The film was only available to watch from Oct. 3 to 5, causing fans of Swift to flock into theaters with sparkly skirts, “I heart Taylor” shirts and an electric eagerness to see their favorite artist on the big screen.
The film was a commercial hit, grossing $46 million globally and $33 million domestically. While the budget of “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” is not currently available to the public, the love Swift has received from its showing was abundant. More specifically, a lot of conversation was created regarding the movie’s detailed account of the creation of her music video, “The Fate of Ophelia” and its dive into high production quality and planning.
The motion picture begins by introducing the audience to the music video of “The Fate of Ophelia” and goes on to display Swift as a variety of showgirl celebrities throughout different historical eras of time; such as a Shakespearean Ophelia, Marilyn Monroe inspired Hollywood celebrity, Ronettes-style singer, dramatic actress, Busby Burkeley dancer and cabaret star. Later in the film, Swift opens up about the style-choice of these various characters and admits that she wanted to capture the progression of showgirls throughout history. Ending the music video as a popular celebrity in a short, glimmery dress with a football being thrown to her, Swift hints at herself as being a modern showgirl.
Swift includes commentary on the music video’s production and her vision behind the set designs throughout the film, incorporating a recording of her on a call with some artistic directors, in which she pitches her idea of representing different showgirls and creating a new set for each one. The film also includes footage of Swift practicing her blocking and dancing for the real shoot, which ends up including a joke about her bringing baked bread onto the set. As a fun easter egg, this bread actually makes it into the official music video.
Throughout the picture, Swift also showcases never-before-seen lyric videos for all of the songs on her new album. Behind the lyrics in each video, short clips play on repeat which display her dressed in styles previously shown in her music video for “The Fate of Ophelia.” The clips of her in the video have dramatic filters and camera angles, which make the lyric videos have a greater grasp of the audience’s attention.
From shimmery dresses to new and catchy tunes, it’s apparent that there is a lot to love about “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” including Swift’s implication of herself as a modern showgirl. Though Swift is already successful and a modern day celebrity, she shows no signs of slowing down her career anytime soon.
