Random mystery I'm trying to solve that probably no one cares about. Who is the woman in the video?
I recently came across the music video for Stars by Simply Red (thanks, @FreeLittleBird). It came to my attention that the model/actress in the video is not credited.
In fact, the ONLY credits listed for that video anywhere online are for the singer Mick Hucknall and video director "Zanna".
Hucknall is obvious — he's the main character in the video.
As for the woman, I had wondered if the director Zanna had just inserted herself into that role.
Finding out proved a lot more difficult than I'd originally thought.
Through some research, I found out that "Zanna" isn't just an anonymous nickname, it's actually a person named Zanna Wilford associated with M-Ocean videos. And yes, it is a woman (demonstrated later).
So, at this point, I thought this would be easily solved. Just google her name and see if she looks like the woman in the video, right?
Wrong.
I've found absolutely zero images on Google related to that name. Her digital footprint is rare and faceless.
However, it's not entirely nonexistent. IMDB lists Zanna Wilford as a backstage designer for a 1987 movie called Wish You Were Here. Interesting, but a dead end.
However, promisingly, IMDB also lists her as the "daughter" (so it is a woman) of a side character in 1984's Puccini.
Luckily I found the entire Puccini movie viewable for free on YouTube. I spent an hour or so skimming through it but never found the scene where this woman is supposedly featured. I will try again soon.
Another lead I got was a different music video directed by the same Zanna, which, coincidentally enough, also features various women in a similar style to Stars. This one is called Locked Out by Crowded House. I managed to pinpoint a blurry shot where one of the women vaguely resembles the woman in Stars, though it's fairly difficult to see clearly. It's tempting to say, "yeah, that's her" but truthfully the shot is quick, shaky, and just too unclear to say for sure.
In the comments of this video, I found a man who claims to have worked on the set of that video. I plan on responding to his comment soon and seeing if he can be of any help in finding this mysterious woman's name.
I don't know why I'm so interested. I admit it's probably partially just because I find the face pretty lol. But I also just find it bizarre that someone would have a prominent role in a music video and not be credited. Is it Zanna Wilford? Will that movie Puccini show a clear enough shot of her to get a positive ID? Will this guy in the comment section of the other video be any help?
Stay tuned to find out in the next episode. 🙃
[media=https://youtu.be/izOdvBmTDh0]
In fact, the ONLY credits listed for that video anywhere online are for the singer Mick Hucknall and video director "Zanna".
Hucknall is obvious — he's the main character in the video.
As for the woman, I had wondered if the director Zanna had just inserted herself into that role.
Finding out proved a lot more difficult than I'd originally thought.
Through some research, I found out that "Zanna" isn't just an anonymous nickname, it's actually a person named Zanna Wilford associated with M-Ocean videos. And yes, it is a woman (demonstrated later).
So, at this point, I thought this would be easily solved. Just google her name and see if she looks like the woman in the video, right?
Wrong.
I've found absolutely zero images on Google related to that name. Her digital footprint is rare and faceless.
However, it's not entirely nonexistent. IMDB lists Zanna Wilford as a backstage designer for a 1987 movie called Wish You Were Here. Interesting, but a dead end.
However, promisingly, IMDB also lists her as the "daughter" (so it is a woman) of a side character in 1984's Puccini.
Luckily I found the entire Puccini movie viewable for free on YouTube. I spent an hour or so skimming through it but never found the scene where this woman is supposedly featured. I will try again soon.
Another lead I got was a different music video directed by the same Zanna, which, coincidentally enough, also features various women in a similar style to Stars. This one is called Locked Out by Crowded House. I managed to pinpoint a blurry shot where one of the women vaguely resembles the woman in Stars, though it's fairly difficult to see clearly. It's tempting to say, "yeah, that's her" but truthfully the shot is quick, shaky, and just too unclear to say for sure.
In the comments of this video, I found a man who claims to have worked on the set of that video. I plan on responding to his comment soon and seeing if he can be of any help in finding this mysterious woman's name.
I don't know why I'm so interested. I admit it's probably partially just because I find the face pretty lol. But I also just find it bizarre that someone would have a prominent role in a music video and not be credited. Is it Zanna Wilford? Will that movie Puccini show a clear enough shot of her to get a positive ID? Will this guy in the comment section of the other video be any help?
Stay tuned to find out in the next episode. 🙃
[media=https://youtu.be/izOdvBmTDh0]
