Jay Kay, frontman of Jamiroquai, playfully revisited a famous 90s music video in a new commercial for Beefeater 0.0, the brand’s non-alcoholic gin.
Thirty years after making the “Virtual Insanity” video, Jay, now 56, found that creating it wasn’t as easy as he’d thought. He struggled with the challenging dance steps and had to cool his tired feet in an ice bucket after filming was finished.
In a recent video, Jay – wearing his signature Berghaus fleece and large hat – emerged from the well-known shifting room to enjoy an evening out. He revealed that what he’d been trying to get throughout the video was actually a Beefeater 0.0% non-alcoholic drink.
During a discussion about making the music video at Hidden Grooves, Jay said he felt ‘a bit intimidated’ returning to the film set, but ultimately described the process as ‘amazing’.
Walking into the room felt like stepping back in time, he said. It brought back a lot of memories, but it also reminded him how much time had passed.
To be honest, by the end of the day my feet were really sore, so I had to soak them in an ice bucket.
I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when I found it! I was rummaging around in our attic, the one above the studio – it’s full of all sorts of forgotten things – and there it was, tucked away in a corner. Luckily, it was still in pretty good condition, nicely stored in a box, so I could actually use it. It was such a fantastic discovery!
Putting it on and securing the cap, it was amazing how well it worked – especially considering his hair had turned a bit gray.
Jay shared that filming was challenging. He actually fell six feet on the very first day, but he had to push through the pain and finish the scheduled shoot.
He described seeing the initial footage as overwhelming, because the director kept asking him to move to different positions. He wondered how he was supposed to be in multiple places at once.
It turned out to be surprisingly difficult—the shifting floor kept threatening the hats and disrupting the smooth progression through each room.
Let me tell you something – there was a six-foot drop at the end of that moving walkway, and someone had warned me about it. But I waved it off, saying I’d used these things before and would be fine.
The very first thing I did was remove a leg – it happened within the first minute of filming. We had a full day of shooting ahead of us, so I did that, took a moment to relax, and realized it hadn’t hurt.
It’s tricky because the camera angle makes it look like you’re looking down. It’s difficult to achieve that effect while appearing to fall.
The production team did an amazing job. Having worked on 32 music videos, I can say they really nailed it and collaborated incredibly well. It made a huge difference.
Julien and Quentin directed this new film, produced by Magna Studios, and it captures the same creative, hands-on spirit that people loved in the original 1996 movie.
Rather than using computer-generated imagery or artificial intelligence, the filmmakers constructed nine physical sets. They recreated the illusion of movement using techniques like moving floors, precise camera angles, and the actors’ performances, all guided by Jay himself.
This campaign is part of Beefeater 0.0’s ‘Get More With 0.0’ idea, which suggests that choosing non-alcoholic options can actually enhance your experiences.
This marketing approach leverages the rising popularity of ‘zebra striping’ – switching between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout an evening. It positions Beefeater 0.0 as a part of, rather than a replacement for, enjoying a night out in the city.
2026-07-23 20:04