Production and composition The music video for "Born to Die" was based on a concept created by Del Rey, and it was directed by
Yoann Lemoine, who previously worked with
Katy Perry on "
Teenage Dream" (2010) and
Taylor Swift on "
Back to December" (2010). Del Rey wrote the concept in the form of a treatment she titled, "The Lonely Queen" The video was intended to be
set in
heaven, metaphorically represented by a
Romanian castle. with film location taking place at the
Palace of Fontainebleau in France.
Bradley Soileau plays Del Rey's fictional boyfriend in the video and was interviewed numerous times about the role.
Billboard asked if his proximity to Del Rey caused him to
become erect, to which he replied: "Embracing her [Del Rey] was easy. Everyone asks the same question, did you have a boner? Ha! No, I didn't. There's a huge crew of people staring at you shouting, moving around, bright lights everywhere. Madness." The model landed the role when Armen Djerrahian photographed him for an interview with
The Wild. Djerrahian knew Lemoine and arranged an introduction. He did not meet Del Rey until the day of the video shoot. Recalling the experience, he applauded the production team, saying they were agreeable coworkers, highlighting Del Rey as a soulful and amazing personality. He identified with background dancers and actresses in rap music videos, as they are often sultry and
objectified. with the American flag as a backdrop. as Del Rey is forced to kiss her boyfriend while expressing sadness. The trip intercuts with scenes of the couple staying at a luxurious hotel, where they are seen lying on a bed together with the boyfriend ominously holding Del Rey's throat at one point. As Del Rey makes her way out the hotel, the scene cuts back to an apparent car accident, with the singer's bloodied corpse being carried by her lover as a huge fire burns behind them. Also, the video intercuts scenes shot at the
Palace of Fontainebleau, showing Del Rey sitting on a throne with tigers beside her in the Trinity Chapel or walking in the Gallery of Francis I. The video ends with the opening scene. Becky Bain of
Idolator commented that "Interscope apparently has much faith in Del Rey, as the video for her second single, 'Born to Die', looks like it has the budget of about 15 of her 'Video Games' clips." Bain also noted that "besides jungle cats, Lana’s vid features a gorgeous church, a tattooed amour, and a fiery crash" and questioned, ==Live performances and usage in media==