Just in case you haven’t been informed, 2009 is the Lost Valentinos’ year. After a steady 2008, with a sprinkling of support appearances and two single releases to whet our appetites, the Lost Valentinos have been keeping their cards close to their chests – until now.
The year has already begun in full swing, with the Lost Valentino’s acquisition of one of the best band managers in the land, promptly followed by a signing to one of Australia’s more progressive new labels EtcEtc, (also home to dance freaks Pnau). Now, with their eagerly awaited debut in hand, complete with tracks produced by English wunderkind producer Ewan Pearson (The Rapture, Goldfrapp) the Lost Valentinos are set to shake things up come May when the record hits store shelves.
Before the album drops however, the Lost Valentinos thought it fitting to treat us with the album’s second single ‘Serio’, a track which sees the Sydney five-piece take us into entirely new territory for both themselves and their fans. ‘Serio’ is bright, upbeat, catchy and as sun-infused as you can get, so with the vision of director Dave Ma (responsible for The Foals' amazing array of clips) and the weather answering our prayers to return to it’s best behavior, the grueling two-day shoot for the ‘Serio’ video commenced.
Day one began at 7am, with the band and crew arriving at the picturesque Wakehurst Parkway to prepare costumes, make up and set up first shots, in order to make the most of the warm morning rays. With everything set to go, it was time to get some aerial shots of the boys, surrounded by blue sky and green bush land, making good (if somewhat uncoordinated) use of a trampoline. With first shots complete, it was on to the nearby swamp where the boys battled leeches and floating dead fish for two hours, walking through the water’s sludgy bottom. The hard work paid off however, resulting in a well-executed and artful ‘Apocalypse Now’-esque water emergence scene.
Back to the comfort of dry land, albeit with bull ants the size of small mice, it was time for a break to dry off and prepare for the last bush scene of the day. So amongst the trees and falling light between the leaves, the boys popped balloons filled with bright colored paint powder to visual perfection, ending filming for the first location.
After a quick clean up, we gathered around a laptop to get the first glimpse of the single’s artwork, produced by design genius Jonathan Zawada, and then it was off to the next location at Palm Beach before all workable light was lost for the day. Once there, make up was touched up, smelly swamp clothes were re-adorned and sunset shots were prepared. The setting was perfect – with sand dunes, a picturesque sunset, and lush green scenery combined with lip-synching and general gallivanting wrapping a successful day of filming.
Day two began in the city, with make up application beginning at 5am, before a trek to Kuring-gai National Park, to sneak in some last shots while avoiding getting caught filming in bushfire territory. Although working under severe time constraints, the LV boys performed admirably, managing to complete their final shots adorned in full Shaman regalia while performing in a drummers circle amongst the bush’s harsh debris and unrelenting morning sun. So after four hours filled with bull ant bits, bruises and cuts on their feet, the boys were able wrap things up with nothing left to do but sit tight and await Dave Ma’s finished masterpiece, which is set to drop in the coming weeks, and is sure to be amazing.
Photos by Semone Maksimovic and Mel Leong.
More at
myspace.com/lostvalentinos.