Strapping Fireworks to Breakdancers in the Name of Art, With Thrilliam Angels
· Vice
What do hoverboards, breakdancers, health and safety violations, and Latvia have in common? They all feature in the new Thrilliam Angels video, “Together Forever”!
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Filmed over the course of two days in London this summer, the video for the song—which is a collaboration with David Arms Deal, Frost Children, and vrde—drops today. We caught up with Thrilliam and director / fashion designer / VICE contributor Kai Ghattaura to talk about rolling down hills and making art during a celestial event.
VICE: Some of this was filmed during an eclipse. The eclipse didn’t make the final cut. But did it spiritually influence the video?
Thrilliam: Maybe not spiritually, but rather physically ’cause it literally seemed like there was a “Paris” filter on reality.
Kai: We couldn’t point the camera at the sun because it would’ve melted the lens. So the eclipse itself didn’t make it into the video. But the bright, sunset shots in the first half were filmed right at the peak, around 7PM. We were in a public park with 15 people in costume, so honestly I think we were more of a spectacle than the eclipse. Everyone was excited to be outside, we got everyone beers, and the whole thing felt quite surreal. It definitely made the day more memorable. It also meant we had to work to a pretty tight schedule.
Did anyone get injured by the breakdancer with firework shoes?
No, thankfully. Yiling Zhao, our movement director, came up with this ridiculous idea of strapping fireworks to a breakdancer’s legs, and Aliona [Kolesnikova, casting director] found Marcus Johnson, who’s a Hip Hop International world finalist and breaking champion. We wrapped his legs in layers of T-shirts, taped the fireworks on so they’d shoot out from his feet, and hoped for the best. This was after an eight-hour shooting day, in the middle of the night, by the Thames next to the O2. We’d found a spot where we thought we had a small window but then someone kicked us out. So [when we found another spot] we just went for it. Marcus was understandably freaking the fuck out about potentially having his legs blown off, and the guy at the fireworks shop who had told us they were ‘cold flames’ turned out to be full of shit.
Anyway, it all worked out. Marcus was really happy with the shot. We were all screaming when we saw the footage. The energy was so crazy we couldn’t quite believe what we’d just filmed. It was the last shot of the entire two-day shoot, a perfect way to end the project.
“Marcus was understandably freaking the fuck out about potentially having his legs blown off”
Who are the other people in the video?
Thrilliam: David Arms Deal and Thrilliam Angels and all of the people that sacrificed their time to be in it.
Kai: The cast is a mix of friends and models. We designed 15 white tops, each bearing a single letter of Thrilliam’s name, and Aliona, who we’ve worked with every season on our runway shows, found 15 people to fill them and take part in our shoot.
Did anyone get injured rolling down the big hill? I joined in for this shot and I received some prickles and mild nausea.
Yes, a few of us actually rolled straight into a giant thorn bush at the bottom of the hill. Me and the extras were all picking thorns out of each other afterwards. The ground was so dry after the UK summer that the whole hillside was covered in brittle grass and prickly weeds. Funnily enough, these shots didn’t even make it to the final cut.
What is the best Baltic state and why is it Latvia?
Thrilliam: One, Estonians are Finnic people, not Baltic. Two, Lithuanians are… well, Lithuanians. So it’s only Latvians left on top. Personally, I don’t identify with being Latvian, no freaking way, mama. No way Jose! I am fully Latgalian [an Eastern Baltic tribe], born and bred.
Please tell us what the song means to you.
It’s about giving in, freely.
Do you have any tips for anyone who wants to go head first downhill?
Go and don’t look back ’cause that’s not the direction we’re going, champion.
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