Inigo Westmeier Unleashes The Dragon (Girls)
We talk to the director about how his award-winning feature length documentary became this latest video for Genera8ion + M.I.A.
Picture this: the incredible spectacle of several thousand children (no CGI!), all clad identically, rushing onto an enormous empty square with superbly choreographed precision. This is the arresting opening shot of the new music video for Gener8ion & M.I.A. "The New International Sound Pt. II." The video continues to show us the documented lives of the astonishing students of Shaolin Tagou, the largest school for martial arts in China. Cut down from an original feature length documentary "Dragon Girls" (which we highly recommend) by Director/DP Inigo Westmeier, the blend of uncanny synchronisity and breakthrough moments of individuality make for a stunning video.
The match between the industrial, electronic sound of the music and the real-life visuals of the documentary creates a slightly dystopian realisation of the lyrics and their gritty subtext. The documentary itself was so intriguing, as was the decision to turn it into a music video, we decided to chat to Inigo about his background and how these two versions of the film came about.
You can find Inigo and other unsigned directors on our Scout section, so check 'em out!
Dragon Girls is a film that takes a look behind the scenes of the biggest martial arts school in China. It tells three really personal stories about the girls, who are fighting every day from 4am in the morning to 10pm at night to get out of their poverty. They are trained to be tough fighting robots but still, the film shows also the moments that shine through, when they can be who they are ? children with hopes and dreams. Their parents work all around the clock and spend all their money for their children?s future, the children are training all around the clock to give the money back one day. The intriguing question is to me: how much time do children and parents actually get to spend together, how much time is left for your children?
Where did your idea for the original documentary come from?
I used to do Kung-Fu in a martial arts school in Berlin. Monks from the Shaolin Temple were training us and one day, I saw a seven year old boy literally running up the wall. My first thought as a DoP was: Wow, without any digital effects! That is how I got into talks with the monks and they told me about the school.
?
The one moment of relaxation that spontaneously comes to my mind was, when they were comparing their scars. That scene is also part of the MIA video clip. Otherwise, there was almost no time and space for a relaxed moment. During the shoot, the three protagonists really grew to my heart. Upon leaving after the one month of shooting period, they immediately went back to their routine of training the very same evening.
How did you get access to film in the school, was it hard?
I talked to the headmaster of the school before shooting and we had a Chinese service production on site, who took care of the organisational aspects. We also had someone from the government and someone from the school watching over us all the time.
How many people did you have on the shoot? How did the shoot go?
We were a team of 4 people from Germany and 5 more, including a translator, from the Chinese? service production company. The shoot went very well, we were very effective in terms of timing, preparation and shooting.
?
The story must come from the protagonists themselves. The film is always structured from the inside to the outside. What I am looking for is the authentic moment of magic between people, as a Director and as DoP.
What was it about this story that made you want to try your hand directing for the first time?
I started working as a Director and DoP on short films at the Russian Cinematographic Institute (VGIK) in Moscow. People liked my films so much, that they booked me more and more as a DoP. So I worked for 20 years as DoP on fiction films, advertisings and documentaries throughout the world. Dragon Girls was my idea, my script, so I wanted to try it myself.
?
I am working on a fiction film right now, my documentary films are all very cineastic. It?s a new way of telling stories, beyond stereotypes, combining documentary and fiction and focussing on the true magic behind the people in the film.
The footage for the original documentary film was re-cut into this brilliant music video for Generation & M.I.A.- was this something you were planning to do anyway, or did someone approach you with the idea?
Gener8ion approached me after seeing my film on TV. He saw the potential for the music clip and I was immediately convinced after talking to him.
Were you involved in the re-editing of the footage for this new music video?
Yes, I flew to Paris to work on the editing with Walter Mauriot and Gener8ion.
?
I believe it was a combination of both. The mass vs. the individual is shown very nicely in the clip and it works extremely well with the music and MIA?s lyrics.
How was your experience of working with these artists? Did you have much interaction with them?
Working together was just great. I worked on a music video as DoP a while ago and was very happy to do this again. I am looking forward to do more work in that direction.
Are you interested in moving into music videos and commercials now as a director?
Yes. Absolutely.
Finally, what?s next for you? Do you have any more exciting international projects lined up?
Yes. There?s one documentary involving highly skilled classical musicians and a fiction film in an early stage I am working on right now. I?m happy to share more information in the future.
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