The Artist Explains: Sara Shevlin - 'Walk The Wonders'
Singer/songwriter, Sara Shevlin talks to us about her debut single, 'Walk the Wonders' and the story behind the visuals that accompany it.
'Walk The Wonders' fills the space between murky Country and Western influences and spellbinding folk , where Sara's breathtaking vocal and effortless ability to tell beguiling stories has her listener hanging on every single world.
Directed by willandcarlymakestuff.com, the music video follows a newly turned vampire as he ventures into the night for the first time, trying to find purpose and belonging in the unfamiliar, new world he finds himself part of.
Sara Shevlin Explains:
Where was the video for 'Walk The Wonders' filmed?
The dark and murky back streets of East London.
How does the video compliment the song?
The video to 'Walk the Wonders' was heavily influenced by the song and it’s lyrics. Ultimately the song is about being lost and finding yourself so we delved into the lyrics and let them inspire our protagonist. The initial lyrics begin, ‘I start another day with clouds of thunder grey…. how I miss those bright blue skies’. The idea of a newly turned vampire wandering dark and dreary streets seemed to fit perfectly with this. The sense of loss, having known sunshine and blue sky and knowing that your days for eternity will now be dark and filled by the night. ‘Will I find my way?’ We took inspiration from these lyrics to emphasise the idea of the vampire’s sense of uncertainty and of not belonging.
‘Wake up, walk the wonders of your world’ – These words are most significant and reflective of the moment when he finds the skateboard and glides off into the night, having discovered something that makes him smile again and feel inspired to explore his new night time world.
Any behind the scenes stories?
On what must have been only the second take of our first skateboarding scene, our lead lost a bolt off of one of his wheels and the wheel went flying off down the road. He didn’t have a spare and neither did we. With all the skateboarding shots scheduled to be shot that night we were in a spot of trouble. Ralf, our vampire was a total hero and managed to do the whole night with only 3 secure wheels and the other precariously wedged on with a bit of electrical tape.
Tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
Cowboy
There is a cowboy theme throughout the film. This is a nod to the Country and Western sound of the track. We wanted the boy to not quite fit in so it seemed bizarre to have a teenage kid wandering around Dalston in a tassled cowboy shirt and big, silver, buckled belt. We liked the idea that he was a lone ranger, wandering this dark land on his own in search of a new frontier. He finds his trusty steed in the form of a skateboard, riding off into the moonlight and not the sunset.
Shadow
In Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Bram Stokers 'Dracula', we loved the way that Dracula’s shadow moves independently of his body revealing his true and sinister intentions. Shadows in vampire cinema often have negative connotations but we wanted to turn this on its head and instead celebrate our vampire’s shadow using it to convey a sense of weightlessness, liberation and joy.
What do you hope people take away from watching the vid?
Wake up and walk the wonders of your world!
Interview feature by Karla Harris