I want to take you behind the scenes of a project that’s very close to my heart. I’ve worked with this band many times in the past, either taking promo pictures, documenting their gigs, designing album covers, merchandise or making videos. We’ve just published a new music video for a song from their upcoming album which opens with these lines:
I’ll wait on the shore
Until I see you coming
We’ll get in the boat when the night falls
The basic mood is kind of dark, which is something I enjoy working with and it fits their music. We filmed in East Helsinki – by the sea and on the sea, in a beautiful forest and in a theatre. We had borrowed a boat from a generous guy who responded to our ads around a harbour.
When we arrived at the location, it became clear we had a few problems – no rowlocks on the boat for the oars and nothing to sit on. It also started raining and the weather was incredibly windy. By sheer luck my husband found a shop and bought a pair of rowlocks. We also managed to get an old tyre to sit on. The power of improvisation:-)
We shot the scenes on and by the sea first. The weather was crazy. I thought I’d be blown away together with the camera and tripod. I was a little afraid to let the singer out rowing in a tiny boat but he insisted we continue. We had no idea if the storm would get worse, so we tried to shoot as much as we could with the limited time and equipment we had.
The next day we shot the remaining boat scenes and all of the forest scenes. Luckily Jari (the singer and composer) doesn’t need much direction and we had worked together before. I wanted the scenes in the forest to be a little haunting and to add another dimension to the story. I didn’t want it to be a love story, rather a transformative journey of a person.
The next challenge came during our shoot in the theatre. Just when we were about to start, the singer got really sick thanks to food poisoning. First we thought he was just resting on the floor, but it all went from bad to worse. Again he insisted we shoot, as it was the only day when all the band members and our lovely dancer were available and we could use the theatre. I don’t know how we made it through but we did. So after much waiting, the video is finally out there. Below you’ll find the lyrics with my translation.
Järven rannalla odotan
I’ll wait on the shore
kunnes nään sinun tulevan
Until I see you coming
nousemme veneeseen kun ilta tummenee
We’ll get in the boat when the night falls
Sinä kauniisti kalpea
You so beautifully pale
minä vanha ja vakava
Me so old and serious
kun ne aamulla heräävät, me ollaan kaukana
When they wake up in the morning, we’ll be far away
Tänä iltana soudetaan Verijärvellä kahdestaan
Tonight we row on the lake of blood alone
ja sen pinta kohoaa kun haavan teen
Its surface rises when I open a wound
Tämä ilta on pimeä, tyttö, kuiskaa mun nimeä
This night is so dark, girl, whisper my name
niin ei pohja mua saa kun yli meen
So that the pit doesn’t swallow me when I go over
Tänne taas minä palasin
I have returned once again
sydän painaa kun alasin
My heart is heavy like an anvil
mutta se kevenee kun sinut sain viereen
But when you join me, the weight is lifted
Sinun saari on kaukana
Your island is far away
miljoonan saaren takana
Behind millions of islands
siellä on selänpituinen, vuode lämpöinen
There’s a warm bed to fit us both
Tänä iltana soudetaan Verijärvellä kahdestaan
Tonight we row on the lake of blood alone
ja sen pinta kohoaa kun haavan teen
And its surface rises when I open the wound
Tämä ilta on pimeä, tyttö, kuiskaa mun nimeä
This night is so dark, girl, whisper my name
niin ei pohja mua saa kun yli meen
So the pit doesn’t swallow me when I try to go over.
Michaela Kei 