hues

a treatment

I love this song. I love the way it sways. I love how I’m able to hear the colors in the tonality. I love the deep feeling of loss in the lyrics, but also the feeling of resilience at the very end. I wanna capture all of that, while incorporating stories that Luz has told me - how she grew up on a ranch, and how much harder Dia de los Muertos hits with each passing year - but especially this year. Let’s go make something that sways, that’s full of life, involving as many artists as we can, and just as many hues.

The Story

Refrain

Once Luz sings “so I had to walk away…”, we arrive at a dusty, majestic ranch, where Devendra awaits. Everyone marches through the field, swaying.

On the way to the house, we encounter a few local characters - some are dressed up, some just work there. All of them are swaying to the music.

Second Verse

Inside the house, we encounter a small shrine, where an older woman awaits. She watches Luz and Devendra as they sing the second verse, all the while creating a concoction for them to drink in. It should feel sacred and homey at the same time. Part shamaness ritual, but partly like you’re just hanging out in an aunty’s kitchen, eating soup.

Final Chorus / End

I don’t know what she put in that soup, but after Luz and Devendra took it in, star-like speckles came off of them, like a Yael Martinez photograph. Now we move in sync. The sun is rising again. Everyone follows Luz’s lead, and performs a simple, spiritual, Pina-inspired dance. The leaves and trees sway along, like the whole world is dancing too.

The Execution

As the writing of this treatment, lots of elements will still be in the air. We will prioritize the availability of Luz and Devendra over most of our resources. This is their song, and everything else will have to work around their schedule. Tentatively, we plan on shooting on a ranch right outside of LA, perhaps by Riverside, where there’s a possible lead on a location that’ll be perfect for our purposes.

It will be a one-day shoot around October 24th, from the afternoon into the evening - with maybe an additional half-day for pick-ups the day after. It will be hectic, the crew will be small, but we’ve all been here before. It will be a small, joyful set, featuring as many locals from the community as logistically possible.

Additional Inspiration

I love this part of the treatment - where I get to irresponsibly throw out all the images that flashed across my mind :)
Take a look through these, and let me know if there’s anything in there that speaks to you.

I also have to admit that, as a kid who spent a majority of my life on the island of Taiwan, then California - I am not especially well-traveled. If there are images and vibes that you think will work really well with this music video, please don’t hesitate to let me know. This is a collaboration, and I take that part of the process extremely seriously.

The team

Let me just begin by saying that this document is no way set in stone. There is a good chance that the stars might not align for everyone we wanna feature in this video, but, if the universe allows, this will be our dream team (click on the images to see links to their work):

thank you

I’ve been dreaming of doing something with Luz and Y La Bamba around the theme of death and grief ever since we spent our last Dia de Los Muertos together. Let’s go put something special into the world. Everything in this treatment is subject to change, except for the joy and sorrow this song will bring - that’s going to stay, long after everything else fades.