Lady of the Ocean

October 1, 2020 Culture, Film, Media

THE STORY BEHIND OUTLET DRIFT’S LATEST MUSIC VIDEO ‘LADY OF THE OCEAN’.

Earlier this year, Dulan’s favorite indie rock band Outlet Drift approached us at WaGaLiGong to produce a music video for the the title track of their new album Lady of the Ocean. When your friends and idols ask you to make a music video for them, it’s difficult to say no. We have known the band since their humble beginnings nearly a decade ago. They play a unique and interesting infusion of punk, metal and indie with strong aboriginal undertones. And when they play live they always bring the house down. So when Putad (their bassist) and her husband Gabe (great surfer and musician in his own right) approached us with the offer to work together, it was an opportunity we couldn’t refuse.

Putad already had a basic idea of the general structure and storyline, so the concept was already there. The underlying theme of the song, she made clear, was depression/anxiety. We began planning the scenes straight away and within a few days I had found the coconut forest where the first scene takes place. Shooting began in true indie fashion, with only a drone, a GoPro, and an old Canon 5DM2 SDLR. To keep things simple, only one actress, Yong-yi Chen would appear in the entire film.

The girl in white

Outlet drift Music Video "Lady of the Ocean" with WaGaLiGong Dulan Surf/SUP House & Bar 哇軋力共都蘭衝浪:立槳:酒吧 Taiwan Taitung Dulan

一個穿著白洋裝的女子在一個遼闊的森林醒來,迷失方向的她困惑地不解她從何到此。A girl wearing a white dress wakes up alone in a forest, disoriented, confused and with no recollection of how she got there.

她遊走著, 直到她瞥見遠處的一個身影。She wanders around until she spots a figure in the distance. 她再往前靠近,只見那身影在遠處召喚她再靠近一些。 女子慢慢地接近那遠處的身影一探究竟,正她越來越近,她感到一切都變得不對勁,事情開始變得非常奇異。 As she gets nearer, the figure beckons to her to come closer. The girl slowly approaches the distant figure, but as she gets closer and closer, something feels off. That’s when things start to get really strange.

Outlet drift Music Video "Lady of the Ocean" with WaGaLiGong Dulan Surf/SUP House & Bar 哇軋力共都蘭衝浪:立槳:酒吧 Taiwan Taitung Dulan

The chase

Outlet drift Music Video "Lady of the Ocean" with WaGaLiGong Dulan Surf/SUP House & Bar 哇軋力共都蘭衝浪:立槳:酒吧 Taiwan Taitung Dulan

The girl’s alter ego takes off through the forest. The Girl in White follows her. A dramatic chase ensues, passing through some beautiful landscapes until they both end up at the ocean.

Outlet drift Music Video "Lady of the Ocean" with WaGaLiGong Dulan Surf/SUP House & Bar 哇軋力共都蘭衝浪:立槳:酒吧 Taiwan Taitung Dulan

「海女」這首歌是一首關於焦慮與抑鬱的歌、關於感到失去方向、關於我們選擇在人們面前表現出來和我們選擇隱藏的樣子。Lady of the Ocean is a beautiful song about anxiety and depression. It’s about feeling lost and insecure. About maintaining our ‘faces’ – the ones we choose to show, often on social media, and the ones we hide. It’s a reflection of modern social media driven society.

The Lady of the Ocean

Outlet drift Music Video "Lady of the Ocean" with WaGaLiGong Dulan Surf/SUP House & Bar 哇軋力共都蘭衝浪:立槳:酒吧 Taiwan Taitung Dulan

女子爾後被誘到海裡,一個女子如魚得水,另一個則掙扎到放棄、下沉。最後睜開眼她意識到這兩個樣子都是她自己,她與自己的焦慮和平共處,從死亡、或從自我的復原,這讓觀眾自行取捨。In the film, the Girl in White is eventually coaxed into the ocean. One of the girls feels entirely comfortable in the sea. The other struggles to stay afloat and eventually gives up and starts to drown.

At the end we realise the two ‘faces’ were actually two personas of the same individual. One confident, aloof and sure of herself. The other lacking in self confidence, searching for purpose and suffering from anxiety. Eventually, maybe through her near death experience, she makes peace with herself. She embraces both her strengths and accepts her weaknesses. But ultimately the viewer is left to decide whether she survives this ordeal or succumbs to it.

Outlet drift Music Video "Lady of the Ocean" with WaGaLiGong Dulan Surf/SUP House & Bar 哇軋力共都蘭衝浪:立槳:酒吧 Taiwan Taitung Dulan

她獨自漂浮在廣大無盡的海洋中,顯得渺小而微不足道,好比茫茫人生。She floats on her back, this time lost on the vast ocean. She is miniscule and completely dwarfed by the vastness of the ocean, by life.

Thanks to..

我感到非常榮幸可以為「漂流出口」(我最喜愛的台灣樂團)製作這部音樂影片-「海女」。 回顧10年前我與漂流出口的相遇,正是在都蘭海邊救援溺水的他們。I was really honoured to have been asked by Outlet Drift, my favorite band in Taiwan, to make their music video for ‘Lady of the Ocean’. We have a long history – ironically we met due to two of the band members nearly drowning at Dulan Beach nearly a decade ago.

也非常開心我們有一個最佳演員-詠嬑,毫無演出經驗的她把「海女」的兩個樣子詮釋地很棒。 Delighted to have a natural born actress, Chen Yong-yi, as the Girl in White. Yong-yi is one of the managers of WaGaLiGong and also runs her SUP tour company called What’s SUP Dulan. Yong-yi, who has zero acting experience, did a great job portraying the complexities of the Girl in White.

感謝 布妲拉•碧海(阿妞), 給這部影片最初的雛形漂流出口, 做出這麼棒的音樂!Kui, 漂流出口最棒的製作領導人詠嬑, 如果沒有妳,就沒有這部影片Thanks to: Aniu, who had the vision from the start. Outlet Drift, for making real music! Kui: the producer and Outlet Drift’s producer – a true legend!