“Growing up in the suburbs, in small neighborhoods or communities, you always have that ‘small town kid’ ambition” – Herlander
For this July-August edition, director Leonor Alexandrino portrays the producer/musician/performer Herlander in a kind of visual diary, where she explores the artist’s origins in his old neighborhood of Arrentela, Seixal. Taking these not-so-distant memories as the epicenter, we feel the genuine vibration of someone who wants to write something new in the music world.
With a style that is difficult to characterize due to its uniqueness, but full of recognizable references, Herlander’s music resonates throughout the landscapes that director Leonor Alexandrino and cinematographer Paula V Guisande paint.
This is issue 05, Herlander by Leonor Alexandrino.
Talk with Leonor Alexandrino
1) It’s our usual question, but one that doesn’t make sense not to be asked: why did you choose Herlander as the artist portrayed?
I already knew some of Herlander’s work that has always interested me because it is so experimental, irreverent and unique. Each song is very different from all the others, but all are loaded with meaning and sonorities that attract me. Making music, building a song from the ground up, all this fascinates me and that’s why I wanted to approach Herlander out of curiosity to try to understand how a head like this works. How is the creative process and where do all these references and experiences come from that are reflected in his music.
2) At the moment you are living in Germany, was it challenging to make this video-portrait and prepare it remotely from Berlin? And even more, with a Spanish director of photography (Paula V Guisande) living in Barcelona?
I think it made it more stressful. The logistics become a little more complicated with booking flights and schedules but not much more than that. Of course I wish I was in Lisbon to prepare a little better and meet Herlander in person before filming instead of by Zoom. But I think it still went well. We had a case of covid that gave us more time to prepare the film, which was good.
3) You were perhaps the director who took (in terms of process) the video-portrait to a level of almost fiction. The choice of the decor, the actions requested in detail, the clapperboard, etc. Do you feel more comfortable in this register, or was it something related to the way you wanted to portray Herlander?
In a way, yes. But I think that despite having thought out scenes, they are scenes that give Herlander space and freedom to be who he is in a more private and intimate register. The idea of doing these scenes at home came from a first conversation I had with him and also from the song and theme we hear in the video, “Na Zona? In the song Herlander talks about this idea of routine that binds us but that when we get free of it we look back with nostalgia. It was this bittersweet feeling that made me want to illustrate this routine and choose a more “fictionalized” approach.
4) Coming back again to the director of photography Paula V Guisande, how was it to work with her? One of the focuses of the magazine is to foster creative director-director of photography pairs, and we are always curious to know how these creative junctions go.
I loved working with Paula. We met at university and had already worked together but never in this dynamic of Director and Director of Photography. I always liked her work and always wanted to work with her so it was perfect. We have similar references and ideas so it was easy to get along. It was super fun working with her including grading. I think she has a lot of talent and a huge passion for what she does and creating which is always super motivating.
5) We already have issues of the magazine shot on super8, but until now none of the directors had added super8 and MiniDV to our Blackmagic. Can you explain your choice of triptych?
I think the super8 and mini-dv made sense for the nostalgic character I wanted to give the video. I love film, I’ve shot in 16mm but I’ve never done anything in 8mm so I thought it would be cool to experiment. The mini DV I think fits super well with Herlander’s aesthetic and it made sense to have something that was somewhere in between Digital and Super 8.
6) Your moodboard for this project was gorgeous. It was almost worth it on its own as an object for the magazine. You showed a very specific style in those references you presented, which were also very close to the final result of the video-portrait. Where do you usually go for references and inspiration?
I get a lot of my references from photography. I really enjoy finding fashion photographers and then going to see their personal projects which are always super interesting and inspiring. For this project my biggest references were Dudi Hasson and Stuart Winecoff, both his work as a photographer and as a director of photography. In cinema I look very much for references that explore the use of sound and its relationship with the image. I also look a lot at advertising. For example, I had as a reference the work of a director duo I usually work with, the Rubberband. Working in advertising for so long makes me have this need to make a detailed moodboard. It’s part of my creative process to get these references to help illustrate my ideas. It really helps me focus and clarify everything in my head when I’m writing and developing concepts.
7) After this video-portrait we are very curious to see your next film in fiction or documentary. What upcoming projects are you working on or are in preparation (that you can tell us about)?
At the moment, I am in the process of developing a short film that takes place between Berlin and Lisbon and explores this last year and a half in Berlin, my relationship with it and my longing for Lisbon.
BIOGRAPHIES
Herlander
portrayed artist
Herlander is a Lisbon-based artist / performer who rewrites the rules of standard popular music. His music resembles antipop, diving into a genreless lake, voices that harmonize with each other and particular sounds that sit distinctly in one room.
Leonor Alexandrino
director
Leonor Alexandrino is a director and creative established between Lisbon and Berlin. In 2018 she completed her studies at Lusófona University and presented her first short fiction film, Escuro (2018), which made an interesting run in national and international festivals, including a nomination to the Sophia Student Awards. Since then she has been part of several projects, including music videos for national artists and creative assistance for advertising and film production companies. In 2020 she directed her second short fiction film, written by Mário “Profjam” Cotrim and performed by himself and Rita Blanco, premiered in Ideal and Trindade cinemas. Since 2021 she lives in Berlin where she continues to develop her personal projects and works as creative assistant for international directors.