Flower Moon was filmed + recorded in the wild on May 15, 2022, on the Full Flower Moon and Lunar Eclipse, in Malibu, CA, by the ocean. The date was chosen at random, picking a date when both Ting Ting and Häana were in Southern California and before both left for their respective travels (Ting to lead a retreat in Egypt and Häana to work on an album in Joshua Tree, CA), without realizing what a significant date it was to film on!
Flower Moon Music Video ::
youtu.be/jC--G8hFUG8
The concept: produce a music + dance collab organically in nature, without a preconceived idea or prerecorded song. The dance inspired the music and the music inspired the dance. Both Aquarians with a penchant for unique ideas and spontaneous spur-of-the-moment creativity, Häana and Ting braved the elements and the intense wind and cold to create something unique and special. “We were about to wrap the shoot, and I wanted to do just one more take. And this last take (of 5) is the one we ended up loving the most. There was something truly special with the tide rising, the waves coming into the Malibu cove and dousing us–and at a peak moment in the music composition (an idea that emerged the evening before–kind of a Celtic melancholic ode to the moon), I started stomping my feet in rhythm, Ting’s movements matching the energy of the moment. It was magic.”
We had a very small team to make this happen: Josh Gobbell filming in 4k with one stationary camera on a massive tripod tucked away out of reach of the waves, as well as a hand-held camera to capture details and up-close moments, and Mehdi Hassine recording the sound with a DPA mic + Lectrosonics wireless system powered by a small field generator on Häana’s 5-string Realist violin, a Schoeps mic on a boom to capture the sound, as well as a stereo pair of mics to capture the ambience and ocean sounds. Häana added some ambient synth textures, bass frequencies, and an organic kick drum to emphasize the peak moments after the live recording was captured and the 5th and final take was decided on as THE take. We love it when magick happens in flow state! And we were lucky to bring together such a talented team to bring this vision to life!
released July 29, 2022
Flower Moon
© Häana 2022
Paper Gold Records
Violinist/Composer/Additional Sound Edits: Häana
Sound Recording, Mixing & Mastering: Mehdi Hassine