Mixing New-Classical with Brutalism in Stromae’s Music Video
Stromae, otherwise known as Paul Van Haver, is a Belgian singer-songwriter, rapper and musician who rose to fame in 2009 with Alors on danse – a single which debuted number one in the charts of several European countries. In 2013, he debuted his first album ‘Cheese’, and has since sold over eight million records globally.
In his newest music video ‘Fils de Joie’, otherwise known as ‘Sons of Joy’, he gave tribute to sex workers and their children in an elaborate, theatrical, state funeral spot created through WANDA/HAMLET’s collaboration. Directed by HAMLET's Henry Schofield, the fourth track on Stromae’s album Multitude sees the singer-songwriter take on the role of a child who’s seen their mother wrongfully spoken about and comes to her defence – while the music video gives the funeral a real sense of pomp and royal stature.
Having worked on videos for Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Stormzy and Camilla Cabello, director Henry Schofield is no stranger to creating musical numbers that are both in keeping with the artist and deliver something special for the audience. He describes bringing Stromae’s vision to life, changing the narrative of sex workers and their perception in society.
Henry speaks to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani about what it was like to have 500 performers, spectators and marchers on set and how he felt to work with the musician.
LBB> How did the idea for this elaborate state funeral first come up?
Henry> Paul [Stromae] was watching a talk show dedicated to the children of sex workers, which inspired the different points of view and the song itself. The state funeral concept came from wanting to emphasise the message of the song and find a way to elevate sex workers in contrast to how they are perceived by society.
LBB> What was Stromae’s vision for the video and were there any details that he was keen to include?
Henry> We had an idea that it should feel or rather that there was a kind of fictitious authenticity to the event. Stromae was to play the son, invited to preside and to speak on behalf of his mother, but also to take the point of view of the policeman and the pimp.
LBB> What was the inspiration behind this fictional city and where was the piece filmed?
Henry> We constructed a partial history, imagining the regions, the militaries, the cultural groups, their provenance and how they would play their part in the ceremonies. We designed an emblem for the state, for the society of courtesans and in production design developed an architectural language that mixed new-classical with brutalism… familiar and combined in a unique way, so for the audience, it would feel that it was of our world but adjacent to it. We filmed it in Brussels at the Cinquantenaire, which was an amazing setting for the pomp of the event.
LBB> How many extras were on set to create the extravagant feeling that we get when watching the video?
Henry> We had around 500 performers on set: 200 spectators and 300 marchers and dancers.
LBB> Let’s talk about Stromae’s hairdo - which works for so many reasons. How did the idea for this come about and what was the process behind bringing the vision to life?
Henry> This was actually a look and a character he set for the album, that equated as an emblem in itself for the tone of the piece. It is, believe it or not, created by shaping his real hair.
LBB> With coordinated choreography, marching soldiers and numerous vehicles how much of this was curated in post-production?
Henry> All of the choreography was created beforehand with much planning. We mapped out the movements with drawings and timings at first then rehearsed for two days before the shoot, working with our performers and precision drivers on perfecting timings and regimented movements. To create the tangible sense of scale we shot close to mid to medium wides in camera, then only leant on post for the big wides.
LBB> Were there any state events that you drew inspiration from to create this piece?
Henry> The state parades of China, North Korea, precision marching events of Japan, the Beijing 2008 Opening ceremony, competitive marching band events of the US as well as Marine drills, then folk dance and gumboot styles in some of the pallbearers' choreography. A lot of conceptual elements too were just imagined.
LBB> Were there any unique challenges during the filming process and can you share how you overcame them?
Henry> It was a massive event to coordinate, the sheer number of performers on set, combined with the intricacy of the choreography. So, we approached it as if staging a real event, shooting with multiple cameras coordinated between takes.
LBB> How long did it take, from start to finish, to create this spot?
Henry> About two months in all.
LBB> Can you tell us about anything we may have missed when we watched this piece for the first time?
Henry> The emblem on the coffin of the deceased is the same as the emblem on the top of the hero's arch that overlooks the parade.
LBB> Would you like to share anything else?
Henry> Just a big thank you to the excellent marchers and performers.
