In 2011, the Puerto Rican alternative band Calle 13 released the song titled Latinoamérica. Composed by band leader René Pérez, the song is dedicated to Latin America. In the same year, the song won Record of the Year and Song of the Year in the Latin Grammy Awards. Throughout their nine year trajectory, the band has received 19 Latin Grammy and 2 Grammy Awards. The music video for Latinoamérica was directed by Jorge Carmona and Milován Radovic. I had the opportunity to interview music video director, Milován Radovic for this Visura Magazine.
Isabel Gandía: What is your interpretation of the song, Latinoamérica?
Milován Radovic: For us, this is not a song. This is the hymn of a nation with all the different types of blood, faces, colors, sunsets and landscapes; it is the hymn that reminds us that we are brothers and that we have more things in common than boundaries. This song is the manifesto of what we are as people, the feelings that unite us, and the claim of a future project in which we are first Latin Americans and then everything else.
IG: What is the the music video LatinoAmérica about?
MR: This music video is an attempt to make visible all these points of union; to join together from the action; and to reveal us as indivisible heartbeats driven by the same heart—one which does not distinguish any boundaries created by maps nor differences that result from fear. This music video is an attempt to remind us that we are all running together through the same arteries and from that feeling we can articulate concrete actions.
IG: How was this music video realized?
MR: This video is an example of the message that inspired it; a tremendous team effort that brought together a team from nine Latin American countries, including Spain, during a process that lasted more than seven months. In total, we shot for 29 days in 3 countries; most of the video was almost filmed in a documentary style. Except for the radio scene—which is reproduced in the home of a family in Cuzco—all the other scenarios existed prior to the video. The art direction transpired by identifying elements that helped us appeal to all the possible realities, both by the use of geography and clothing. Most of the video was shot on 16mm; the rest was a combination of RED, 35mm and a 5D layout.
IG: The animation was an important element in the video. Who is the artist? What is his/her role in the video?
MR: In fact, many artists were involved in this part, starting with the drawing of the heart that, contrary to what many believe, was not made in 3D. The Merida Brothers carved the heart and made sure to make the necessary mechanic arrangements so that it beat to the rhythm that we needed. The graffiti was designed and executed by Entes y Pésimo (Entities and Terrible), one of the best duos in Latin American street art today. We asked them to do a work inspired by the theme. We recorded the process and it was animated during post-production. Finally, the 2D animations were done freehand by the designer and artist Gabriel Rojas.
IG: Does the theme in this music video exclusively address Latin America? Or, does it touch on universal themes, in which case, what are they for you?
MR: The theme of this song clearly addresses Latin America, but we feel that the message of unity, brotherhood and connection, that this music video and song propose, apply to all mankind. All of the people in the world, at some point, have been oppressed people who have fought to find their freedom and place in the world. Someday, we will be mature enough to understand that the human project is not viable if one of us is left out.
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To learn more about the Milován Radovic’s work, visit www.patria.pe
