FASHION & FANTASY | PART 30: AN INTERVIEW WITH Amanda Lago

Presenting the latest visual work by Spanish director Amanda Lago for musician Fatal Tiger on NJAL today, we had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her creative approach, her relationship with the world of fashion, and how she defines her aesthetic. 

Amanda, Fucking Down is the latest music video which you have directed for Fatal Tiger. Could you tell us a bit more about it?

Fucking Down represented an opportunity to take risks and have complete creative freedom, which is quite rare when working with a client. The idea was to show how we are all made by different aspects of our personalities, some of which we are not totally comfortable with and find hard to accept. This is reflected in the video by the different performers, who in fact represent different emotions. We then dive into the subconscious of the singer and get to understand the internal struggle that we often face and don’t show to anyone. It’s a journey in accepting ourselves as we truly are, and that includes the darkest aspects of our inner self. 

The video is a visually striking piece - somber, dark but also feels very empowering. What inspired this aesthetic and mood?

I’d have to say that generally all my work revolves around lost travelers and tormented souls. It’s about the idea of finding oneself in order to make sense of who we are and what we are meant to do in this world. With that in mind, I felt that a retro, dystopian aesthetic would work very well with the concept of the film. Everything had to feel timeless and impersonal - from the space we worked with to what the performers wore. The overall aesthetic of the piece is meant to represent the doubts and fears of the musician - basically an insight into her mind and subconscious. 

Speaking of the performers in the video, they all wear the same outfits yet the personalities are extremely different. What was your thought behind this?

Each performer is meant to reflect a different emotion. This is why we wanted them to look the same, so that the viewer could focus on the message behind the piece. Of course, their physiognomy, their faces, their expressions and the way they moved were all factors that we took into account, as this all worked towards strengthening the concept of the piece, but the overall look had to be homogenous. I also wanted to make sure it felt real, so you will see how I haven’t tried to make anyone prettier or more polished - this is who we are, as we are, and we should be comfortable with that. This to me is real beauty. 

You’ve worked across fashion, film, and advertising. Often these industries and genres tend to overlap and your work is proof of this. Where do you think we are heading with this?

I don’t think this is necessarily something new, but as a director and someone working in the creative industry I’m not exposed to or interested in just one thing. My aesthetic is made up of music, fashion, literature, cinema, but also a love for psychology - these are all forms of inspiration and what makes me who I am. What I find interesting is being able to bring something new into what I create - for example, Fucking Down is a music video, but can also be perceived as an experimental piece, or even a fashion film from the way the aesthetic plays a fundamental role in deciphering the message. We live in a time in which we have access to a great variety of creative resources; on the one hand this means that we can constantly bring new elements into what we create, but on the other it can be a bit confusing when trying to stay true to one’s vision. I feel it’s important to remember that, as how we currently define genres will become gradually more blurry.