DJ and music journalist Jess Fu is the host of Amplified, a new docu-series from RNZ spotlighting artists who use music to embrace, connect and explore their cultural roots. The team behind the series explain what drove them to the project and the people they highlight.
Amplified sees Fu discussing the methods and inspirations powering five different artists: the looping pop of Kōtiro, the joyful Samoan indie rock of LEAO, the experimental hip hop of Phodiso, Samara Alofa’s soulful pop, and the electronic R&B of Imugi 이무기. As the official synopsis states, each episode “features a unique live performance, deep diving into the musician’s mind’s eye and showcasing their talent in its truest potential.”
“Our ambition was always to make an exciting, engaging series that reflected the care and artistry these musicians put into their work,” said Amanda Jane Robinson, series producer and longtime Flicks contributor. “Jess curated an excellent selection of musicians, and I paired them with directors I felt would bring something interesting to the episodes. I am so thrilled by the work of Tioreore, Litia, Frandson, Hash and Nahyeon; how distinct each episode feels yet still cohesive as a series.”
Tioreore Ngātai-Melbourne (Ngāti Porou and Tūhoe) is the director of the first episode, centred on Māori Jewish talent Ana Chaya Scotney (AKA Kōtiro) who you may also recognise from her starring roles in Cousins and Millie Lies Low.
“Jess and I were also interested in making something visually and rhythmically stylish that didn’t necessarily look like every other documentary series,” Robinson continued, “which is why we brought on Joseph Griffen as our director of photography and Tom Augustine as our editor, both of whom brought so much to the feel of this series.”
Episode two follows David Feauai-Afaese (AKA LEAO) who “was one the inspirations behind the whole concept” Fu remarks. “No one was making music like LEAO. One of my hopes for Amplified was for the series to inspire the young generation to pursue and make music that is close to their heart. And LEAO is one of those artists that can do exactly that.”
“Although LEAO incorporates Gagana Sāmoa in their music, they didn’t grow up speaking it but decided to learn the language as they grew a bit older. As someone who grew up speaking Mandarin, but has gradually lost it, I find it really admirable for someone to do that. The most poignant lesson I learnt from LEAO was that you can embrace your culture in your own way and still stay true to yourself as a person. And that it takes time and effort to connect and learn.”
“They’re such an incredible sonic talent,” episode director Litia Tuiburelevu adds. “Both unlike anything I’ve heard before but also embodying all that came before, too. I know ‘unique’ is a bit of a sluttish buzzword to describe artists these days but I believe it genuinely applies. I admire their boldness to warp expectations of how Pacific music ‘should’ be and sound. Even that categorisation feels too restrictive. Their limitlessness is inspiring.”
“I’m so grateful Amanda and Jess gave us so much space to play,” Tuiburelevu responded when asked about the directorial approach for the episode. “We didn’t have to approach the shoot using the conventions typical of most documentaries. It was really creatively liberating to lean into such a bold, artistic expression made possible by Griffin’s brilliant eye and our incredible crew. David and I discussed the emotional and thematic currents we wanted to infuse into the episode including emergence, unravelling and transience. We captured this through David’s movement, off-centre framing and zooms.”
When considering the imagery for the episode, Tuiburelevu collaborated with Feauai-Afaese to devise locations “based on places that resonated with them. It all ended up being pretty close to home: in their living room, the local park and the Avondale food mart. I’m always drawn to work that’s beautiful and strange and wanted to transpose those aesthetics onto seemingly ordinary spaces. My core visual references were Tyler Mitchell’s ‘Dreaming in Real Time’ series, The Virgin Suicides, and Prue Stent’s photography. For the live performance, we went for tropical David Lynch vibes with a set inspired by 1970s Afro Sheen hair commercials.”
New episodes of Amplified release weekly – we’ll share the Phodiso, Samara Alofa and Imugi 이무기 here in coming weeks.
