In the first round of filming, Barbosa shot frontal and profile images of Curl to be used as projections during the final performance. «The projector was settled on an ironing board, with the camera above it. In Barbosa’s video, Portuguese singer Curl’s image is projected onto her while she stands against a plain black background. Barbosa took the sequences created during these earlier sessions, added basic effects and animation via software, and projected the resulting clips onto the singer while filmed again. «We decided that we were going to use Emmy’s image only – her true self versus her projection.»
On occasion, visualisations of Curl covered in four different UV paint patterns are directed onto her face and neck – synced to echo her movements with a slight time delay. «The final result has an analogue feel that would have been impossible to achieve in a post-production environment.»
Come Closer is the first single to be taken from Emmy Curl’s album Navia, which is due out in early 2015. For example, an animated painted bird takes flight from her neck after she sings: «I’ve got wings that taught me how to fly.»
The complicated production process consisted of three main procedures. Artist João Tiago Fernandes created the body-paint designs, which reference snippets of the song’s lyrics. «That setup was pretty awkward,» Barbosa admitted to Dezeen. «We want to show the imperfections and fragility of reality,» said the director. Curl performed a slightly different choreography than in the projections to create various effects across her face and body, using a mirror to work out where the images were landing.
