What would you say if you hear about a project of a documentary for a band directed by TWO people which is based on the biography created by ONE person? Home of the Wind. A History of Moonsorrow is an ambitious project of two dedicated Moonsorrow fans, Leo Aragón and Abel ‘Grilo’ do Demo; HeavyMusic had a talk with Abel about working on the documentary, challenging moments and personal dreams.

                    

                    HeavyMusic: Please, tell us a bit about your project. How and when did it start to take shape?

                    

                    Abel: February 16, 2015. I was hanging out with Leo in Camden, London, it was the first time we met in person after a few years of online contact and he just said, what do you think about turning your biography into a documentary? I was so shocked I thought it was impossible, but… here we are!

                    

                    HM: Could you please describe your daily work on the project - who does what?

                    

                    Leo works, I watch and agree! As the ancient Spanish tradition dictates. More seriously, he does all of the technical stuff: all videos and photos are done by him. On the other hand, all the longer texts are written by me, and I’m also mostly the one researching whatever topic we need at a given time. Everything else, we divide every week or two weeks, depending on who has more time or the best contact. There are lots of things to do and prepare. For example, now it is public information that we filmed the concerts in Madrid and London, but preparing those recordings was long as it involved many people, two full filming crews plus the band management. Another big thing is the different DVD editions that will be made and the perks that will be offered during the crowdfunding campaign… We have people helping us, a lot of them actually, each on their field, but we are still the ones making the decisions and coordinating everything the best we can. So there’s always something going on to take care of. Like answering interviews. I’m in charge of that as well.

                    

                    HM: How did the band react to your suggestion to film a documentary and were they supportive from the start?

                    

                    At first they were so confused! A docuwhat? Like, how come? And what about? I think in the first moment the five of them had five different opinions on the matter, but as we started to be more clear about our vision and what we wanted it to be like, they started to get more excited. Since then, yes, they’ve been very supportive and offered us very significant help in crucial moments. Wait for the crowdfunding and you’ll partially see what I’m talking about… Right now, my lips are sealed!

                    

                    HM: The video teasers we have already seen do create a feeling of suspense and, in some sense, of monumentality. Did you guys do anything similar (filming or writing a script) in the past before you started working on this project?

                    

                    I personally did not, but Leo is all the time filming interviews. He does the videos all by himself and achieves TV quality. Search for ‘The Breathless Sleep’ on Youtube and you’ll see. However the documentary won’t be the same, it will have a cinematic approach. He’s been experimenting a lot with that as well lately. I myself enjoy writing quite a lot, so I’m really excited about making a documentary script. By the way, I’m glad you get that feeling from the videos! Suspense and monumentality, I like that description.

                    

                    HM: 'Home of the Wind' - a heroic name for a film about the band who surely have this heroic vibe in their music. How did you come up with such a name?

                    

                    It has three sides. It will be shot in Finland, in the locations that are relevant to Moonsorrow’s history. So that is the home. Paganism and nature are the foundations of the band’s concept, so that’s the wind. And finally, it links to the song “Tuulen koti, aaltojen koti” (Home of the wind, home of the waves), which has this calm, home-like feeling—even wind and waves sound effects. By the way, you’ll find waves in some HOTW related material; just keep your eyes open!

                    

                    HM: From your point of view, what makes your documentary stand apart from similar projects?

                    

                    The cinematic approach, and how the content will be treated. It will have a leitmotiv, a beginning and an end, and a particular atmosphere. Concerning the script, I personally like a lot the History of Iron Maiden

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