Director of MV “Victory - Bond in Vietnam”: The crew spent a year preparing for one day of filming

On the sidelines of the MV premiere “Victory - Bond in Vietnam” that just took place at Nhan Dan Newspaper, we had the opportunity to meet and talk with director Phu Tran, the man behind the picturesque footage of Ha Long Bay, and the idea of ​​having the Bond quartet wearing ao dai, playing classic music in the heart of the heritage.

After a successful performance in Hanoi in early October 2024, Bond, the world- famous string quartet, stayed in Vietnam for a few more days to film the MV "Victory - Bond in Vietnam". The filming was wrapped up in just one day.

A day of filming for the MV “Victory - Bond in Vietnam” crew started at 3am… It was still dark, the convoy carrying the production team hurriedly moved from the capital Hanoi to Quang Ninh to get ready for the first filming scene.

At dusk, the whole group arrived at Ha Long Bay. At this time, from the port, the yacht carrying the artists and production team set off, heading towards Trong Mai Islet.

“The first scenes went quite smoothly. However, we were always under pressure because the artists requested that filming only take place in one day. To ensure enough time to film in the settings, we had to carefully consider and calculate everything from transportation, to filming duration, and even the artists’ rest time,” director Phu Tran shared.

Behind the scenes of Bond's first scenes in Ha Long Bay.

After Hon Trong Mai, the next destination was Mat Rong Island. The entrance to this area was very narrow. The crew had to transfer to a canoe to enter the center of the island. “Reaching this island was a real challenge. We had to climb over steep cliffs to enter the lake inside,” the director recalled.

Surrounding the island are high rocky mountains. To explore Dragon Eye, according to the instructions, the group had to find the right location with the lowest rock. But the barnacles with rough and sharp shells clinging to the already slippery rock made the group members almost hold their breath, taking each step steadily while carrying many props and electronic devices with them.

Following the long rocky outcrop, crossing the dangerous area and moving a bit further with water up to half their calves, they reached the sandy beach inside Dragon Eye Island.

The clear blue water lying between the rocky mountains and the primeval forest appeared before the eyes, making the whole crew stunned by the beauty of a pristine island. But not allowed to hesitate or admire for too long, the whole crew immediately got to work.

“Using planks about 3m long, we created a temporary bridge across the sand to avoid sinking when walking, as well as to keep the artists' costumes and musical instruments clean,” said director Phu Tran.

The production crew of the MV "Victory - Bond in Vietnam" had a memorable working day with the Bond band in Ha Long Bay.

As the Bond cast moved to the set, a special stage was prepared for them. The production team painstakingly designed a 3.5m high, 6m wide and 3m long scaffolding.

This structure has been meticulously calculated according to the water level of the lake. The stage can also be raised or lowered within a certain range, depending on the change of time causing the water level to rise or fall.

“The MV is 3 minutes long, but the crew had to plan it a year in advance and spend a lot of time on field surveys. We visited Bai Tho Mountain, Quang Ninh Museum, Tra Co fishing village… But in the end, Mat Rong Island was chosen as the main filming location. The crew spent a year preparing for a day of filming. If we don’t calculate carefully, all the effort will be wasted.”

Director Phu Tran

Not only did the production have difficulty with the working conditions, it also took the producers a long time to convince the Bond artists to film underwater. Initially, the four female artists did not want to go into the water and get their instruments wet. Because that was their long-standing working principle.

“However, when they saw the dedication of the filming crew, as well as felt the pristine, majestic beauty that nature bestowed before their eyes, they accepted to ignore that principle to immerse themselves in the heritage. They played music with excitement and enjoyed the scenery of the land and sky. It was the beauty of Ha Long Bay that convinced the world's leading artists. And we had the opportunity to make this valuable music product,” the director recalled the filming process of the MV.

The Bond band perform "Victory" in the heart of the heritage.

Showing us the post-production images, he continued: “The MV is 3 minutes long, but the crew had to plan it a year in advance and spent a lot of time on field surveys. We visited Bai Tho Mountain, Quang Ninh Museum, Tra Co fishing village… But in the end, Mat Rong Island was chosen as the main filming location. The crew spent a year preparing for a day of filming. If we don’t calculate carefully, all the effort will be wasted.”

Director Phu Tran has known about Dragon Eye Island since 2016. He has always cherished the dream of one day making a film here. So, when he had the opportunity to film the MV “Victory - Bond in Vietnam”, he and the production team devoted all their efforts to capturing the most satisfying moments.

“When the melodies resounded between Dragon Eye Island, amidst the majestic scenery of Ha Long Bay, the legendary song 'Victory' seemed to be dressed in a new version. Bond said, they had never filmed a MV in such a wonderful setting,” director Phu Tran shared.

Besides Dragon Eye Island, the sunset on Oan sandbank or the journey of the sea's children to the fishing grounds are also scenes that the production team invested a lot of effort in. With the MV "Victory - Bond in Vietnam", a vivid picture of Ha Long Bay has been painted with emotion with the world's natural wonders and classic melodies with timeless appeal.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/dao-dien-mv-victory-bond-in-vietnam-e-kip-da-danh-mot-nam-chuan-bi-cho-mot-ngay-ghi-hinh-post872047.html