Bogswamp by Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham – Behind The Scenes Video Shoot

Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham will release their new single, Bogswamp this Friday, August 26 – or you can get an exclusive early sneak peek here. The track was written under the stars in the far reaches of Western Australia’s Kimberley region. From the Kimberley to Kangy Angy, Josh takes us behind the scenes of the shoot of their music video for Bogswamp which features a brilliant canine cameo. 

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There's nothing like the landscape of Australia. As a kid growing up in the bush, I've always had a deep connection to the south coast of NSW. After I finished school, I set out with a local band bound for Darwin and was captivated by the country I experienced on that trip.

Months later, I visited the Kimberley for the first time, and it changed my life. The vast majesty of the country held power and possibility. I met two sisters from Albany, WA in Broome and we formed The Waifs. In a very real sense, the power and possibility of the Kimberley gave birth to my life as it's been from that moment on.

As the years unfolded, my love of that place remained undiminished even though the visits back became shorter and less frequent over time. So, when The Waifs planned a WA tour a couple of years back that finished in Broome, I decided to drive across with the intention of spending some time where it all began. I decided also, to take my little mate Wilson, the Jack Russell with me.

The gigs with the band were wonderful but the real fun happened when Wilson and I headed for home. We’d drive until an hour from sundown and pull off the road somewhere we could get deep enough into the scrub to set up camp.

One particular evening, we found a spot at the base of a rusty ridge beside a big old boab tree. The billy boiled, the stars shimmered and, in the distance, the occasional road train on the highway glided silently past. The majestic setting inspired a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty of the country and how healing it can be to immerse yourself in its charms. I began singing up what was around me and the song seemed to write itself, as a serenade of gratitude.

When it came to making a video clip for Bogswamp, it might have been nice to go back to that spot and recreate the experience, but our budget of time and money didn't allow for it. Maybe that was for the best anyhow. As the song itself says, the magic of this great land can’t really be captured in a photograph (or a video) in a way that does it justice. 

Duncan ‘genius’ Toombs

Thankfully our neighbour in Kangy Angy on the central coast of NSW has a property with a bit of bush and some tracks and trails that proved a good option. Our great mate Duncan Toombs of the Filmery turned up and we strolled around the property making our plan of how we’d shoot the clip.

We wanted to be as faithful to the story in the song as possible, so we incorporated the campfire, spuds, pot of tea and of course, Wilson. Being a Jack Russell and an adolescent at that, Wilson has a very "strong" personality. But with the appropriate enticements he did great, prompting Duncan to rate him in the top 5 “animals” he’s worked with over his career. The only moments of “distraction” came from the flock of sheep on the property and the camera drone that Duncan was filming with as it followed us on our journey along the trail. The drone was a major source of fascination for both Wilson and I. We’ve never been followed by a drone before - at least not knowingly.

At one point when Wilson was “off leash”, some playful new lambs invited him to a game of chasey which he politely obliged, but after setting a world record for the 100-metre sprint through a boggy paddock in work boots, I was able to get him back quick smart. No time for play when you're on the job. Unfortunately, that all happened so quickly that neither Dunc nor Fliss had time to snap a photo or film it - a great shame as the footage would have been priceless for the clip.

The Friendly Playful Lambs

We resorted to keeping Wilson calm and focused by way of an enormous bone that we kept hidden behind a bunch of firewood on set. With adrenaline and the lure of lamb play still coursing through his little body, Wilson seemed strangely disinterested in the bone - although he has been enjoying it back at home ever since.

On account of the lyric "...my little dog and me and no one else around..." Felicity got out of a fair bit of screen time in the narrative part of the clip. It made sense given that the song is telling a story of the power of mateship, music, and nature from the perspective of a guy and his dog out in the sticks on their lonesome. But it's no word of a lie that any film clip is vastly enhanced through healthy doses of felicity The pacifier screen time.

The pacifier

Thankfully, that opportunity came in the performance component of the clip. After finishing up the shoot at the neighbours, we came home and set up in a little outdoor kitchen that I’ve been working on but is still unfinished. It’s all rustic and recycled and had an ambience that worked in well with the footage from next door. Felicity and I played through the song a bunch of times, she looking gorgeous and I doing my best to accentuate her beauty by way of providing contrast. Soon enough, Duncan announced that he was very happy with what we'd got, and he had plenty to work with.

All in all, it was the most painless shoot I’ve been involved in. The last time we made a video, Duncan had me dancing on a treadmill in front of a green screen - three activities I never do. In sharp contrast, I truly felt in my element shooting Bogswamp. Tramping around the bush playing guitar with my dog in tow and sitting around a campfire eating spuds and drinking tea are activities as natural to me as breathing. The whole day went so effortlessly that we were done in time to order Indian food and have a leisurely meal before saying goodbye to Duncan who was able to make the 9:30 session at the movies with his son. Two days later, we signed off on the clip and we still love watching it and remembering the fun we had making it.

The beautiful, the handsome, and the contrast

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Keep up to date with everything Felicity Urquhart and follow her on Facebook here.
Keep up to date with everything Josh Cunningham and follow him on Facebook here.