The music video for Bon Iver’s “Holocene” premiered last week, debuting on the National Geographic website. The song, taken from Bon Iver’s self-titled album, a follow-up to 2008’s acclaimed For Emma, Forever Ago, entitled “Holocene” was shot entirely in Iceland by the Australian director/photographer Nabil Elderkin.
In an interview with National Geographic, Elderkin explained, “[Iceland] is the most magical place in the world. It looked like Mars to me, so I always wanted to shoot there. When Bon Iver gave me the reins on this video, I knew it had to be filmed there.”
The video features footage of a young Icelandic boy roaming around the island’s volcanic landscape and shoreline, featuring black beaches, basalt columns, and glacier lagoons. Elderkin uses Iceland’s dramatic landscape to capture the audience and entice emotion.
Despite being reluctant to disclose exact shooting locations, Elderkin told National Geographic that, “it was filmed on the east side of the island, in the region of Vik.”
Elderkin works with a variety of media platforms ranging from advertising campaigns to magazine editorials, artist branding to books, and music videos to films. Amongst others, Elderkin has worked for Nike, Warner Bros, Universal Music, Paramount Pictures, and MTV.
To visit the region of Vik and see the sights of the Bon Iver Holocene music video for yourself, check out www.icelandair.us for flights to Iceland.
Photo: Óli Kirstinn http://flickr.com/olafur