Ben&Ben, Zild recall accidentally swallowing water while shooting ‘Lunod’ music video

Ben&Ben members and Zild recalled accidentally swallowing water while they were shooting a complicated scene for their “Lunod” music video.

During the press conference for “Lunod” on Friday, Ben&Ben vocalist Paolo Benjamin said that while filming, director Jerrold Tarog asked them to not exhale when they go in the water so they could have a good shot.

In the video, the artists can be seen submerging their faces in the water while singing and their eyes covered with flowers.

“It’s like taking a liquid swab test three times. Direk said that we had to submerge our head in the water with our mouths open but we can’t exhale so we could have a beautiful shot,” Paolo said in Filipino.

“I said, ‘yes, Direk. Anything for the shot,’” he jokingly recalled telling the award-winning director who helmed films such as “Heneral Luna” and “Goyo.”

“Our limits were pushed,” he added.

Meanwhile, Zild said he also accidentally swallowed the water “but it was worth it.”

The music video was shot at El Deposito water reservoir in San Juan City. Built in the 1800s, it is considered one of the oldest water reservoirs in the world.

According to the members, the area felt heavy and it was hard to breathe in, possibly due to the lack of oxygen in the place.

Pat Lasaten, the band’s pianist, recalled how percussionist Andrew de Pano dared her to run to the end of the tunnel.

“I can’t feel spirits. My third eye isn’t open. I remember during the shoot Andrew said, ‘come on, try to run to the very end.’ I didn’t even make it halfway through. The further you get into the tunnel, the heavier you feel. It might be because of the lack of oxygen but it was so dark,” Pat said.

Although the music video looked absolutely stunning and deeply artistic, vocalist Miguel said they made it on a limited budget and expressed his admiration for Jerrold’s resourcefulness and creative direction.

“It’s astounding how Direk wrote the visual narrative for this video. It’s deep. When we watched the final cut, it’s very personal to him and his entire team,” he said.

“He’s very, very detail-oriented. They already knew exactly what the shots were, down to the detail and angle even before the shoot ... almost all shots were filmed with one take only.”

The music video for “Lunod,” a collaboration by Ben&Ben, Zild, and Juan Karlos was unveiled Friday.

“Lunod” is part of Ben&Ben’s sophomore album “Pebble House Vol. 1: Kuwaderno” released in August. – RC, GMA News