Champagne Drag Queen

The story of a lonely, unhappy person, who has trouble being accepted for who he is by society. After a frustrating day full of rejection, he breaks down and finds himself waking up in the middle of a childrenʼs party.

How did Champagne Drag Queen first come together as a project?
I’m friends with the members of the local band “Call Me Astronaut“ and had already made a small video for one of their songs a couple of years ago. I wanted to work with a bigger team for “Champagne Drag Queen“ though, to reach a quality fit for festivals. I like the song very much and although I was inspired by the music and lyrics, I didn’t want to simply reproduce the lyrics in the video. I wanted to tell an independent story. To start off, I drew a storyboard and was very glad that the band members liked my idea. After that, I actually started searching for drag queens from Austria on the internet, and I immediately found Christoph aka Gloria Hole, who already looked pretty much like the drag queen I had drawn as the main role in the storyboard. I asked him via email if he would like to help us, and about five minutes later I got his acceptance! Since all of us worked unpaid and because outdoor shoots were highly dependent on the weather, we had to postpone the shoot for a whole year. In the end, though, it was well worth the wait.

Let’s talk a little more about Christoph Skoff AKA Gloria Hole, who gives an incredible performance in the music video. What direction did you give?
When I asked Christoph if he would like to play his role as Gloria Hole in our music video, he was very excited about it. Since he has already had years of experience as a drag queen he knows exactly how to put himself in the limelight. However, he had no previous acting experience in front of a camera and was therefore a bit nervous. I think his nervousness quickly faded though, as he felt quite comfortable in the team. I told him about the background story I had in mind for his character, which is only hinted at vaguely in the video. For example, you can see posters and pictures in the protagonist’s room, suggesting he had been quite a successful drag performer at a younger age. An empty picture frame on the wall indicates the loss of an interpersonal relationship. This info isn’t important for comprehending the plot, but ideally part of it should be reflected in the mood of the scene and the acting. Since Christoph and I hadn’t met before the shoot, I didn’t know to what extent he would be able to realize my ideas and/or if he would have his own inputs. In the end, I think it became a good mixture of my own visions and directions and his artistic interpretation.

Your music video takes the audience on an emotional ride of highs and lows over the course of one night. How did you balance the emotions from scene to scene?
Since we couldn’t film chronologically, we indeed had to pay a lot of attention to many different things. The shoot was a no-budget production, so we unfortunately couldn't fill every position in the film crew, and many of us had several additional tasks to perform. Therefore, I couldn’t afford to focus exclusively on directing on the set. There were so many things to keep in mind in order to create a believable continuity – I’m so grateful how well Christoph played his part as the leading role. Basically no special tricks were needed to have him show the desired emotions. Only in one scene a „Tear Blower“ was used, because it would have been a bit too much to ask someone to cry on command in his first film role. However, this small effect didn’t make it into the final cut.

What message are you hoping people take from Champagne Drag Queen?
Amidst the playful and completely unbiased group of children, the protagonist re-discovers his own inner child and his joie de vivre. He finally understands that it’s not important what others might think about him. People shouldn’t judge each other based on looks, and as long as a person doesn’t hurt anyone intentionally, everybody should be able to behave (and thus style) how s/he feels is right for her/himself. At the end of the video, the main character isn’t afraid of being rejected as a drag queen anymore. He even goes a step further: The moment he is immersed in the sudden experience of inner joy and inner peace, he even discards (symbolically through his wig) the kind of superficiality implied by his transformation as a drag queen. Looks don’t matter anymore. The character is now completely at peace with himself, because: we already carry everything that matters within us. You could even view the exchange of his silver crown with the paper crown of the birthday kid as a rebirth.

What projects are coming for you in the future?
There are actually a lot of ideas I’d like to realize. Unfortunately, the development of most of them falls flat because of missing financing. Besides my passion for movies, I absolutely love radio plays and therefore work on several projects. Of course I would be very interested in producing a feature film as a writer and director one day. Well, who knows what lies ahead. I try to think positive and to keep at it!

Do you have any message for our Melbourne audience?
I am very excited to be part of this great festival and I am grateful for the opportunity to reach people on the other side of the world with our video. We are happy about everyone who watches our music video and if you like it, please feel free to share with your family, friends and all over social media. You can also find “Call Me Astronaut” on Spotify and Facebook, and if you like their music, please support them by sharing it. If you want, you can also contact us. But the most important thing right now: Enjoy the festival and stay healthy! And in the spirit of our video message: Always be yourself, because you are great just the way you are! We are all one world and of course: All you need is love!