Melbourne director brings happiness to St Kilda

A Melbourne film director has brought a little bit of happiness to St Kilda by roping in local personalities and celebrities to stage a tribute to the Pharrell Williams' hit.

The video, viewed by more than 15,000 and rising on YouTube, is a colourful and wacky parody of the US superstar's smash-hit wonder, Happy, which has been sitting at the top of Australian music charts for several weeks.

The spoof, which took over a month to produce, features more than 300 St Kilda identities, including members of St Kilda Football Club, AFL legend Ron Barassi, theatrical group Boyesque, and dancers from the National Theatre Ballet School, as well as local business owners and residents.

St Kilda's legendary buskers, Spandy Andy, who is known for his sparkly get-ups and wacky dance acts on the foreshore, and a Michael Jackson street dancer, performed some of their best moves for the four-minute clip.

Those involved were asked to demonstrate their dancing talents in several locations around St Kilda, including St Kilda Pavillion, Luna Park, and the foreshore.

Melbourne-based director Aaron Wilson, who is preparing to release his first feature film, Canopy, in Australia, said the project, devised by Deputy Mayor of Port Phillip Council Serge Thomann, began as a bit of fun, but it consumed many hours of filming, editing and producing.

"It started as just a day of filming to capitalise on several events that were happening over a weekend in St Kilda, but it eventually evolved into 10 separate filming days all over St Kilda featuring locals of and visitors to the village," Aaron said.

"It showcases what St Kilda is like but it's also a bit of fun."

The clip was produced as part of an online movement to promote happiness across the globe.

Aaron said he chose to coincide the film with Pharrell's Australian music tour and several events in the area, including Melbourne Colour Run and a triathlon event.

"We're trying to catch the breadth of what St Kilda's about," he said. "The eclectic and wonderful people. The energetic and colourful nature of St Kilda.

"The colour was important. I wanted it to feel vibrant."

You can watch the full video on YouTube

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