shots Iconic Covers: CRIC

When shots featured directing duo Davide Mardegan and Clemente De Muro aka CRIC as part of a special on Italian creativity in 2013, the pair went all out to deliver a creative portrait to accompany the feature.

Teaming up with industry buddies and taking to the top of the mountains of Bielmonte, the resulting image saw the filmmaking partners of Premiere Heure appear in traditional get-up in a supreme pose and it made the cover of issue 141.

Below, the directors share their memories of the day and how the shoot came together as well as an illustration they commissioned to support the piece.

Tell us about the concept for your shots portrait for issue 141…

Preparing the picture for the cover of shots was a big challenge for us; there is a history with a huge numbers of amazing covers with what we had to compare. We thought we had to work on an image that represented not only our previous work, commercials and way of shooting but also hint at future intentions.

We decided we had to show our way of living, our past experiences, our typical wardrobe and the landscape we really love. We thought that talking directly to our interior world was the only way to express ourselves and to show what CRIC could become in the future. All that with a lot of self-mockery indeed.

Where did the shoot take place and what was the journey like to the location/how did you scout it?

We shot in Bielmonte, a nice mountain not so far from our city, Milan. We went there with two of our friends, the two DPs we work with, Luca Esposito and Mauro Chiarello. They are close friends and one of them has a nice house there. We’ve been many times and the place somehow reflects our personality. They are the ones who shot this amazing picture, two very talented friends.

Where did you find the costumes and props and tell us about them…

Sara Costantini is not only a very close friend of ours but also the most talented stylist in Italy. She knows us and our tastes very well. She’s done a very nice selection of wardrobes. She has a big section at her place dedicated to us and to the work we do together.

How long did the shoot take to achieve the final image?

We went to Bielmonte and we knew a couple of very nice spots to shoot. We spent the whole morning shooting on the border of a river and in another two spots. We decided to keep the best location for the magic hour.

We had a long lunch in a very nice chalet at the top of the mountain. The food was incredible and the wine tasty. The sun was setting when we went to the last location. A soft breeze was pushing a delicate cloud up to the mountains and the last rays of light were warm. We prepared the tent and all the props we collected from flea markets and took the image.

We have to say that the whole day was a very nice experience, we were with our friends in an amazing place doing what we love.

What was the view like from the mountain?

We were watching the Monte Rosa, one of the highest mountains in the Alps. The place we spend all our winters and summers doing ski mountaineering, free climbing and trekking. It’s a very inspiring landscape.

And what about the illustration of you both in the magazine; what’s the story behind that piece?

We not only wasted time in the flea markets and old shops, but online on blogs and galleries too looking for new and talented artists. One we discovered was the website of Ricardo Cavolo, a talented illustrator who studied in Milan and got inspired from South American art.

We became friends and had a lot of conversations with him sharing our personal and family photos with him. He took his time and in few days prepared the piece. These days he travels around the world working for galleries and painting big murals for big brands.

There are many hidden meanings in the portrait. Our shoulders are melted together. There’s a two on the hand of Clem and a One in the hand of Davide because we are two people but only one director. The boat on the top of the mountain is inspired by a quote from our favourite film but we’ll let you guess what it is… The tattoos on our necks are dedicated to our girlfriends and the volcano, comets, fire and camera are full of meanings but it’s always better not to reveal everything when you are talking about magic.

How did it feel to be in front of the camera and the subject of an art piece for the feature?

We are very different from each other. Davide is very shy and never feels comfortable in the spotlight. Clem loves both sides. That's because Davide is tall and beautiful and always preferred to hide than to show off. Clem, on the other hand, always needs to try a bit harder.

What feedback did you receive when the issue was published?

Everybody loved it. We received many calls and signed a couple of deals all around the world. On the other side some directors started to hate us more than ever!

Read the interview with CRIC taken from issue 141, here.