Some good news mixed with recent memories

I can now say the music video for the band La Bottega di Musica e Parole is coming out. Finally!
I still don't know the exact date, but the band will present it officially around mid-May.
The video was shot right before Christmas break inside a tiny theatre, while outside an authentic snow storm was taking place. The song to the music video is actually titled "L'anno del temporale" ( The Year of the Storm, in English), but it's more of a late summer-autumnish kind of storm it tells about. So nothing of the pandemonium happening outside could end up being used in and for the video.
We had some sort of trouble getting out of there though: snow and freeze had made the stairs so slippery that moving outside the set at the end of the day became a real journey back home...

"Devil's Hand" music video finally out!

The music video I shot for the band The Scrabble is finally out on the web.
Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZbK3qGGRUM

Two brand new works!

So...I disappeared for two months but I have plenty to tell. Though now I have to keep it short: in between December and January I shot a new music video (the anticipated L'anno del temporale) which is now ready, and a short film currently in post-production, whose working title is Vampyre Compendium and starring actors Oona Chaplin (Quantum of Solace) and Vincent Montuel (Molière). I am very happy of them both!
The music video tells about an impossible love story happening inside a little theatre and the short film is about...well...vampires, of course! Nothing to do with the Twilight ones, though: it actually revives the good old Victorian atmosphere of old school movies and of the XIX century novels of the genre....with irony and a few twists. So get prepared to see cobwebs, Victorian laces and long black cloacks!
Soon will come photos from the sets as well as a few drawings from the storyboards.
See you very soon.

Back from an intense period

Here I am! Back again!
November has been quite a tough month, but worth it.
I had to shoot (and have been working quite hard on)a music video for the Italian band La Bottega di Musica e Parole, but we finally had to postpone the dates. Now the shooting will take place on the 19th and 20th of December, right before Christmas holidays.
The famous Turin Film Festival just took place and I had the chance to watch some great movies: first of all a restored copy of the fabulous "Red Shoes" by Powell and Pressburger, then I managed to get a ticket for the FANTASTIC "Fantastic Mr. Fox". It's a great film and Wes Anderson loves playing with old-style stop motion graphics and animations. It's pure delight for your eyes and brains, and I higly recommend it!

Now it's time to get back to work. I'm currently scouting new locations for the video as well as for a short film I'll be shooting at the beginning of January.
Fingers crossed!

Some news

Ok, I've been away for a while. But I've been quite busy and I still am. I'm in the middle of the preparation of a music video I have to shoot by the end of the week. The band is Italian and is called La Bottega di Musica e Parole. The song I'm working on is called L'anno del temporale (The year of the storm), and you can listen to it right here.
The whole idea I am working on is quite surreal: my costume designer and my art director are already very excited about the project (I fear they will have A LOT of work to do on this one)and I'm sure it's going to be great fun.
The crew will be pretty much the same I had on The Devil's Hand: that was the first time I was working with most of those guys, but it came out as a really good group. Plus the atmosphere on set was great. I can't wait!
Besides, post-production (mostly colour correction) on The Devil's Hand almost came to an end. Which means the official launch of the video is probably going to happen soon. Stay tuned!

Devil's Hand: photos from the set

Apart from making the DoP's desires come true, the crew's electrician proved also to be a very good photographer. His name is Stefano Druetta and these are some of the photos he made on set.

Actor Federico Bava and his "Devil's Hands"

Great Art director Ascanio Viarigi working like hell. In Hell

Ballerinas practicing with coreographer Valeria Curzio

DoP Federico Torres flirting with the Devil's concubines

Frontman Larry from the band "The Scrabble" surrounded by masked ladies

Masked lady in detail

Me at the monitor

The Devil is taking a break from all the cruelty and villainy of this world

More photos of the amazing band, cast and crew to come on my website. It should be ready in a very little while...

Photos courtesy of Stefano Druetta

Devil's Hand: a few anticipations...

I'm posting a few plates from the storyboards I used for my last music video - Devil's Hand - by Italian band The Scrabble (if you haven't listen to them yet, click on their name here and you'll be redirected to their Myspace. You'll be able to listen to the track used for the video, too).
This time I scanned the images before the shooting, so you won't have to see those annoying crosses all over the drawings...

CUs of the two players confronting each other

A couple of shots of one of the two players, revealing his own nature...

The same character as before, surrounded by his "ladies"

All images are copyright of © Matteo Bernardini.