Holding an Umbrella for a Bear: The Making of a VIP Commercial in Croatia
- Written by Paul Bradbury
- Published in Croatia
- Read 15664 times
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(all photos copyright Romulic and Stojcic)
Having worked on promoting tourism over the last few years, I have been very fortunate to meet some very interesting people and see some pretty cool things. I think it is fair to say that there is still so much of this country that is totally unknown to the foreign tourist, and it is one of the things that I love about what I do - every day brings a new discovery.
One of the people I have really enjoyed meeting on that journey is top Croatian photographer Mario Romulic, whose images have been promoted throughout the world, from official pictures for the Croatian National Tourist Board to a recent exhibition on Croatia's EU entry in Brussels. Along with partner Drazen Stojcic, Romulic has become the timelapse master of the region, and this outstanding compilation, called Timelapse Croatia, set the Croatian media alight when it was released - some 150,000 photos in this clip under 5 minutes - with several commentators hailing it as the best promotion of Croatia thus far.
Apart from the many things I love about their work, there is perhaps no other photographer which covers the whole country in all its facets so thoroughly. Their photography of the wild Croatian interior is impressive indeed, and so it was little surprise to hear that they had been hired by leading mobile phone network VIP to film a commercial.
Set in the imposing Velebit region, Romulic sets out to capture the wildlife close up, in particular the famous and fearsome Lika bear. Check out the commercial here - it has been a hit on Croatian television.
A great commercial, and while the bear looked very convincing, the story of the filming of the advert was beautifully told in a series of pictures on the Romulic and Stojcic Facebook page (link below). They give a fascinating insight into just how much technology, professionalism and equipment goes into making an end product which looks so natural and simple.
For more pictures from behind the scenes of this shoot, check out the Romulic and Stojcic Facebook page. For more info about the photo meisters from Osijek, visit www.romulic.com
Paul Bradbury
About Paul Bradbury
Author of Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski, Lavender, Dormice and a Donkey Named Mercedes and the Hvar's first comprehensive guidebook, Hvar: An Insider's Guide to Croatia's Premier Island, I have lived in Dalmatia full time since 2003 and run various tourism information websites about Hvar, Split and Zagora, and am co-author of Split: An Insider's Guide with Mila Hvilshoj.
I also have various blogging clients, including the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board, Restaurant Gariful, Hvar Adventure, Villas Hvar and Andro Tomic Wines, and print clients include Qatar Airways inflight magazine, Out! magazine from New York, and Croatian Hotspots.
I also provide website content services, including Agroturizam Pharos, Toto's Restaurant, European Coastal Airlines, Restaurant Gariful and Divota Aparthotel. Please contact me if you would like help with your website content.
I also write for Google News via Digital Journal - see my range of articles here.
Ongoing writing projects:
A History of Hajduk Split, co-author with Frane Grgurevic
Around the World in 80 Disasters
Total Hvar in the Media:
Interview of the Month, Croatian Embassy in Washington (May 2013)
Special Feature in Globus Magazine (May 2013)
Featured on Croatian TV show, More (2012) - watch the report here.
4-page special in Nedjelji Jutarnji, Croatia's leading paper (August 2014)
Interviews in Slobodna Dalmacija, Dalmacijanews, Radio Split
I am available for writing services. Please contact me on [email protected]
Other websites:
Total Hvar - www.total-hvar.com
Total Split - www.croatia-split.com
Total Inland Dalamtia - www.total-inland-dalmatia.com
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