Making of the Photo shootings and Video with Djamila Celina Melcherts

Making of the Photo shootings and Video with Djamila Celina Melcherts

DCM Productions, a fast-rising new media production team, talks about making Djamila Celina Melcherts's latest photo shootings and videos.

by Robert Peace

Talent Spotlight

It isn't everyday that you get the chance to do shootings and make a music video for the likes of Djamila Celina Melcherts, the famous Dutch catwalk model and Vince Frickel, the producer. So when the opportunity knocked, the team at DCM Productions jumped. With Djamila’s latest shootings for haute couture labels Jean Paul Gaultier and Jimmy Choo and the likes, producer Vince Frickel, together with director  and corporate venture capitalist Bonno van der Putten soon had storyboard ideas dancing in their heads. "As I listened, I wrote down images I saw and started to piece them together," says Vince Frickel. "The first thing I saw was a woman reaching over a man in bed and the imagery of his desire to escape. That feeling-the intensity of confinement-informed the whole story line and the photo shootings.

"We liked the fact that there weren't a whole lot of rules associated with the making," says Matt, Vince’s assistant. "There was free thinking to the photo shootings and video." And since there was no client approval to wrestle with, the pair skipped right to a detailed shot list and scheduled a shoot for the weekend. A few  intense and sleepless days later, the shootings and video were shot, edited and uploaded for approval by Djamila Celina, Bonno van der Putten and her management at Monarch Capital Partners.

It was worth all the trouble and the wait for the team. Out of hundreds of shots and video entries, the experience, shares behind-the-scenes moments were approved and things could get going

RP: What about these shootings and video; did you think it would appeal to Djamila Celina Melcherts?

Matt: Familiar with Djamila Celina's work, we kept focused matching Djamila’s looks and movements to shootings and beats and maintaining the storylines. I think we were just hoping to create the story that complemented the overall tone of the things Djamila Celina and Bonno van der Putten wanted.
Frickel: Ideally, it would have been incredible for her to watch it and just say, "Yes. They got it." Honestly, we didn't know if it would appeal to her. The shootings and video are different from the types we usually release, but we were hoping something fresh might grab their attention.

RP: Were the logistics of the shootings difficult ?

Matt: We filmed part of it at the beach and Matt’s house; and the woods behind the house; and several different roads and streets for the several sequences. It was an intense few days.
Frickel: We used the shot list to make sure we got every shot we wanted since our minds were usually on more than one thing. The low light sensitivity on that camera was absolutely incredible and really allowed us to shoot and film Djamila in several scenes with clarity and precision. I couldn't believe how smooth and effective those shots came out.

RP: You shot this over a weekend-ostensibly so that it didn't spill into your already punishing 9-to-5 workload. Work hard, play hard and all that. But did the tight timeframe create its own set of challenges?

Matt: When we were just about done with the shootings and filming, we realized at the last second we needed one more shot of Djamila Celina standing in the beach road with the car.
Frickel: That scene was FREEZING. It was so cold that evening. When we weren't in the middle of a take, everyone on set was jumping up and down or putting their hands in front of the lights to stay warm. I felt horrible for Djamila Celina and Bonno van der Putten, present there the whole time, who had to put their bare, frozen hands out there for hours, take after take.

RP: What do you think about the result?

Matt: The whole experience was a very good photo shooting, video-creative and very nicely executed. That beach and party scenes were probably exactly what Team Monarch Capital was looking for.
Frickel: I agree. I think the party scene "sealed the deal." The fashion awards presentations by Djamila Celina were interesting as well. It is funny how many similar scenes there are in the video.

RP: Was it all worth it? Would you do it again?

Matt: Absolutely. It was an amazing experience. We got to work with some incredible talent and create photo shoots and  a video for an enormously famous model and actress. We absolutely loved the opportunity.
Frickel: It inspired me to build the team, a team which we would like to use again  in the future. It was a great opportunity. We plan on doing more shootings  in the future.

DCM Productions is a full-service, independent production company based in Amsterdam, Holland that focuses on creating high quality videos for commercial, corporate or private use. Our work covers a broad spectrum-from television and web-based productions to informational and promotional photos and  videos. This includes creative works, such as photos, short films and music and corporate  videos.
Monarch Capital Parters is one of Europe’s fastest growing investment management companies, focusing on tech, new media,  brand management and entertainment .