- DirectorParaskevopoulos Yannis
& Afentoulis Nikolas - DopAfentoulis Nikolas
- ProducerParaskevopoulos Yannis
- ScriptGarefalakis Yorgos
- Production managerAlexoulis Periandros
- MusicPistiolis Konstantis
- Sound DesignRabbeats
- 3d Audio MixRabbeats
- Sound EngineerManesis Filippos
- EditorLitsas Dimitris
- Voice Over Niarros Yannis
- Ac1 Tsetsekos Panagiotis
Echo. Echooo. Echooooo
Trip in Epirus? Sounds great.
Every time Marketing Greece gives us a call about a new destination-video assignment we know that we are in for a treat. Beautiful places, good vibes, creative freedom.
And a clear vision: Let’s share with the world the beauty of the Greek landscape & culture and invite them to experience it with us.
We love Epirus. We’ve been there many times in the past, and we knew that the trickiest part would be to depict its breathtaking natural beauty and traditions, without narrowing down the whole experience to good-looking images.
We brought on board our good friend -and the godfather of “Okay, nice!”- Yorgos from andJuliet, and started working together on the concept of the video. We were looking for ways to help the audience actually experience the character of the place instead of just watching other people do so.
That’s when the idea to utilize 3d audio technology in order to deliver a more holistic sense of the trip came up. People would be able to use a screen and a pair of headphones and absorb the magnificent variety of sounds and images that a place as diverse and raw as Epirus offers.
And instantly, all pieces fell into place!
But it wasn’t easy. It was fun, but not easy. Technical wise.
We worked tightly with Lia and Stefanos from Rabbeats sound studio, to make sure that we would find a solution for each one of the thousand technical issues that appear in such productions. Coordinating complex audio environments with dynamic editing can be trickier than one thinks.
They were so resourceful and reassuring and patient ( Lia, is there an algorithm strong enough to calculate the times that you answered that phone? ) that -before we knew it-everything was set and ready for us to go shoot.
While all the technical problem-solving was taking place, we were doing our on-the-spot research. Our favorite part. Searching for locations, and stories that can bring them to life.
The more we interviewed the locals, the more we got fascinated by them.
The land, its timeless honesty, and its openness are so genuinely represented by its people.
So instead of working with actors as we planned, 90% of the cast turned out to be actual residents. And they did everything in their hand to make us feel at home.
We started shooting.
One day, at 4.30 in the morning, we went to Oksia to meet Evi and the rest of the traditional choir. We were in a hurry to set up our mics and cameras before the sun came up. There, in absolute silence, the choir started doing their vocal warm-ups. Their traditional polyphonic chants have been unchanged for hundreds of years. And they were singing them there, echoing at the silent and magnificent Vikos Gorge.
It was after ten or fifteen minutes that we realized that the whole crew was sitting still and in awe, unable to do anything but appreciate the epicness of the moment.
Did we make the shoot in time? Barely. But it was all worth it.
At this point, we should mention the “Drakolimni Effect”.
The state of mind that more or less is packing every single piece of equipment on large backpacks, walking for 3,5 hours in rough terrain, and when getting up there -at Drakolimni of Tymfi, at 2,497m altitude- you feel as light as a feather.
It was weird. The happiest kind of weird and with the best view.
Oh. We also crashed a family feast!
Epirus is famous for the family portraits shot there by local photographers. Wes Anderson kind of family portraits. But before it was cool.
We wanted to take some shots of this kind and Dimitri from Tsepelovo told us that the only chance this could happen with locals, was if we went to the village square at Sunday, where a family feast would take place, and try to convince people there.
They were all so kind to let us in, let us take a beautiful shot, and make Periandro (our Production Director) tipsy.
We wanna thank from the heart everyone who contributed to this video. The people that showed up for the shooting and shared their ideas for locations, their stories, and their tsipouro. Angelos for the wild berries and the truffle hunt. Napoleon for the song and the good company and many more.
And last but not least, Christos.
The last of the stone masons in Petrovouni. He welcomed us in his house the village was practically abandoned we didn’t saw anyone else that day.
He had a pie in the stove and six cold beers in the fridge to treat us.
When we told him that we would come back for more of his stories next year, he told us that he wouldn’t be around by then. That he had his time. And it was a good time.
He died three months after that visit. But one visit was enough for us to remember him with a warm smile.
We dedicate this work to him and his classy hospitality.
