Music videos can be all sorts of things including shocking, witty, and perplexing.  “Summereyes”—directed by Sigfrido Giammona and Clara Congera—fits into the “drop-dead beautiful” category. While showcasing the music of Retro F, the filmmakers also put Sicily in the spotlight. The video is a production of the CFMClak crew, a creative team born two years ago when Sigfrido, Clara, and Maurizio Greco decided to form a group mainly to produce mobile movies.

Interview with Sigfrido and Clara

MobileMovieMaking:  Could you tell us a bit more about CFMClack?

Sigfrido & Clara: Summereyes is the second mobile project of the team. Each of us also works as an individual artist, We both work as directors and video editors for other projects and artists who are not under the name of CFMClack. Maurizio mainly devotes himself to the direction of photography and is also a photographer. As CFMClak we are all three producers. The direction is shared 50% between Clara and Sigfrido. It is not always easy to look for a meeting point between two directors and it is unusual, but this is also the beauty of the challenge in our sets.

MobileMovieMaking: Who is Retro F?

Sigfrido: While I works primarily as a film director, Retro F is the name I use in my work as a producer of electronic house and dance music. I began that role as a New Wave guitarist in the 90s, influenced by Depeche Mode. I’ve always had a passion for electronica. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, I survived by creating electronic music, and so the Retro F project—”Summereyes” was born.

MobileMovieMaking: How did you plan the shoot?

Sigfrido & Clara: We made a screenplay with a production plan and shot list, but during the set we also improvised a few shots to add to the mood.

MobileMovieMaking: What about the cast?

Sigfrido & Clara: The actor who plays Retro F and the young sailor is Igor Petrotto, who has been acting for years in Italian theatre and touring with nationally important companies, along with many roles in other video projects and films. The man with the hat is Alessandro Napolitano, who collaborated with us in our 2019 short film “The Meeting,” and whose young daughter Marica you see dancing for us under a scorching sun.

MobileMovieMaking: What gear did you use?

Sigfrido & Clara: For video we used: an iPhone 8, the FiLMiCPro camera app, a Moondoglabs anamorphic lens, Beastgrip Pro camera rig, and a Beastgrip DOF Adapter MK2  used with a Canon lens (50mm 1.4), and a Pallas vintage lens (135mm 2.8).

MobileMovieMaking: The locations are terrific. Could you talk about how you found them?

Sigfrido: Some scenes were filmed in the city of Palermo, others at Trappeto, a small seaside town 30 minutes outside the city. I knew Trappeto because I often go to the beach near there. I asked Clara to go with me for location scouting, with the support of our friend Lea Ferro, who is native to that area, and participated as location manager with a local crew for the beach scene.

MobileMovieMaking: Co-directing a movie is not common. How did you and Clara handle it?

Sigfrido & Clara: We argue constantly! We come from very different visions, but always arrive at the points we share in common: Love for the lights, the music, and passion for direction. We are always professional and respect each other’s creative dignity, as our friendship goes back many years.

MobileMovieMaking: Does directing a music video require special skills—different from those used to direct movies in other genres? 

Sigfrido & Clara: Sometimes it can be more complicated to shoot a music video than a film, because it has to meet the tastes of the artist, their manager, the record label, and all be mixed in rhythmic time and in a logical sequence of scenes that can win over the public.

MobileMovieMaking: Could you discuss the contribution of your director of photography Maurizio Greco?

Sigfrido & Clara: Our team creates video work through ideas that are transformed into a subject and then into a script with the support of all. Maurizio Greco, with his experience in cinema and photography enhances the atmosphere with great care, transposing the screenplay into light.

MobileMovieMaking: During the shoot, did you encounter any unexpected problems?

Sigfrido & Clara: The most exhausting part for the whole crew was shooting under the sun in 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). August in Sicily is very hot! We did not have any larger problems this time, as we planned well in advance for the days on set.

MobileMovieMaking: Could you describe your editing process?

Sigfrido & Clara: When shooting with a smartphone with photographic or cinematographic lenses, you must know which settings will be different in post-production, considering also the setting factors in the FilmicPro app. There are various tutorials on YouTube for this. Regarding the choice of color, we decided to use warm tones characteristic of Sicily. In particular, the scene with the man in the hat with a cigar reminded us of the Spaghetti Western films of the great director Sergio Leone.

MobileMovieMaking: What advice could you offer to someone who would like to direct a music video?

Sigfrido & Clara: Understand the mood of the song, its atmosphere, and the rhythm for editing the video.

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The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “Summereyes” as the Mobile Movie of the Week.