Last summer, Club Med in Cefalù, Sicily, was transformed into an open-air studio for the filming of Bon Entendeur's video clip "Basta Cazzate", a track from their third album "Rivages". Three days of all-inclusive creative residency for the artists, directors and Mireille Production team, with memorable encounters, hour-long actors and a game of pétanque for dessert.
First programmed in 2019 at the On The Beach festival (now Club Med Live festival), the duo has since experimented with several Club Med Live residencies. Creative resting places, inspiring landscapes for inspiration, resting or filming, their departure to Kani (Maldives) and then to the Seychelles was, for example, an opportunity to create some original content .
We spent a few hours with Arnaud and Pierre from Bon Entendeur, and the Castay sisters, as they're known, Juliette & Charlotte, the directors of the clip, to share their best anecdotes from this place of inspiration.
Why did you decide to film in Cefalù?
Arnaud: We absolutely wanted to highlight "Basta Cazzate" with the making of a music video, it's a sound we really like, so we were considering filming in Italy. And Cefalù was thanks to Club Med. We have been collaborating with Club Med Live for a few years now, and it seemed obvious for this project as well.
Charlotte: Since we wanted many scenes depicting an authentic Italian day, we thought - really! - that the best would be to film in an all-inclusive resort, perched on a cliff, with a small port. And on the very day, Coco (Nicolas Boisseleau, editor's note) calls us and says "Girls, would you be interested in going to a Club Med in Sicily?" We had already created our mood board with inspirations taken from Google, and it was clearly the village of Cefalù.
Juliette: Since we were shooting a music video set in the seventies, our goal was also to have a place without modern cars, without chain stores, to have the most typical shots possible. It was perfect.
What inspired you on site
Pierre: It's the sounds, the sound of waves, cicadas, and the scents that come back to us. It smelled like immortelle, a flower that I adore. It's all an imaginary world, except that it's not imaginary because it really exists. There's a little bit of the sweet life.
Arnaud: We discovered that Cefalù was the second resort opened by Club Med, right at the beginning of paid vacations. Club Med is a piece of French history; generations of French people have gone on vacation there. And it speaks to us, because we do a lot of covers from the 70s, it's a period that inspires us a lot.
Juliette: We're frustrated that we couldn't film everything because it was so beautiful and typical.
Charlotte: Salvator in his fishing store, for example, is exceptional.
There are many beautiful shots in this music video, what do you like about them?
Juliette: "Basta Cazzate" evoked something very sincere for us, and these shots are very sincere. People automatically imagine that Sicily is a village square with old people talking with their hands while drinking their ristretto, and yes! We met those old people, and they are in the video.
Arnaud: The girls asked them if they would agree to be in the video while they were scouting. They said "But with great pleasure!" and in fact, they looked like actors made for our video.
Charlotte: Right now, there's a bit of a rush for new concepts. And filming something very simple creates a welcome break. Sicily has remained in the clichés we have of it, but these are clichés that are light, melodious, touching, the kind that feel good. When we watched these scenes, a bit like holiday movies during editing, naturally we smiled. We want to go back; these are images that make you want to travel.
"When you think about it, Club Med allowed us to create our own holiday movie." - Charlotte Castay
What are the keys to making a good holiday movie?
Juliette: Always have fun. Stay free to improvise. Film without a goal.
Charlotte: Film stolen moments. Don't film something smooth.
Juliette: Oh, and a very good piece of advice we were given one day: always start filming 5 seconds before saying "action," and always cut 5 seconds after saying "cut," that's where you'll find the most authentic shots.
How filming in Club Med changed things for you?
Arnaud: We realize how lucky we are to have created this partnership with Club Med because we've made quite a few music videos now, and we've never enjoyed such an idyllic setting.
Pierre: We've already made videos in nightclub parking lots at 3 in the morning.
Arnaud: Here, in the morning, we all met for breakfast for the briefing of the day's shots, then in the evening, we met for dinner before playing pétanque games facing the view.
Charlotte: Everything happened with lightness; it was so pleasant. We celebrated the end of filming with a glass of champagne by the water, facing the sunset. Usually, it's a slice of pizza on a piece of sidewalk. When you think about it, Club Med allowed us to create our own holiday movie.
Arnaud: It makes you want to make other videos in other Clubs around the world now. Punta Cana, Mauritius too, we have too many sound ideas there!
Discover the backstage of the video clip
Find the full article on Club Med Magazine.
Photo credits: IlanB - Agathe Blanc
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+ Listen to the full album "Rivages" by Bon Entendeur
+ Some pictures of the set in Cefalù
+ Discover Club Med Live's Playlist
