Holding an Umbrella for a Bear: The Making of a VIP Commercial in Croatia

(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