CRIC: The New Italian Batallion

Since featuring in shots’ New Directors section two years ago, Italian directing duo Davide Mardegan and Clemente De Muro – aka the CRIC collective – have bagged a Lion at Cannes for what started as a viral and went on to become the first of many spots for the likes of Fiat, BMW and Peroni. Here, they talk about the joy of the collective and the sweet smell of success – and soup

If bookmakers had taken wagers in late 2010 on directing duo CRIC’s success, we at shots would be retired and sipping rum punch on a Barbadian beach. But we’d be fighting for towel space with half of Italy’s ad folk, such was the power of CRIC’s film, Because I Like You, which featured in shots’ New Directors pages. Only their second, self-funded project, they sold it to the national post office after it became a viral hit and it won them a bronze Lion and several other awards in 2011.

Just over two years later, we caught up with Davide Mardegan, who helmed Because I Like You, and his directing partner Clemente De Muro, to hear about how they’ve gone on to shoot for big brands like Fiat, Pepsi and Peroni, and why it’s important to make fresh soup everyday.

What has happened with CRIC since we last saw you in shots?  Last year was very generous to us and has stimulated us to create a collective, involving other 20-somethings who share our passion, The Cricchini; a group of student directors, designers and editors taking their first steps into the industry.

We’re also thrilled that Stuart Greenwald, one of the best editors in Italy, has decided to join us in this adventure. We have moved from our garage to an ex-metal machinery workshop in Milan, where we’ve built a chalet out of Siberian wood to give a little shade to Stu’s monitors, and restored all the original wooden workbenches, freeing them from layers of grease and grime, to give everyone a place [to sit].

How difficult has it been to launch a collective at a time of ‘crisis’?  “The naive did not know it was impossible, so they did it.” We have a passion and we went for it. Our first film was a low-budget commercial, shot with a few euros. It showed that, even without large budgets, you can produce interesting work. Talent and resourcefulness are goods that no crisis can affect. They are the basis of the advertising world.

Why did you decide to launch your own collective instead of signing with an established production company?  CRIC is a directing duo and we do work with other production companies, but at the same time develop campaigns directly with clients. What we like is to work on several levels. We’re also exploring the possibility of approaching other young talents [to work with CRIC].

You’ve shot commercials for some big brands early in your careers. Did you expect to become so successful so quickly?  Of course not, but after our Cannes Lion win, good briefs started to come our way. We have a basic rule: accept only scripts in which we see good potential. If the creativity is good, we do our best. When it’s not so strong, we try to work with the agency to bring out the best.

Is it difficult for young Italian directors to ‘break through’ at the moment?  Paradoxically, at the moment it is a lot easier than it was before. Today with a DSLR, a few hundred euros and a laptop, anyone can shoot and edit a film of excellent quality. Through channels like Facebook and Vimeo, your movie can be seen all over the world free of charge, which was totally unthinkable 20 years ago. The only thing you need and - you cannot buy - is a good idea.

What has inspired you recently outside of advertising?  Movies such as Hunger, Blue Valentine, Drive, Moonrise Kingdom. Illustrations by Ricardo Cavolo and Matthew Lyons. Video clips by Gustav Johansson, Martin de Thurah and AJ Rojas. Photos by RJ Shaughnessy and certainly the music of Fleet Foxes, Edward Sharpe, L’officina della camomilla, Devotchka, Mason Jennings, Of Monsters and Men, and The Maccabees.

What can the Italian industry do to improve its creative output?  We believe that the best way to give a jolt to the Italian situation is a dose of courage; accept the risks and take strong decisions. We are confident that the basic problem of the advertising industry isn’t that there is a sudden shortage of creativity but rather a lack of courage to defend it. In the past year we’ve met some very interesting people, brave creative directors and young clients willing to take large responsibility. Within our short experience we can say that we feel there is a basis for a pick-up in [creative] advertising.

What does the next year or two hold for the industry there?  We expect that many more small, independent groups will emerge.

What are your long-term plans for CRIC?  At the moment we are preparing the production of a short film, but our main challenge is to build and consolidate the CRIC collective. We have a good plan for every day. Stuart had a simple plan today; he arrived with the first morning light and, after slicing vegetables in a pot for the lunchtime soup, started to churn out the latest spot for Heineken. Meanwhile, on one of the wooden benches, Clem and David, still with the flour of homemade pasta on their hands, rushed to finish their treatment to be delivered before the soup got cold. In the afternoon, after school, the Cricchini joined us and the creative group came together.