I spoke with Petros about his career as a director, to understand more about the challenges of this exciting profession. In this perpetual quest for creativity in the music business, this talented Greek director has emerged, captivating the attention of the music scene with his distinctive visual aesthetic. His universe creates an encounter between music and cinematographic art, where emotions are expressed through vibrant images, and each clip becomes a centerpiece of an artist’s story.
The Beginning of Filmmaking
I grew up in Athens and started drawing at a very early age, then I started doing graffiti. I wanted to record when I painted so that’s how I started photography and video. I bought a GoPro and in trying to learn how to edit, I learned how video works. When I was 15, I bought a DSLR and one thing led to another so I started taking more photos.
First job
I met some really good people that really help me. When I was 17 I start my first job as a photographer in a nightclub. And I did a music video as well for a friend of mine. This friend tell me to start to realize music videos because he believed in me. I realize that I really liked it, as I was into that more and more I started meeting people and collaborators and stuff.
After a while, I was already making a living out of it and decided to go to the UK when I was 20.
Moving to the UK
I wanted to move because, in Greece, the universities here are not “so good” it’s more about the theoretical aspect. At some points, it was good because I develop my cinematographic culture by reading a lot of books, and that helped me also to understand the reasons why I wanted to be in this industry. But what helps me a lot was to moving to the UK because as a Greek, my mind exploded over there.
Education to art
None of them is considered as « an artist » but it was really important for my parents that we went to museum. They were into art but as a viewer and it’s important for a kid to go to the museum and trying to understand what he looked up. My parents ask me when we went to museum “what are you looking, explain me.”
Good and bad aspects of your job
The most important part and the good aspect is that you are free to do whatever you have in your mind. I’m creative as fuck well, I try to be. I can do my own things whenever I want. I’m always surrounded by people that are creative as well and none of them is going to judge what you are thinking. That’s because we are not that much, we know each other, the bests directors in Greece are my friends. None of us is doing the same thing. Everyone has their own esthetic.
The bad thing is that sometimes my creativity is really blocked. Most of the time I’m going to create something direct for an artist and sometimes if I don’t like the song too much if I don’t feel it that much I can’t write anything good.
Conditions of Being an Artist in Greece
That starts from our education system and the government in a way because the government is not supporting the artists so much. We don’t really learn much about art at school so If you are not sensitive to it, it’s not there that you will learn a lot about it, so you have to learn by yourself.
An example of that, since December 2022 there is a government decree changed the degree of the National dram art school (baccalaureate +3 or +5) to the same as the degree for high school.
Transition between doing that for free and being paid
My friends and collaborators always tell me that I had to be paid for what I did and it’s normal because you are working. A lot of people have the fear of asking for their money but you have to know what amount of money you have to ask. It comes from experience and meeting new people because you can understand how much they get paid and you can compare.
Relation between the cinematographer and the director
The cinematography is about light and framing and technical aspects. As a director, you always have to communicate with the cinematographer your vision. You have to show him pictures, he has to know exactly what you have in your mind.
Contact with the artist
You have to ask some questions but it’s not mandatory to know him and the fact that it’s not a big amount of people in Greece that we work with we know each other.
The order and the result
It can happen that I produce a work that isn’t exactly what the artist expected, but that’s okay, because in the end I always try to deliver something good.
The trends
You always take inspiration from someone, and directors all over the world are watching directors from the US. So they try to take that and most of the time it’s good and it’s really up to what kind of artists are you going work with. It’s really important to know what kind of artist you are going to work with and what kind of things he likes. So I’m always asking for references from the artist because the fact is that you doing his things, you working for his vision. You can work on your vision as well, but it depends on the artist. Your job is also to “helps him” to express what he has in his mind.
Super 8 and Analog
Film photography and film cinematography are a trend now but some people don’t know why they are doing it they just like it. It makes look something more organic, and more real because the film captures exactly what you have in front of you. I prefer to do analog but it’s really expansive. The good thing is that now clients especially commercial really appreciate the film look so they try to do stuff, it gives us an opportunity but it will be really difficult without a budget in 1 or 2 years.
In film, if you take it from the technical aspect you have the best skin tones, the best color raising. Basically, if you want to shoot something it is gonna look good.
In the process of taking analog pictures, you have to think about what you are gonna shoot. For example, if you want to take a roll of 36 pictures, now they are 15e to buy the film and 10 more to develop it so you really have to consider what you are gonna shoot.
The video clip KENODOKSI/VOULIMIA with NEGROS TOU MORIA
When you listen to it, the music is completely different from one part to another, so I wanted the contrast to be clear between the traditional part and today’s part, which is why I used black and white. As for the format, I chose the square format for Negros Tou Moria because I wanted to give the impression of an old film like in the 60s, because back then television sets were square. I wanted the whole thing to have an air of nostalgia.
International inspirations
I really like Adil Zhavelov’s Russian videos, and French ones too, with PNL’s clips and Valentin Petit’s work.
Feelings about the abundance of visual productions
I think I’m at a stage in my career where I don’t feel affected. I can really tell when I’m working and I try to find something really specific to look at and I get inspired by it. Most of the time, it’s not music videos that inspire me, but series, video art.
Stand out
You can’t invent something new, You can get inspiration and make it yours, you try to combine ideas, and make something that you like but it’s always different because you are directing with your mind. For example, if I want to do a frame, everybody is gonna film it differently so it’s really personal. As soon as you got the story, the direction part is different from project to project and director to director.
The relationship between artist and director
It’s always a collaboration between the artist and the director. If I worked FOR an artist, I’d work in such a way that I wouldn’t have any creativity, but that’s not what I do. When I was younger, I did this because I didn’t know how to work on communication, which is very important in this job. Before, the artist would ask me to shoot something specific and I would do it. But now, I exchange more and try to come up with something that will look better in the image. So I always try to collaborate with them. If you like them and trust them, everything will go well. That’s why I try to work with people I’m friends with, because it’s easier for me to say when I don’t like something, for example.
Communication is the key
That’s the difficult part of the job to communicate well what you have in your mind to your team. You have to try to make them understand but that’s come from experience and work. I’m trying to work with people that I work before, in order to have a constant team.
With the camera
I’m trying to get the camera most of the time because the camera is always about me or the director of photography. In the music video, you always have to be fast-based, you don’t have time. You have 1 or maybe 2 days to film it’s really important to be as fast as possible
Future and cinema
I’m trying to get the camera most of the time because the camera is always about me or the director of photography. In the music video, you always have to be fast-based, you don’t have time. You have 1 or maybe 2 days to film it’s really important to be as fast as possible
