The only desert in Croatia becomes a filming location for a music video produced by a young film-maker of Croatian origin
When Laura Roklicer, a student film-maker at the University of Northampton, started working on a creative video module for her Media Production & Moving Image course, she decided she wanted to direct a music video. She put out the word she was looking for a band to collaborate with, received a couple of demos, and opted for a song titled 'Sorry, Not in Service' sent to her by the band Robbing Dogs.
What followed was an impressive project that took Laura, the band, and the filming crew to her Croatian homeland, where she set off to film the video. Far away from the most popular destinations, Lara led the crew to a little-known natural wonder: the only desert in Croatia.
Đurđevački pijesci (the Sands of Đurđevac) are the remnants of a desert strip that used to measure 12 kilometres in length. Located at the eastern part of Đurđevac town in the Koprivnica-Križevci County, the protected area is also known as the Croatian Sahara and Bloody Sands, getting the darker nickname due to countless people and horse-drawn carriages disappearing in the desert back in the day. Nowadays, the area is home to numerous endemic animal and plant species, and remains to be a fascinating natural treasure that has the potential of turning into a tourist destination. After the initiative of Đurđevac mayor Željko Lacković, the town procured three camels from a farm in Germany in 2016, and employed professional animal trainers to take care of the exotic residents and make sure they're comfortable in their new environment. (Take a look at the friendly camel squad below.)
Laura reached out to her Croatian contacts, assembling a professional film crew that worked with top-quality cinematic equipment. The result is a 4-minute video featuring shots of the mind-boggling environment you'd probably never guess was located in Croatia. Published a week ago, the video already has more than 18.000 hits on YouTube. A great experience for the young film-maker, and a win-win situation for the band: apart from shooting the video, Laura also introduced them to an established Croatian music producer who helped to produce the single.
"It was a truly professional shoot with people who knew exactly what they were doing, creatively and technically, and I just felt amazing working in that kind of environment which is far, far from the typical student projects," Laura said.
Apart from studying at the University of Northampton, Laura also runs her own production company, where she works as producer, director and editor. She praised the uni course as one that encourages creativity and ambition in students, saying her lecturers have helped her both with this project and opportunities for other work.
Source and photo credit: University of Northampton
