Who are our ambassadors?
Pierre is passionate about video and what it is capable of conveying. It was during a trip to Australia, 5 years ago, that he discovered an interest in photography and video. Even though he was not predestined for this path (in the middle of his studies in economics and management), he continued to train and to explore the world of audiovisuals which attracted him so much. It was during this period that he met Maxime. After his studies, Pierre started working full time on his own in audiovisual creation. Since then, he has worked with companies, brands, and for himself.
Maxime is as passionate and emotionally charged as Pierre. If they met during their master's degree and never stopped evolving, Maxime is now practicing two facets of the profession. He creates videos and content for brands and companies, and he trains video enthusiasts and beginners through his YouTube channel. He shares tutorials, product tests, advice... and gives a little of his time, when he has the opportunity, to train and accompany the luckiest ones.
Each of them lives from his passion, leads projects for brands and companies, runs his own business... But they also sometimes find themselves working on projects together, for the same brands, and intertwine their visions.
"There was a bit of a magical moment [...] capturing the images like that, experiencing them as well, it does something."
We asked them to tell us about their trip to Madeira, the landscapes and their impers
What do you like about your job, about video?
- (Pierre) What I liked when I started, or at least the vision I had of it, is that video is an incredible vector for tell stories and convey emotions. It's always been a bit of a leitmotiv in my video creations, in any case, personal. Afterwards, it's true that when we work for brands or companies, we also adapt to their stakes and needs. But as soon as I had to create videos that were a little more personal, I always had this desire: that they have a meaningthat they inspire people and that they convey a message that is positive and inspiring.
- (Maxime) We both grew up together with video, so we have the same motivations. So I'm like Pierre, it's pretty much about emotionthe term on which I agree with him the most is " to tell a story ". The goal is really to show something to people and they don't realize that they are watching a video, that they finish it and say that the images are beautiful... It's really this aspect of trying to tell something in a short time and trying to convey emotions, desires to do the same thing... That's what's nice as a challenge.
Whose idea was it to go to Madeira?
- (Maxime) The project in Madeira was also the project with a big brand of drones called DJI with whom I had a partnership to organize a video on a drone. I wanted to go to a nice place, accessible, and where in a few days we could easily do the tour. The priority was to be able to make magnificent images from a drone, and in this video I knew that we would have a lot of rush to do on the ground, that it would be nice and that we would be able to create content other than by drone. That's why I talked to Pierre, he has a style that I like. We both sat down and started thinking about who we could go to, what style of video we could make and for what brand.
Did you already know about Flotte or did you come to us while searching?
- (Pierre) It's not me anymore, I've known you since the show "Who wants to be my partner? ". I got to know the brand then, I appreciated the values and the two founders' pitch, which was pretty cool, and then I continued to follow the brand on social networks. As soon as Maxime suggested this little trip to Madeira, which is a destination that could well lend itself to the need to wear a raincoat because it's a volcanic island where the climates are quite changeable, I said to myself that we'd try to contact Flotte to be accompanied. And it's funny, because we hadn't heard back, and the day before it was Lyly who got back to me and said. "I hope it's not too late, that you haven't already left!. In the end, we went to the showroom the day before and it was done, so we don't regret it at all.
Can you tell us a little about the place, the landscapes, your first impressions?
- (Pierre) What surprised me in the first place is that you could make the tour of the island rather quickly, from the West to the East it seems to me that there is maximum 1h30 of road. And that it is very pleasant because we had this challenge to stay 3 days on the spot, what in fact is very little, but nevertheless we had the time to make the main spots of the island. And then for what is the landscapes... Max if you want to take the relay...
- (Maxime) -laughs- Thanks a lot! In fact, since I had prepared this road trip to Madeira, I had really done a lot of research, I had a point on each place where I wanted to go with pictures etc. So, I "knew" what to expect by doing this trip. So I "knew" what to expect when I went on this trip. It was the first time for both of us but you have to know that Madeira is a destination that is a little known by people in our profession because, as Pierre says, everything is close so in a few days you can do a lot of things and it's beautiful landscapes, that we are not used to see, it's really nice. There are a lot of mountains and especially a lot of wind, which makes that the weather changes very quickly. But we were almost lucky, it could have been better but it could have been worse and finally it stuck rather well with the mood that we wanted. This very wild side, a little jungle, we had a little rain so we could play with that in the video.
"You feel like you're in some kind of weird paradise where you can't see anything around you, and then you have the sun falling in front of you."
Do you have any anecdotes to tell us about what you saw or did there?
- (Maxime) -reflects- I think that, both of us, where we took a big slap, it is when we were above the clouds and that we had the sunset. We go up in the mountain, there are a lot of clouds, we say to ourselves " well, it is not going to be ouf "and in fact we arrive and in 5 seconds we are above the clouds. You have the impression to be in a kind of strange paradise where you see nothing around, and there you have the sun which falls in front of you. There was a bit of a magical moment, capturing the images like that, living them too, it's really something.
- (Pierre) There is a little anecdote that comes to me and that is quite funny. It's when we went to Pico Ruivo at the end of the day, it's the highest point of Madeira and there is a 1 hour, 1 hour 15 minute hike to get there. So it is rather physical anyway. We went there at the last lights of the day. We were very happy because there was really nobody, and at the moment when we arrived and when we started to install our equipment, two French recognized us -laughs-, plus Maxime at first thanks to his chain. It was weird for us because we didn't expect to see people at the beginning of the evening, and even less French people, and even less people who knew both of us. But it was very cool, they were people who were also passionate about photography and video so we could talk, and then we ate together the next night. It was a great time.
Why did you choose theAnatole Ginger and theAmelot Rouge?
- (Pierre) We didn't really have a precise idea before coming. It was only once we got there that we could see the pieces because we didn't know the whole collection either. So it came a little naturally, I had spotted a little before the shorter piece, a little more urban -Anatole-. I found a coherence with the orange because, on Instagram, I like to put forward the sunsets, the colors a little warm, so it was consistent.
- (Maxime) I was more interested in the practical aspect. Since I knew that it could rain, I wanted something that would protect me, to have a hood on it, so I was more interested in the Amelot raincoats. I wanted to have something that could protect me from the rain but also look good on video since we were filming. We had to be dressed properly and with a bit of style. I decided on red because it's related to my YouTube channel. I often have a red cap, it's a color that I make my own and that I try to wear the most, so I found it nice. And I like this colorful side, a little bit fizzy, I think it marks. I think it's nice to have a color that comes out of the landscape when you're doing drone rushes.
In the end, what did you think of the impers? Good companions on the road ?
- (Pierre) Really, they are very light clothes, very compact. We didn't curl them up to put them in a bag or a small pocket, but it was still practical to carry. And in environments a little wet it did the job, we did not feel wet under the raincoat once we had it, so nothing to say about that.
- (Maxime) It was very good, very practical, and exactly where we were going. We needed something that was all-terrain, that we could put on and stand when we were hiking uphill. Çt's not too sticky and it's not too warm either, and if it starts raining within 10 minutes, you know you're protected, while still looking stylish. That's the problem, you can find a lot of "technical" clothing for your job, but you won't necessarily have the style to go with it. In this case, the cut was pretty good, the seams etc. were also top-notch, and there were little touches of style that we liked, which is also why we decided to go with Flotte and thought it might be fun. And even when it was a bit windy, it cut out the wind too, so it was quite pleasant. It protects well. As Pierre says "it does its job very well". -laughs-.
The TOP 5 boys in Madeira
Pico Ruivo 🌅
Essential to do to be above the clouds, it's magical, especially for the sunsets and sunrises
Fanal Pond 🌲
A misty fairy place, the ideal : go there when it's cloudy
Sao Lourenco 🏝️
A hike that allows you to see the islands spread out over the ocean
Caldeirao Verde 💧
Inland, a small hike in the forest, in the jungle, which takes you to see a majestic waterfall
Anjos Waterfall 🚗
Or the waterfall that cleans your car as you drive by
Find Pierre on instagram @pierrefroger_ and on his website frogerpierre.com/ 📷
And Maxime on instagram @pileetface_ and YouTube Pile & Face 🎥
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