TV Commercial - Estrella Damm

When people ask me about the best job I have worked on since becoming a model, which, Im sure you can imagine, is one of my most frequently asked questions, I always have the same answer - Estrella Damm.

At the end of April this year, I spent a week on location in Girona, Costa Brava, filming this summers Estrella Damm beer commercial. Picked up in Barcelona and driven the hours journey to Girona,  I met my fellow cast, around 20 other models/actors/musicians and a magician, and we were thrown straight into filming. The commercial was directed by Julio Medem, a Spanish writer and film director. 

Julio Medem - IMDB

Julio is a fantastic director and it was a real treat for me to work with someone who is near the top of his industry in Spain. All my filming took place at a beautiful house situated in the hills just outside the city. I was the only native english speaker on the whole of the set. Don't get me wrong, there were many cast and crew who had a fantastic grasp of the English language, something I am eternally grateful for, but It was a largely Spanish group (shock there huh?) with a few other nationalities dotted here and there. The modelling industry is a true melting pot of cultures, backgrounds and heritages. I have met people from all over the world, conversing through body language and gesticulation as much as I have used words! Unfortunately I can't embed the commercial onto the page but I have of course provided a link below.

Estrella Damm Summer 2013

If you watch the video its quite plain to see that we had a lot of fun making this commercial. (understatement!) Dancing around the house, dips in the pool, group dining on Paella, magic tricks and of course culminating in a party to finish the night. The song playing through out is called Fantástico and is performed and written by Love of Lesbian, the band you see on the stage at the end.

Screenshots from Estrella Damm 2013

So I turned up on set on what must have been the fifth day of seven, fresh faced and ready to tackle the day. upon arrival i was taken to one side and asked if I was happy to perform a nude scene. In my short career I have never been placed with this dilemma, certainly not on a set as big as this, with the proposition of having 10 crew members and 2 cameras recording me walking in my buff. I wasn't meant for this role originally. The boy they had cast was unable to do it due to having a large tattoo on his arm. Well his loss, was my gain. I have to be honest, I jumped at the opportunity. I don't think of myself as an exhibitionist or anything like that, for me, it seemed a chance to step up and get another experience under my belt. 

Filming for this commercial is the most fun Ive had on a job. I made some great friends and have so many amazing memories from that week. It was a serious adrenaline buzz working in that environment everyday, no matter how long those days were. It was with sadness that the week came to its conclusion, however, there was one last surprise to come. 

My housemate in Barcelona, is from Mallorca, one of the beautiful Belaeric Islands of the East coast of Spain. When home one weekend in June he got a shock to see my face staring back at him from metro station advertisements and billboards on the side of the motorways! There had been a photographer on set for the whole week of filming and Estrella Damm had chosen a photo that had me in it for their campaign. I had not been told. (Shocked Weasel!) In September I went with my housemate to his home in Mallorca and got to see the advertising with my own two eyes. Truly took my breathe away.

Iria Esteller and myself, Estrella Damm 2013

There you have it, my favourite job.

What a week!

Peace x

TV Spot - SEAT Ibiza

As a model, it is important to know your strengths and your weaknesses. Modelling is a huge industry with various forms of work. Since arriving in Barcelona, I have realised my potential for starring in television commercials. In my first post on here, I wrote about shooting for Peugeot. Well here is the second spot I have been lucky enough to be a part of. 

To give you guys an insight into the weird and wonderful world of modelling; I was cast in this advert at the same time as I got cast in another advertisement, for Estrella Damm beer. Estrella, which I will share with you all very soon, was a week long filming process on location in Girona, Costa Brava, and I was booked to film for SEAT on one of the days in the middle of said week, back in Barcelona. With a cast off over 20 people as well as a huge crew, Estrella days were long days! So, off the back of filming for around 15hours I finally was driven back from Girona to Barcelona (60minute journey) where I had literally 2-3 hours sleep before I was up and making my way to the SEAT set for a 5am call time. SEAT was a full day and eventually I was collected around 8  o'clock in the evening and driven straight back to Girona, where I was lucky because we were shooting night time scenes which meant I got to carry on working until around 7-8 am. NO LIE! The gist of all that is, I effectively worked around 40+ hours filming in the space of 48hours. This isn't a complaint simply an observation. I live and breathe for this sort of thing. Anyone who knows me will be quick to agree. I feel at times I have an endless supply of energy, pretty handy when you work the sort of hours I do!

So here it is, SEAT Ibiza.
On screens across all of Europe, the best part of this job was the fact all my family and friends back home in London got to witness my success as opposed to me just telling them about it :)





Peace x

A truly magical place... part 3

Random thursday in August. No castings :( not much else to do. Oh well, might as well just go to the beach. One of the delights of living in Barcelona and not London. The photos below were from a completely spontaneous trip. My friends and I literally had nothing else to do and decided not to let the lack of sun (rare occasion) foil our day. Luckily some other friends of mine had had a similar idea and came down with their child. If you stick around long enough you'll see I have a way with children. I don't do anything particularly clever. Its just that I have this BIG inner child in me, and you know what children are like when they're around other children! 

     

Beaches, mountains, a hustling bustling city, national fiesta's seemingly every weekend (seriously the Spanish love a reason to get drunk on the street), a diverse multi-cultural society. Ive met many people who think Barcelona is the best city in Europe, at times its hard to argue with them.

Buenas noches internet :) x

A truly magical place... part 2

Its October. Late October now. Back home in England, my friends are wrapping on the layers. Out here the sun is shining strong, and Im stepping out in shorts and Ts still. Bliss! Yesterday I took advantage of the sun to take a stroll over to La Sagrada Familia. For those that don't know (and live under a rock) La Sagrada Familia is the brain-child of Antoni Gaudi, a Catalan Architect who's work can be seen all over Barcelona. Construction began in 1882, with an estimated finish date of 2026. Gaudi was heavily inspired by the gothic , a fact evident throughout the majority of his work. Often mistaken for a cathedral due to its size, La Sagrada Familia is actually a basilica. I could try and describe it to you, but I quite simply don't have the literary skills. You really need to see this building to appreciate its true splendour. 

La Sagrada Familia, taken from in front

La Sagrada Familia, rear

Ive been to see the basilica on a few occasions, yet I find myself awestruck every time. Barcelona is a relatively low city. The majority of the buildings probably have around 7-9 floors. As such, when you do come across one of the few buildings to rise up and above the others it seems even more impressive. 

To give you a better idea of the layout of the city, I'd like to share a photo I took when up in Parc Guell, another of Gaudi's truly unique spots. Parc Guell is not a normal park. There are no flowing greens, no swings or playground. Indeed there is little evidence of nature. What Parc Guell is, or rather was, was a dream of Count Eusebi Guell, the namesake of the park. He wanted to create an estate for the rich to reside in that overlooked the whole city. A simple idea, however, as ever with Gaudi, there was no simplicity in its execution. The idea fell on its head when it became clear buyers were not interested. In the end only two houses were constructed, one a show house, and the other inhabited by Gaudi and his family. Parc Guell sits in the north of the city and so offers fantastic views facing towards the sea. 

Barcelona, taken from Parc Guell

As I mentioned earlier, you can see that the majority of the buildings finish at similar heights, allowing those taller buildings to really stand out. The photo shows you just a fraction of the city, but the same can be said if it were to be extended. I particularly love the way the main roads, like La Rambla and Via Laietana above, can really give the effect of cutting the city into parts, separating districts. 

Im going to conclude part 2 there. Remember if you like what you see in the photos, check out my instagram - stu_wease.

Peace x

Catwalk - Albeniz, 080 Barcelona

Just like many other industries, modelling is a multi-fuctioning workplace. There is not just one type of model or indeed one type of job. Editorial shoots, catwalks, commercial modelling, high-end fashion, there are numerous forms, each challenging in their own ways. I long ago came to the realisation that I am, on the whole, a commercial model. This suits me...invariably the jobs revolve around acting and being more natural, an area I try and excel in. However, every now and then I get thrown a bone so to speak and get an opportunity to experience other aspects of my industry. One such case was in August of this summer. I was asked by Maite Albéniz to walk for her at 080 Barcelona. I have only walked on only two other occasions, over 2 years ago, so I was both excited and nervous. Im not a catwalk model. Quite simply I'm not tall enough. Invariably catwalk models are 6'1-6'3. I stand at just under 6 foot. Not catwalk height. However, walk I did :) Walking a catwalk is an exhilarating experience. Literally for those 45seconds you are walking, all eyes are on you. Right up until I stepped through the curtain at the back, my heart was beating out of its cage...a few steps down the catwalk and a calmness had come over. 

On my Instagram you can see a picture of me and the other guys in the final group walk, the height difference is laughable! Im thankful to Maite for giving me the opportunity, I don't think its one I'll have many more times!

Erion Kross has just had an article published with backstage photos from the day, check it out here: http://www.malemodelscene.net/models/clement-chabernaud/albeniz-erion-hegel-kross/?fb_action_ids=10201284823380996&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=above-post&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Instagram: stu_wease

Peace internet, have a good saturday night. Im going to check out a new club in Barcelona, Ker...here's to hoping its a good one for you and me alike *raises glass*

On Set - Philpark Clothing

I have a confession to make. Last night I made a mistake that I have never made before. I spent the better part of the night watching Man of Steel for the first time (I should say now, I have an obsession with Superheroes) before setting in to what I hope will become an habitual blogging session. By the time I had finished the clocking was hitting 3.30 but I had an empty day today so wasn't too fussed. Or so I thought... it must have only be half an hour later that my brain disconnected from movies and blogs and reconnected with reality, reminding me that I had a photoshoot at 9.45 this morning! Alarms set, lights off.....4 hours "sleep" later I was up, shaving and shovelling coco-pops down. Left the house at 9am, not bad considering the five hours notice!

not a happy weasel

Not happy, but professional :) I arrived at the Philpark offices on time and ready to work. This is not my first job with the brand. I shot with them earlier in the year for their summer campaign, before starting the A/W collection a couple of weeks ago. Then, we did the fun part...shooting the campaign images and accompanying video. Today was the lookbook and images for the online store. To give you guys a little background on the brand, it was started in 2011 by Javi Fondevila who was shortly joined by his brother Christian. What started out as essentially an extreme sports brand has blossomed into surf, skate and streetwear that I am proud to step outside in. In the short time Ive know the brothers, Philpark has undergone an expansion growing from just the one store to three and I know as I type this there are plans and motions in practise to keep the brand moving forward. 

So, 10.30, five of us; Christian, the photographer Marc and his assistant Xavi, and the other model, also named Marc, and I get set to work. Well they did anyway...

Marc Alegría shooting for Philpark A/W 13 - behind scenes

....I messed around with what has to be the most unnecessarily overly blessed mannequin Ive ever come across....

just...yeh...hmmmm

Fooling around done with, I also got to work, and the hours simply flew by. Its days like today that remind me why I love what I do so much, when you have people who know what they want, and people who know how to get it. Marc and I each had four looks in total for the lookbook as well as doing individual shots for around 25 items for the website. Maybe that doesnt sound a lot to you but when we do these photos its not a simple case of thrown on the t-shirt and press click. I laughed at that mannequin above but essentially we serve the same purpose. I put on the clothes, find a position both the photographer and I are happy with, then Christian would go to work. Every crease is looked at, seemingly every hemline stretched. Photos were taken again if things were slightly off, if a logo was covered just that little bit too much. There is certainly a precise art to doing these photos well, and I feel we as a team achieved that today. 

I like to pretend I'm a Stegosaurus, and the pegs are my spikes (true story)

A sneak peek of whats to come in the lookbook. You can see the difference between this emotive image and the statuesque stances in the top right for the online store.

Photographer Marc Paitot, model Marc Alegría, Philpark personified Christian Fondevila, me :), and Xavi Puildor

A team that's just as happy at the end of the day as they were at the beginning is certainly a good sign. I want to give my thanks to all those involved and I look forward to seeing the end results!

Peace x

www.Phil-Park.com

https://www.facebook.com/PhilPark.International?ref=ts&fref=ts

Photoshoot - Fernando Martinez

When I arrived in Barcelona, my agency Trend, were intent on improving my portfolio. This meant I was effectively a new toy for photographers in Barcelona. Whilst I'm not going to bore you with all the different shoots I went on, I do want to bring attention to Fernando Martinez. I met up with Fernando at the beginning of March, meaning I had been here just over a month and still knew only 5 words of Spanish. Fernando knew the equivalent in English, however what we lacked for in communication we definitely made up for in connection. To date the end results are still amongst my favourite images of myself. Whether it was the styling, location, or simply finding the right light, Fernando nailed it, and was a pleasure to work with.

Check out more of his work here:
https://www.facebook.com/fernandofotografo90?fref=ts

A truly magical place... part 1

There has been many a time over the last 9 months where I have literally stopped in the street and just taken a moment to take it all in. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the sun - Barcelona has been nothing short of a dream come true. I arrived in february, having spent three weeks here in september. During those 3 weeks I had made it my goal to learn the city, I would walk anywhere and everywhere. Having grown up in Watford, on the outskirts of London, and being very used to having to sit on a train for at least 45minutes to get anywhere of interest, the ability to walk everywhere was invigorating. I remember on my very first day here, I was sent out on a casting (literally hours after arriving = a happy weasel) which took me not far from the coast. As i said, Ive grown up in London, the idea of nipping to the beach for a couple of hours was more than beyond me! In Barcelona, it was the norm. Well I made a bee-line for that coast. Whilst not having the most beautiful beaches on the planet, I was easily satisfied. A short walk down the coast and I was at Port Vell, one of the numerous spots around the city to benefit from the 1992 Olympic Games. What was previously a run down eye sore at the bottom of Las Ramblas is now one of the focal points of the city hosting a shopping mall, an IMAX and Europe's largest Aquarium, not to mention the dozens of beautiful boats rocking in the sea.

Port Vell, Barcelona

From Port Vell its a short walk across the road to bottom of  'Las Ramblas', the most well known street of Barcelona that runs up through the old districts of the city before finishing In Plaza Catalunya. The street literally seems to heave with people and any attempt to walk up or down is not your average stroll. With its fair share of "statues" and more acrobatic street entertainment, Las Ramblas is full of excitement, as well as offering the obligatory local wheeler and dealer who can seemingly hook you up with anything your heart desires (avoid avoid avoid). My favourite stop on the street had to be the 'Mercat de la Boqueria'. Situated half way down, I had to pull myself away from its endless rows of stalls (I say stalls I mean sweets!)

  Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona

Las Ramblas is good, as of course was the Port and the beach, but it was in the old districts that I began to get a feel of what Barcelona was all about. If you were to look at Barcelona from an aerial perspective you would see that on the whole there is a very simple road layout. The majority of the city simply works in the format of a grid with slight deviations here and there. The same cannot be said for Raval, Barri Gotri or El Borne. These districts are full of twisting winding roads. The narrow streets and high walls only add to the sensation that you have stepped back in time. The shops, fast food and banks do not. Not to despair though, whilst the majority of these areas are dominated by commercial interest there are of course gems hidden throughout. Bars and restaurants that you need to know about to find. Churches, can appear as if from nowhere simply by turning round the right corner. In particular Antoni Gaudi's The Church of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, a HUGE cathedral smack bang in the middle of Barri Gotri, is a city must-see. 

random street, El Born, Barcelona

As I said, in the old parts you can really feel the soul of Barcelona. There is something different in the air, an aura or vibe, call it what you will. Barcelona is a special city. I am determined to show it to you.

Well I think that will do it for today. Next time I want to tell you guys about Montjuic. I could chat and chat and chat and chat and chat etc.... about it. So I'm going to start it in a fresh post on a fresh mind, another day :)

I hope you enjoyed reading, and if you liked the pictures don't forget there is loads more on my instagram: stu_wease

Instagram

I intend on spending the next couple of weeks filling you guys in on this crazy journey I've had since arriving in Barcelona. In the mean time check out my Instagram 

http://instagram.com/stu_wease

A little teaser for you....

This photo was taken a couple of weekends ago in the beautiful gardens of Montjuic, one of the two mountains in Barcelona. Montjuic is easily my favourite place in the city and with views like this, I think it's easy to see why. 

So yeh, check it out, I hope you see something you like. 

Photoshoot - Maria Jose Castillo

Last week I met up with Maria Jose Castillo to get some fresh snaps done. She had found a great location, an old industrial factory area where half the factories were out of use and the other half working rarely. Proved to serve as an awesome background.
Great day with some great shots...


Photography: Maria Jose Castillo

Styling: Adrià Machado Trancho

http://www.thefashionisto.com/stuart-o-hits-pavement-maria-jose-castillo/

A tale begins...

Every tale has to start somewhere, and you'll be pleased to read this one is no different. The setting is Barcelona. I had been here for a little over a month and was on my first set shooting a television advert. The brand was Peugeot, the concept was effectively for me to to dance like an idiot, looking like an idiot and the phrase "got style?" would flash across the screen, before showing the car looking sexy, as they always try and make cars look, and flashing simply "Style". The set-up was awesome. For those that know Barcelona, we took over a large chunk of area next to the Telefonica building using the backdrop of the shimmering walls of the Museu Blau. I was kitted out in a Jeremy Scott for Adidas silver faux astronaut jacket, bright blue jeans and a pair of loud trainers. In the casting for the advert we had been shown a 20-second video of a type of dance called JumpStyle and asked to attempt it as best we could. They obviously liked what they saw and after 20minutes with a choreographer they determined I was ready go. A quick chat with the director who reassured me they weren't expecting anything amazing simply for me to recreate my JumpStyle dancing from the casting and I was in front of the Cameras. Plural. This was new for me; up until this point I had dealt with standard cameras and a maximum crew of three or four. Here I had light guys, sound guys, camera guys, set guys, water tank guys (oh yeah they were flowing water around me so I could kick it into the air like in 'Singin' in the Rain') hair, make up, stylists and of course a Director and his chums. Lights, camera, ACTION!

I had been modelling for two years when I moved to Barcelona. This Peugeot job was not the first job I have done. Indeed, 2 months previous I shot an online advert for Reebok Classics. The year before I did a little job with Sony for the Playstation Move. But what the Peugeot job was, and also the reason this tale starts here and not any earlier, was a vindication. It was evidence that I made the right decision to come to Barcelona. It was evidence that there was work here and that I had the ability and the look to get it. But most of all it lit a fire inside me, or rather it threw a lot of wood on a fire that has always been there but was not always burning so bright. In an industry where you are constantly knocked back, where you can constantly come up short, I felt I was finally be recognised for the talent I had. And it was a great feeling. Thankfully, other people seemed to take notice as well and I went on to experience the most successful 3 months of my life. Jobs were booked, photos taken and adverts filmed; all tales that will be told (with supporting images!) in the coming weeks.

So what is this Blog about...well for a long time Ive wanted to take more control over my career, and I don't mean simply modelling. I have extremely high ambitions for life and in order to achieve them I felt I needed to at least try and get my face, my words, my talents (if they can be called that; you can be the judge) out into the open for the whole world wide web to see. I hope, no scratch that, I believe I am on the start of an incredible journey. But Im kind of tired of doing it alone. I want to share with you all my stories, my work, my thoughts...essentially my life. Im new to this whole blog thing, any advice/help is extremely welcome.