The dynamic duo behind Von Peach’s video productions
If you’ve ever watched a Von Peach video, you’ve seen the work of Giovanni Dominice and Lara RCZ, our in-house videographers.
Gio and Lara are proper camera geeks with ultra-eagle-eyed precision for the edit and an endless supply of obscure film and music references. And terrible dad jokes. (Well, we can mostly blame Gio for that.)
This year has taken them across Europe, filming congresses, training sessions, events, presentations and more. Their camera-laden suitcases have rolled from London and the Scottish Highlands to Malta, Berlin, Zurich and almost everywhere in between.
Although they have to juggle an intense schedule of filming with all the work behind the scenes it takes to whittle down hours of footage into a few perfectly curated minutes, Gio and Lara run a tight ship. They work at the speed of a team five times the size, without ever compromising on the quality of their output.
That’s why playing their latest cut is always the highlight of our weekly all-team meeting. Whether it’s for a client project or our own channels, we pull out the popcorn and let their video magic blow us away.
If you’ve ever watched a Von Peach video, you’ve seen the work of Giovanni Dominice and Lara RCZ, our in-house videographers.
Gio and Lara are proper camera geeks with ultra-eagle-eyed precision for the edit and an endless supply of obscure film and music references. And terrible dad jokes. (Well, we can mostly blame Gio for that.)
This year has taken them across Europe, filming congresses, training sessions, events, presentations and more. Their camera-laden suitcases have rolled from London and the Scottish Highlands to Malta, Berlin, Zurich and almost everywhere in between.
Although they have to juggle an intense schedule of filming with all the work behind the scenes it takes to whittle down hours of footage into a few perfectly curated minutes, Gio and Lara run a tight ship. They work at the speed of a team five times the size, without ever compromising on the quality of their output.
That’s why playing their latest cut is always the highlight of our weekly all-team meeting. Whether it’s for a client project or our own channels, we pull out the popcorn and let their video magic blow us away.
We pinned them down between edits to ask a few questions:
Most memorable shoot this year?
Lara: The Founders Feature shoot in Malta! We did so many kinds of filming: on a boat, on the hood of a car, in the city, with families… It felt like we were shooting a documentary. It was hard work and yet we all had a really good time.
Giovanni: Definitely the Founders Feature shoot in Malta and Gozo! Lots of planning, new equipment, shooting techniques, and being able to have more creative freedom was both exciting and brought us together as a production team. Also, just being there is invigorating. Such a beautiful place!
Editor’s note: The Founders Feature is our upcoming documentary about Von Peach co-founders Yentl Spiteri and Emma Maria Calleja. Coming soon to a screen near you!
We pinned them down between edits to ask a few questions:
Most memorable shoot this year?
Lara: The Founders Feature shoot in Malta! We did so many kinds of filming: on a boat, on the hood of a car, in the city, with families… It felt like we were shooting a documentary. It was hard work and yet we all had a really good time.
Giovanni: Definitely the Founders Feature shoot in Malta and Gozo! Lots of planning, new equipment, shooting techniques, and being able to have more creative freedom was both exciting and brought us together as a production team. Also, just being there is invigorating. Such a beautiful place!
Editor’s note: The Founders Feature is our upcoming documentary about Von Peach co-founders Yentl Spiteri and Emma Maria Calleja. Coming soon to a screen near you!
The project from this year you’re most proud of?
Lara: I’m really happy about how this Bored Peach Club trailer for Retreat to Art came out. It has the team working together and it worked really well on social media.
Giovanni: The Berlin Biocap Storytelling Workshop trailer - it’s always so fun to shoot what the team is doing behind the scenes and then get a sense of what comes out of it! And Lara’s edit, chef’s kiss!
Favourite piece of equipment in your camera bag?
Lara: My FX3 and my Tamron 35-150 combined, the best!
Giovanni: Our new set of anamorphic lenses! We LOOOOOOOVE THEM!!! Also, oddly enough, the Anker prime 160 watt USB-C chargers. I know it sounds kind of trivial, but they can run lights, while charging computers and batteries. I don’t think I can live without them now.
Lara: You know what, he’s right. The anamorphics. I even sometimes suggest using them in client work and Gio has to be the voice of reason and point out that we have to tailor the look to the specific client.
Editor’s note: Anamorphic lenses allow Gio and Lara to play with a more classic, cinematic style of filming. You’ll see it first in our Founders Feature!
Film or digital?
Lara: Having worked on film, and no matter how much I love it, digital made it a lot more available for everyone, including myself.
Giovanni: I like the idea of film, but digital allows for so much more latitude and experimentation. Also, I don’t miss the chemicals!
Lara: Jinx!
On set or editing?
Lara: I really like the balance I have right now, doing both.
Giovanni: ON SET! I love shooting! I love lighting! I love the challenge of solving problems and getting the image to come out looking juuuuust the way you want! I do love mixing audio and colour grading almost as much though! Colour grading is like solving a puzzle that keeps changing. It’s great!
Sunrise or sunset shoot?
Lara: Let the sunrise be.
Giovanni: SUNSET. Wait… Double jinx!
Favourite film of all time?
Lara: For real? Benny & Joon.
Giovanni: Zardoz.
Lara: Gio, have you seen Benny & Joon?!
Best dad joke?
Lara: What did the blanket say when it fell off the bed? Oh sheet!
Giovanni: How do dinosaurs pay their bills? Tyrannosaurus Checks! OR: Why is it a bad idea to play poker in the jungle? Too many Cheetahs!
Lara: *face palm*
The project from this year you’re most proud of?
Lara: I’m really happy about how this Bored Peach Club trailer for Retreat to Art came out. It has the team working together and it worked really well on social media.
Giovanni: The Berlin Biocap Storytelling Workshop trailer - it’s always so fun to shoot what the team is doing behind the scenes and then get a sense of what comes out of it! And Lara’s edit, chef’s kiss!
Favourite piece of equipment in your camera bag?
Lara: My FX3 and my Tamron 35-150 combined, the best!
Giovanni: Our new set of anamorphic lenses! We LOOOOOOOVE THEM!!! Also, oddly enough, the Anker prime 160 watt USB-C chargers. I know it sounds kind of trivial, but they can run lights, while charging computers and batteries. I don’t think I can live without them now.
Lara: You know what, he’s right. The anamorphics. I even sometimes suggest using them in client work and Gio has to be the voice of reason and point out that we have to tailor the look to the specific client.
Editor’s note: Anamorphic lenses allow Gio and Lara to play with a more classic, cinematic style of filming. You’ll see it first in our Founders Feature!
Film or digital?
Lara: Having worked on film, and no matter how much I love it, digital made it a lot more available for everyone, including myself.
Giovanni: I like the idea of film, but digital allows for so much more latitude and experimentation. Also, I don’t miss the chemicals!
Lara: Jinx!
On set or editing?
Lara: I really like the balance I have right now, doing both.
Giovanni: ON SET! I love shooting! I love lighting! I love the challenge of solving problems and getting the image to come out looking juuuuust the way you want! I do love mixing audio and colour grading almost as much though! Colour grading is like solving a puzzle that keeps changing. It’s great!
Sunrise or sunset shoot?
Lara: Let the sunrise be.
Giovanni: SUNSET. Wait… Double jinx!
Favourite film of all time?
Lara: For real? Benny & Joon.
Giovanni: Zardoz.
Lara: Gio, have you seen Benny & Joon?!
Best dad joke?
Lara: What did the blanket say when it fell off the bed? Oh sheet!
Giovanni: How do dinosaurs pay their bills? Tyrannosaurus Checks! OR: Why is it a bad idea to play poker in the jungle? Too many Cheetahs!
Lara: *face palm*