Hi, we are a pair of sweethearts, Alina and Alexei. We fell in love at first sight in Turkey. My bag was already packed. I was saying goodbye to the sea at sunset when I felt a man from a previous life looking at me. We talked passionately for several hours, as if we had not seen each other for a 1000 years. We talked sitting on a pier until cold darkness fell around us and reminded me that it was time to go to the airport. Mister L, who accompanied me there, gave me a small Aladdin lamp to symbolize that miracles actually happen. One month after this meeting, we got married and started living together.
How we came up with the idea to make this clip?
I think the idea appeared unconsciously during great changes in our lives. We left everything behind and settled in the Tenerife island. We knew that it would be difficult, but we couldn’t even imagine how much the new, free life would change us. Our values, views, and dreams radically changed our love too. Everything changed, even the smallest things: clothes, hairstyle, even the rhythm of our hearts. Of course, we wanted to remember, to capture this crucial moment in our lives so we could show it to our children and tell them about it.
Our portrayal in the clip depicts us very well. We are passionate about life, about each other, and about loving free life without boundaries and judgment! What you see is not some fashionable luster. It’s true feelings that Mikhail Nilov was able to understand and capture. To this day, we don’t quite understand how he managed to do it.
The advantage of filming abroad is that it’s an unknown environment; it’s not home! And this environment may awaken feelings that a couple wouldn’t even expect themselves to be capable of. There we feel like little insects; we sense the planet’s breathing and realize the significance of our love.
The most inspiring things on Tenerife Island are the nature and the climate! Just think about it, in such a small island (shore legislation is only 342 km) there are 28 climate zones! There is winter, spring, summer, and autumn on this island all year round! There you will also find deserts, tropical forests, volcanic Martian-like landscapes, and lava caves!
There was no discussion about shooting location. What can you choose on a volcanic island? Ocean, beach? It’s beautiful, but there are many similar places on Earth! Tropical forests? Beautiful, but it’s not for us. Volcanic landscapes? Exactly! The place of might not far from the mother of the island – the Teide volcano!
To organize a high-quality shooting project in Tenerife island one has to think every little thing through in advance. Don’t expect to find professionals the next day after arrival; it would be a mistake. Actually, it’s one of the downsides of this island – there are almost no good professionals. And if there are, they usually leave the island and move to Spain, on the mainland. That is why you should look for professionals in advance and not necessarily in Tenerife.
The most memorable thing of our shooting day is the general mood! I felt so much love for my husband that day as if we would not wake up the next morning. And we hastily chased the sun with Mikhail and Ludmila, at some point, it seemed that we would come too late, but we caught the last, the warmest sunrise.
The most challenging thing for us is to describe our feelings when we first saw the final result of Dreamwood team’s work. We didn’t expect it to be so grand-scale and so real, like a movie! Because we filmed just for 3 or 4 hours! We, as models who took part in that kind of shooting for the first time, were very relaxed, everything felt easy and fun as if we just had a good time with friends! And, of course, when we watched the film for the first time, there was only one thought in our heads: “Mikhail, you have outdone yourself and even those who inspired you!” Shivers ran all over our bodies; tears flowed from our eyes; we covered our faces with shaking hands. We couldn’t believe that it was us! It’s still hard to believe that we became a part of such a talented short film! We are very proud of the Dreamwood team because we have been following their work for a very long time! Yes, of course, meeting the guys on Tenerife island is a priceless gift of fate! Our children and grandchildren will watch this film imagining how young and beautiful we once were. This is the greatest gift for us! Lucy, Michael, you will always be our artists who use the deepest emotions as their paints.