Alex de Cortada | Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I’m Alex de Cortada, 25 years old. Former graphic designer and filmmaker born and raised in Barcelona.

 

Can you tell us a little bit about how you come to filmmaking?

Actually I studied graphic design at college and when I finished my studies I started working at a very well known design studio called Mucho. But even at College I was having lot of interest in video and photo. Back in school I started filming personal stuff together with friends but just for myself. Actually I founded together with my friends, Marc and Vladi, a fixed gear crew called Bcn FixieLab, where we used to upload all the media stuff we were creating. First we started with GoPro cameras but soon we started to make it a bit more serious, but always because of fun. Then because school and real adult jobs we stopped creating new stuff… but hopefully one day we’ll bring it back.

 

So with my graphic design background and the film influence I kinda like everything where image, aesthetics and communication are involved.

 

Nonetheless, I've been making filmmaking as a living just from last year.

 

 

Tell us a little about the cycling culture in Spain

I started fixed gear riding 7 years ago, having fun with friends and racing alleycats. Lots of night rides with beers and punk attitude riding… the good old days! Last year I had the opportunity to join Santafixie Blb Team as a rider and started racing crits. So, I started training on road bike to get fit. Thanks to this, I got to know more local cycling clubs that made me have another view and perspective about cycling and I have to say that there’s lots of cool small collectives that really trust in the cycling community, respect and having fun. There’s lots of free events with talks about cycling, open rides for everyone and every level, cycling coffee shops… So yeah, Barcelona’s cycling culture rocks!

 

 

Where would be your dream destination for cycling in Spain and why?

Last year I had the honor to spend a week filming a video for Gran Fondo Cycling Magazine in Mallorca. And my dream destination vote goes to it. It has lovely climbs, flat roads, mountains, sea; the perfect playground for cycling adding stunning views, good weather and nature. And of course, chilling island mood.

 

 

What do you love about cycling culture?

What I love the most is that even though cycling is a big industry that moves billions of dollars, the good and healthy vibes predominates more than the bad ones, even with clients and riders. Getting to know lots of new people while you’re riding a bike is something magical.

 

 

Best cycling moment so far?

I’ve had so many great cycling related moments and it is actually hard and unfair to choose just one. But maybe one of the coolest things I’ve ever done is to ride almost 30 km downhill at the Pyrenees with a brakeless fixed gear bike, adding that it was raining+freezing made it quite scaring but epic at the same time. Something I will always remember for sure.

 

Life-Motto

Observe, analyze, act and have fun.

 

 

Favorite two videos/photos you have taken recently?

The Design and Innovation Award video was filmed at the Dolomites with insane views and rad action from different bike disciplines.

 

 

ALFRED BOBÉ JR. x DOSNOVENTA what I liked about this video is the simplicity. Low quality camera gear, 3 shots and a continuous 45 second shot and the video works really good. I tried to bring skateboarding and surfing intimate aesthetics into this video adding a powerful message about change (as lots of you may know Alfred Bobé changed from Cinelli Chrome to Dosnoventa team last season).

 

 

Have to say that last month I filmed 2 videos that I’m really proud of but can’t share it to you guys till next May. So keep tuned!

 

Tell us a little bit about your projects (Levi's, Le Coq Sportif, Dosnoventa, etc). How did them come about?

As I said before, back in the days I used to run a crew with my friends Marc and Vladi, soon we got the attention for Dosnoventa to start collaborating doing videos and photoshoots in collaboration with them. With Dosnoventa being one of the coolest bike brands ever trusting in my work I thought why not to take it a bit more serious? This made a big point and change in my career, I slowly started on getting better camera gears and try to improve every day. Soon, I decided to quit my job at the design studio where I used to work in and everything started to flow… started working together with my dudes of Gran Fondo Cycling Magazine and a pretty cool video came out. At that moment with cool videos on the cycling industry it was just a matter of time that I got to work with brands like Levi’s Commuter, Le Coq Sportif, Santafixie, On y Va Barcelona and many more, all of them related with cycling. Also got the opportunity to film with winners of the Tour de France like Miguel Indurain, Pedro “Perico” Delgado and former professionals like David Millar.

 

 

What has been your most memorable assignment and why?

By far, what I’m more proud about is being able to make a living doing what I love. My biggest goal in life is to enjoy what I do… and I feel happy to be able to do so.

 

 

What advice do you have for younger video makers who want to pursue it professionally?

My advice to all the filmmaking beginners is to think on the video before filming. There’s hundred of cool videos out there with awesome shots, but anybody can do this, so you gotta be smart and try to bring something new that communicates any idea or make people’s feelings awake. Analyzing other people’s videos or movies it’s a must for any filmmaker.

 

And last but not least, don’t blame yourself by starting your career with collaborations, they push you into the business, so be cool with that!

 

 

Keep an eye on Alex's feeds:

 

INSTAGRAM | VIMEO | FACEBOOK

 

 

 

 

Photo Credits: Alex de Cortada, Brazo de Hierro, BCN FixieLab


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