Was creativity and or film a big part of your childhood?
I was very shy as a kid and developing my creative side helped expressing myself. My favorite things to do were drawing and watching cartoons. I was also into writing and I joined a creative writing club at the age of 9; I remember writing poems and short stories. I also had a phase before I became a teen where I wanted to be a choreographer because I loved practicing rhythmic gymnastics and ballet. I guess I used to like most of the things I still like as an adult : )
I noticed that you not only directed Dear Renzo but you also edited it as well. Do you think it’s important or advantageous for a director to know how to edit?
I recommend to edit the things you shoot, specially at the beginning of your career as a director, because it is incredible how much you learn in that process – you realize what works, what doesn’t work and what you can do better next time.
What is your biggest creative challenge?
My biggest challenge right now is to administrate my time and energy between my commercial career and my career as a narrative film director. I’m still figuring that out how to keep a healthy balance and I work hard and dedicate a lot of time to both. I think that is important to enjoy both processes and be extra nice to yourself, specially during hard times.
Do you have any advice for new directors in regard to creating treatments? Are there patterns or things you see in your treatments that have helped get jobs awarded?
A few years ago I created an archive of images that I collect from films, photographers, art works and fashion. It is very helpful to look at those images because they can trigger new ideas or express the ideas that you already have. Another important factor for me is to receive feedback from my producers. For most of the jobs I won I received very thoughtful notes from the producer that made the presentation better. I appreciate when a producer works side by side; because having an extra set of eyes can help communicating your vision much better and make sure you are not missing any point.
What is a new skill that you would like to acquire?
I’d like to know how to draw. I used to be good at it but I’m out of practice. Maybe I can start drawing again during the quarantine.
What advice would you give yourself 10 years ago knowing what you know now?
Surround yourself with people that love you and want the best for you. Trust your gut intuition more.
There’s a lot of great choreography in your work. What has influenced that?
From a very young age I’ve loved dance, movement and choreography; and when I was a kid I was part of a rhythmic gymnastics team in Argentina. In 2015 I made a film called “Lift Up” for Nowness that featured 3 Olympic rhythmic gymnasts performing a choreography on a basketball court. I had that idea after spending hours on YouTube watching rhythmic gymnastics videos because I loved how hypnotic they were. I remember thinking “what if I was able to follow the gymnasts with a Steadicam?”. I wanted to shoot a choreography from a different point of view than the one we see on sports channels because I thought it would allow me capture the fluidity of their moves in a more graceful way.
A lot of your work has a dreamlike quality to it. Do your dreams influence your art?
I love that you said that. I guess my dreams influence my art and at the same time my art influences my dreams. Dreams are visual stories with sound, they have a montage and ellipsis; when you dream sometimes you are an observer and sometime you are more of a protagonist. I guess that’s why films have always been so natural for humans, because dreams and films have a lot in common.
Any interest in going to Mars?
A few weeks ago I would have said no way, but now I’m considering it…