Poem
What is the story behind your music video?
In a faraway land, long ago, lived two beautiful nymphs. Many years had passed since they last saw anyone lurking around their forest when suddenly, they heard something. They tried to get closer to the noise when they found that two handsome men had lost their path and had appeared out of the mist.
The nymphs, attracted by their beauty, decided to come out cautiously from their hideout and use their magic to lure them away. But, first, they determined if the men could be trusted when they brought them closer. Once they found they were, all the seduction games started. Our nymphs have decided they can love again, so they'll do everything to make our heroes fall in love with them.
You can learn more about this project at https://diegoante.com/portfolio/poema-las-villa/
What should people take away after watching your music video?
Poema is a love song for those who have decided to love after their heart has been broken. That's why we chose to use two nymphs as the perfect pretext of how they could come out from their hideout to trust two humans and make them fall in love with them.
What interesting thing happened to you during the filming?
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I don't have the exact number, but they weren't as many as I'm used to. Because we were in the middle of the pandemic so we couldn't have the normal team that we would work with, yet still this was great because it forced us to look at those limitations as opportunities to think in more efficent ways of shooting. And I think watching the results, it was really worth it.
How many people worked on the production of the video clip?
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I don't have the exact number, but they weren't as many as I'm used to. Because we were in the middle of the pandemic so we couldn't have the normal team that we would work with, yet still this was great because it forced us to look at those limitations as opportunities to think in more efficent ways of shooting. And I think watching the results, it was really worth it.
What creation style did you use in the production of your project?
This was a project that was very story-driven so we had to think about how we could keep a very appealing image without leaving out the narrative having a low budget and a very small amount of time to shoot (because of the covid limitations). That's when all the work in preproduction came into play, planning every move ahead so that we could be efficient and resourceful. Luckily we had Mr. Wolf Studios as a big ally in postproduction because so many things could be done in post, not to fix the production but rather to enhance it. This gave us options and the possibility to keep throwing ideas that seemed crazier and then being confident that they could be done as we had Mr. Wolf's team behind. This was what allowed us to have multiple clones of Las Villa during the ceremony scene or have a fairy flying around in the music video, which lead our heroes into our nymphs.
How did you select the actors for your project?
Both Laura and Lucía (Las Villa) are not only singers but also actresses, so this made us think of looking for two males that were actors as well, who could perform at the same level as our main characters. We started a casting process where we could have a lot of callbacks to see and decide which were the best options for the project. That's when Nicolás and Carlos came into play.
Do you have any advice for up-and-coming filmmakers?
Do you have any advice for up-and-coming filmmakers?
This might seem like the advice that everyone gives, but it is so true! Please, keep dreaming... Because I think those dreams are what really forms you and your own taste and style. Learn as much as you can so that you have more tools whenever you're proposing an idea. Learn how to create things by yourself, even if you can then ask someone which is much better to do the final product, but having the understanding of how things work, will allow you to collaborate and create even cooler things.
If you could change something in your music video, what would it be?
At this point, nothing. I think that when you're in the middle of the shoot and with all the limitations from Covid, you're always thinking that you'd like to have something different or do something in a different way. But then when we got to the end result I realized that many of those things that seemed as something to be "fixed" or "changed" were what actually gave the project its essence, and I love this project so much that I wouldn't want to change its essence in any way.
What topics do you like to address in your stories?
Emotions clearly, I think I've talked so much about them that it is my main focus. So while I can find new ways to talk about love, loss, happiness, joy, nostalgia... I try to keep very real with the emotion that the people could relate to. It doesn't matter if I want to depict a family of aliens, somehow people have to be able to relate to them and feel as if they could know them, even as if they could be them, or at least understand their motivations.
What is your motivation in making your projects?
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To be able to tell stories in different ways, I think both films and music videos allow us to connect with people through stories. Many of my favorite songs are telling a story, where you have something to relate to. I think our only real legacy is the stories we tell, so I found this is my way of telling what I think, believe, and am.
Which contemporary filmmakers motivate you the most?
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Damien Chazelle, Salomon Ligthelm, Diego Contreras, Cristopher Nolan to name a few.
What projects do you plan to shoot in the future?
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I want to keep pushing the boundaries both in film and music videos, with new narrative styles and a more dynamic approach. So any projects that challenge me to think differently or to create in new ways, are the ones that I'm looking for.
Diego Ante is a Colombian director who has been working for more than ten years in the advertising industry and answering the question of "how to tell stories excitingly?".
He is a self-taught director, so he is constantly searching for how to do things differently and efficiently. Diego's career began as a Creative, working for the BBDO network, allowing him to understand advertising from the inside out. This has built his vision as a Director on what is essential for brands from a business point of view. He's also a painter and illustrator; and has worked as a lead compositor in post-production projects, and the mixture of these areas allows him to create eye-catching projects.
This has allowed him to bring a lot of craft into his projects, thinking about lighting, color, and art direction and making him able to imagine every detail before shooting any scene.
His love for music has allowed him to work with clients such as Warner Music Group, directing music videos with a strong narrative background.
In 2022, his music videos Poema and Amor & Sal, for the Latinoamerican duo Las Villa, won several awards in Munich, Paris, Los Angeles, Prague, Berlin, Budapest, and London, as Best Music Video, Best Latin American Music Video, Best South American Music Video, Best Director and Best Male Director.
He always has in mind what is needed in the different production stages, anticipating solutions from pre-production to post-production, accelerating the dynamics of the team without losing sight of the quality of the final result.
Diego is a versatile director who understands that post-production is a process that adds, catalyzes, and enhances, not a process that corrects. Therefore, within this experience, he is also aware of when to use it and when not to use it without losing the focus on telling memorable stories that generate a strong and emotional connection with the audience.
Links:
https://diegoante.com/