The role of ‘film commissions’ and ‘film offices’ fundamental to the film industry

MAFIZ-Festival de Málaga provided the Spanish Film Commission with an extraordinary venue to make the film industry in Spain visible to all professionals coming to the market. During Special Session “Snow Community: How to Shoot in Special Locations.” Manuel Ramírez, director of studio El Ranchito, and Manuel Meijide, director of Ilux and Mundos Digitales, together with Piluca Querol from the Andalusian Film Commission, discussed the obstacles and successes behind great productions such as JA Bayona.

Manuel Ramírez Granada explained the film’s difficulty in having to combine on-screen footage shot in the Sierra Nevada with footage from the Valley of Tears. “We were trying to open a digital window into the Andes,” he said. One of the problems the team encountered during this long process, which lasted three years, was working with huge scales. “Also, we shot in both the northern and southern hemispheres, which was very complicated.” Elements like record, matching backgrounds, having to shoot the film chronologically due to the physical change of actors, or having to add snow were some of these challenges. “When we arrived in the Andes at the same time as the accident, we found that there was no snow, so another important task was to manage the textures and colors of the added snow,” commented Ramírez. To overcome all these challenges, El Ranchito, under the leadership of JA Bayona, created a tool to be used throughout the entire project. “We created a tool that is personalized and state-of-the-art, meaning that it allows us to continually add functionality. This has helped us with camera management and assetsCommenting on “controlling the date and time of the lighting or superimposing the locations,” Ramírez argues that although the vehicle is the main protagonist, the team had to use many different techniques depending on the problem that needed to be solved. The final result was so amazing.

Manuel MeijideFor his part, he highlighted the efforts of the Spanish Film Commission to formalize practices in the VFX world. white paper on virtual shoots. “It’s about offering a standardization that allows a location to be shot just once and then serve all the studios that want to use it; “We need to go hand in hand with technology,” he explained.

One-stop service and numerous collaborations are the industry’s greatest strengths

The second area of ​​discussion focused on the work of film commissions and film offices during the session. “Guiding Your Project: How Film Commissions and Film Offices can help you bring your audiovisual projects to reality in Spain.”. Víctor Lamadrid, vice president of the Spanish Film Commission and director of the Cantabrian Film Commission, moderated the meeting with Amaia Mauleón of the Vigo Film Office; Belén Carrasco from Malaga Film Office and Xiomara García from Film Madrid. These partners emphasized the importance of the network as a fundamental organization for national and international audiovisual production. The sometimes unnoticed or little-known activities of the different partners focus on ensuring that projects develop in the most accurate and fluid way possible.

Amaia Mauleon He explained the work carried out from offices and commissions as follows: “We do not care if the producer comes with a big or small project, we only focus on giving him the best support in every aspect he may need in his shooting. from leaves to even professional skills support.” The range of services supported by film commissions and offices go beyond the film industry and filmmaking; “we need to include other sectors such as entertainment or communications”. Xiomara Garcia. Belen Carrasco He added the involvement of the network even at the level of sustainability. “With standardized practices for this purpose, we provide our vision and assistance to ensure that the impact of any shooting is as small as possible from a sustainable perspective,” he explained.

All agree on the importance of collaboration between partners; because being able to offer different venues that include the work of various film commissions and film offices benefits the entire region. “We must be generous throughout the country and offer productions all the possibilities that different regions offer, which we have achieved by being part of a network that allows this collaboration, such as the Spanish Film Commission,” Mauleón said. . This process is carried out with the coordination provided by the Spanish Film Commission. “Because they are all in a network, producers can contact the association or any of the partners, because we will always offer the best options for the project,” he emphasized. Victor Lamadrid.

Additionally, all partners agreed on the importance of having economic figures behind every shoot to demonstrate the strength of the film industry, the best tool for everyone inside and outside the industry, and to appreciate the importance of bringing filming to national territory. .

85% of the Spanish Film Commission network is made up of women

The Spanish Film Commission wanted to demonstrate its commitment to equality and affirmation of the role of women in the film industry by celebrating a Commemorative Toast for International Women’s Day. SFC member and Navarra Film Commission member Sara Sevilla, together with Malaga Festival director Annabelle Aramburu, emphasized: 36 of 43 film commissions and film offices Those who make up the Spanish Film Commission are represented by women. This means that more than 85% of the network’s partners are women. “These figures not only speak to female leadership and influence in our industry at a national level, but are also a reflection of positive and necessary change towards greater equality and inclusion,” she added. The association emphasized the importance of working to create a positive working environment where women can exercise their leadership.

Andalusian Film Commission, Aragon Film Commission, Canary Islands Film, Cantabria Film Commission, Castilla-La Mancha Film Commission, Castilla y León Film Commission, Extremadura Film Commission, Film Madrid, Madrid Film Office, Málaga Film Office, Mallorca Film Commission, Menorca Film The Commission, Navarra Film Commission, Parc audiovisual de Catalunya, Murcia Film Commission Region, Seville Film Office, Valladolid Film Commission and Vigo Film Office are the network partners in this new edition of MAFIZ-Festival de Málaga.

All activities carried out by the Spanish Film Commission within the framework of this market It is part of the ‘Spanish Plan’, the European Audiovisual Center‘, five important projects for filming and attracting foreign investments, increasing the competitiveness of the business structure and valuing national talents.