Asude: Hello Leonardo, it’s a big pleasure for us to talk to you so, thank you for giving us the chance to meet you! You’ve been on our radar lately and we’d like to get to know you much better. When and where you were born? How did your filmmaking journey start?
Leonardo: I was born on June 13th, 1984 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An endless wood of cement where I learned the creativity of survival from an early age. As with little, you can get a lot and how important it is to live according to your dreams. I met the video production world in the beautiful Tuscany, Italy, where I live now.
Mine is a strange background because I started mainly from graphics animation software like Adobe After Effects, where the camera is virtual and you can choose infinite settings such as lenses, depth of field, etc; moreover the camera movements are programmed to be perfect, very different from the real world. Let's say that I approached the world of videography to better understand the animation software.
I began to collaborate with a TV station / Teletruria / as a motion designer working mainly with Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premier. My first real video camera is a Canon C100 and served to tell small stories and TV commercials. I started making money by immortalizing private events and making video montages for friends and acquaintances.
A: We understand that you focus on different but very close branches. Would you mind explaining your videography style?
L: I would say mine is a very personal way of telling a story with images rather than just a style. I pay attention to setting up a storyboard and setting specific goals like how the video should make the audience feel.
A: Other than creating a storyboard, what other preparations you make before you begin filming?
L: Before the shoot, I create a precise list of what could be useful to me so that I do not forget anything, especially when I work with a team.
A: What equipment do you bring to a set? Are there times when you rent a certain equipment or do you prefer to buy?
L: 95% of the time, I bring my edelkrone Wing, I feel really good with it both for the camera movements and for the portability. I prefer to buy because I create a very intimate relationship with my equipment, but usually before buying, a rental is a good option to understand how I feel working with that equipment.
A: What do you mostly focus on when creating a project?
L: To always think with the eyes of someone who will look at the finished work and never put the technique before the story.
A: We understand that as a motion designer you mainly work with Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premier as post-production software, right?
L: Yes, I have an infinite love for Adobe After Effects, but I also use Davinci Resolve and Maxon C4D for the work of Motion Graphics.
A: What would be the best piece of advice you could give to other filmmakers?
L: To build a winning story even before recording. The most important work is done even before starting to shoot.
A: As someone who really pays attention to story telling rather than equipment etc., what do you think about the future of filmmaking with the technology is advancing so fast?
L: I think the future will be of those who have something to tell, little by little it will not be enough to put together beautiful images but there will be a return to the essence of cinema.
A: As you currently work with Officina31, working daily with TV stations, creating formats, advertising content and creating tutorials on production & post-production videos, could you share your biggest ambition for the future?
L: I want to start producing contents in Italian and Spanish that can inspire others both on a technical and semantic level.
