This week we are talking to Nuria Santiago of Zafarrancho Locations, about her career, the audiovisual industry and those projects that have left a mark.
- Zafarrancho Film Locations is a company focused on searching and handling locations, where you work together with production companies, for film shoots. Among them, can you tell us about a project that has left a mark for you?All projects have something special that makes them special… I remember an international campaign for GUCCI, with Alessandro Michele as CD, Glen Luchford as Photographer / Director and Alana as the Production Company.
We built a ship that had to look like Noa’s Ark and we had all kind of animals on set: elephants, tigers, zebras, cranes, monkeys, camels, horses, racoons…2. With a long career as a Location Manager in ads and fiction, how do you see the audivisual industry nowadays? Is there something in particular you think needs to improve?In fact, I think we can now start talking about an audiovisual industry, not long ago we weren’t more than a group of madmen and women that made something fun and didn’t have any kind of prestige or institutional support. Now, we are starting to be taken into consideration and facilitate in a certain way our work, having a more fluid relationship with the administrations: Film Commissions, Townhalls, Film Offices, and so forth.
Still, there is space for improvement and a lot of work to be done.
3 What would you say is the key to finding a good location?
I think the key is understanding the project and its requirements well , this way we can offer the locations that better adapt to each project.
4 What do you think one needs to work in this sector?
First I think you need to have the capability of translating the ideas that they give us to images. To get there, we need to have a general vision of the project, which will help propose different scenarios that we will adapt as the production advances.
And most of all, I think instinct is very important, to interpret what the director has in mind.
5. In your professional career, you have been part of several projects with production companies. Do you think there is a big difference between scouting for national and international productions?
Yes, one of the fundamental differences in international projects is that they look for locations that remind them of the countries where the spot will be aired. They ask us for NY, Paris, Berlin, London, deserts… in Spain, to find locations that have those looks in a more cost and weather-friendly environment.
Another difference is that in international productions, many times they ask us for secret locations, to shoot vehicles that are still not on the market and everything is confidential.
6 How do you see the evolution of the incorporation of women in jobs? Do you feel that today more women are part of this profession?
I think there is a good representation of women in this profession. It is true that not all departments are incorporating us to the same extent, there are still spaces where the female presence is scarce. Actually, I think there is still work to be done and minds to open ;), but I am confident that we will soon have parity in the sector.
Interview by Claudia Cabezas.
