Nico Casavecchia – From Oruga Cine Mexico to the World

Nico Casavecchia is an Emmy nominated director, screenwriter and illustrator based in Los Angeles. His work has been featured by the BBC, New York Times, IndieWire and Wired among other media outlets.

Nico directed 'A Boy and His Atom,' an award-winning stop-motion animated short film created by IBM Research scientists, made by moving carbon monoxide molecules and recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest stop-motion film.

Nico’s first feature film, ‘Finding Sofía’ premiered at the Austin Film Festival. His short film 'BattleScar', his virtual reality film starring Rosario Dawson premiered at Sundance, and his new short film ‘Border Hopper’ also competed for Best US Drama at Sundance Film Festival and won Best Narrative at Urbanworld.

Nico sat down with LBB to discuss his upcoming work for Darren Aronofsky’s AI-driven series, his strong connection with creative teams and why most of his directing work happens before the job starts.

LBB> What are some upcoming projects that you’re excited about? Tell us a bit about them?

Nico> I’m wrapping production on the second episode I’m directing for Darren Aronofsky’s ‘On This Day... 1776’, an AI-driven series from Primordial Soup. It’s been quite an adventure collaborating with one of my filmmaking heroes and experimenting with the cutting edge of AI storytelling.

I like to keep a healthy balance between content and branded projects. I think that cross-pollination is where my creativity thrives.

LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?

Nico> I’m seeing my work split increasingly between agency collaborations and projects made directly with brands. Direct-to-client work has grown considerably, and it’s become more artistically interesting as brands take a more active role in the creative process. I think the future will blur the lines between the two. As a creator, I go where the idea shines and where the most exciting opportunities for communication happen to be.

LBB> What elements of a script set one apart from another, and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot?

Nico> A well-written comedy dialogue or a great idea for a visual device will always get me excited about a job.

Most importantly, I look for a strong connection with the creative team: will I be able to connect with the creatives? Can we work as a team? Will I have the freedom to explore ideas? Those are questions I ask before starting a project.

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Nico> After the creative call, I write down some questions for myself and spend 24 hours just living with them. This is a luxury I don’t always have, but it’s important to me: it lets me build organic connections and develop intuitions. Most of the time, my best ideas come in the shower, when I least expect them. That happens because I’ve allowed myself to unconsciously connect the dots.

Then I write, which always clarifies things for me and focuses my thinking. Creating the deck comes last. I do my own storyboards, and spending time with each shot helps me connect with the narrative. Most of my directing work happens before I get the job.

LBB> If the script is for a brand that you’re not familiar with, don’t have a big affinity with or are entering a new market for, how important is it to research and understand the strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

Nico> Understanding the voice of a brand is key to directing a piece for it. If I’m not familiar with a particular brand, I do my research, look at past campaigns and try to soak up as much as possible.

But just as important is asking: what do they need from me? What new thing can I bring to the brand’s visual language? I try to stay away from replicating past work and instead contribute my own twist.

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Nico> Every project has its phases, and each phase depends on a strong relationship. During the pitch, the executive producer is the most important person, we strategise and plan the pitch together.

Later, the first AD is fundamental. I need to make sure I have an ally who can prioritise resources and time based on my vision.

During the shoot, the director of photography is definitely the most important relationship; they’re the person who shapes the artistic statement we’re trying to make.

The bottom line is that the team is everything. The quality of the team is what makes or breaks a project.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about – is there a particular genre, subject matter or style you’re most drawn to?

Nico> I’ve always been a very visual director, so I’m constantly chasing visual devices and iconic imagery. That led to a career in vignette-style commercials. I live a double life! In my feature film work I love working with actors and finding nuanced performances. Lately, I’ve been trying to bring my expertise in shooting comedy for film into my commercial career, pursuing more performance-led work where the attention is on the nuanced interpretation of the script.

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter, and why is it wrong?

Nico> The worlds of film and commercials are still hard to connect. People in film don’t always take commercial work seriously, and development executives sometimes think all commercial directors are spoiled brats!

I’m always trying to create convergence between my two realities: pursuing performance-led scripts in commercials while showing film producers that I know how to manage the budget of an independent film every time I shoot a commercial project.

LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant, and if so, how have your experiences been?

Nico> I have. You can encounter teams in which the cost consultant has varying degrees of influence over the outcome. Working in independent cinema and tech projects gave me a strong sensibility for resources. I don’t like waste, and I think that makes me get along great with them.

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Nico> I wish I could name names, lol. I’ve had the opportunity to work with many celebrities, and that is by far more dangerous than filming with babies or dogs.

Celebrities have power over the whole structure, including the client. Once, I was working with a very, very famous actress and she stopped mid-shoot to ask who wrote the script and why it wasn’t funny. Everybody turned to look at the 24-year-old copywriter, and I had to use every trick in the book to get the situation back on track.

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open and collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

Nico> It happens often that a big group of stakeholders want to contribute to a creative conversation, and the negotiation waters down the outcome.

When I was younger, I would adapt to the middle ground, and I saw a lot of projects ruined by committee. Nowadays, I use my three-pushback rule: if I see a project derailing, I push back gently three times. If I see my collaborators resisting on the third attempt, I go with what they need.

Sometimes you have to have the humility to accept that some decisions aren’t necessarily creative; they may have to do with realities that aren’t aligned with your vision.

LBB> Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?

Nico> I’m constantly collaborating with younger directors on projects that I don’t have the bandwidth to take on myself. It’s a great opportunity to work with up-and-coming talent and help underrepresented directors in the same way I was helped when I first arrived to the US as a young immigrant.

LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats – to what extent do you keep each in mind while you’re working, and to what degree is it possible to do so?

Nico> It’s a balance. It comes down to making sure the essence of the idea comes across in whatever shape or form you present it.

Talking about things like aspect ratios or deliverables, you have to pick a lane. What is the most important aspect ratio and length for a piece? You can keep the other deliverables in mind, but every format involves a compromise, there’s no way around it.

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology, and how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work?

Nico> My first short film was shot on a PC webcam. I’m only here because of technology. In my career, some of the craziest professional experiences I’ve had were connected to a breakthrough in tech.

I shot a stop-motion film moving carbon molecules in an IBM lab, created a VR animated film starring Rosario Dawson, and helped Meta conceptualise how athletes will train 30 years from now. Three years ago, when this wave of AI started to happen, I was first in line to understand what it was.

AI is not like previous technology waves because the change it brings is too deep and too sudden, so I see both challenges and opportunities. But I find that, as artists, we have the duty to help shape it. Burying our heads in the sand will only lead to other interested parties shaping it without us.

LBB> Which pieces of your work do you feel show what you do best – and why?

Nico> White Claw Sundance: Sundance White Claw was a unique opportunity to work with a brand that gave me complete freedom to build a world. It’s one of those jobs where the line between branded work and artistic work blurs. (Photography by Peter Fisher).

Stephen Curry – ‘Behind the Fit’: Collaborating with an athlete of Stephen Curry’s stature was a dream come true for me. I had the chance to spend some time with him, and he was generous enough to come along for a ride involving all sorts of crazy visual tricks.

Modelo Especial – ‘Turín’: I made this project with my friends at Oruga. It was my first commercial made entirely with AI, and it opened my eyes to the potential of this new technology. It was also key to understanding how much our careers may change over the next five years.

‘Welcome to Meta’: For this Meta project, I had the chance to work with the team to conceptualise how athletes will train in the future. It involved understanding technology at an anthropological level as much as it involved my skills as a director. Directing Mark Zuckerberg added an extra rush of adrenaline, making it even more memorable.