Pepe Avila del Pino’s second career nomination for an American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Award earned him his first win earlier this week in Los Angeles–for outstanding achievement in music videos on the strength of the Residente-directed “313” featuring performances by Residente, Sílvia Pérez Cruz and Penelope Cruz.
The cinematic, stirringly beautiful “313” opens with Penelope Cruz narrating in Spanish, reflecting on the meaning of life and the passage of time. She is joined by ballet dancers who are said to represent time while Cruz represents life itself. The ethereal music video brings us the essence of time in our lives. Residente’s life and time are seemingly controlled, respectively, by Cruz and the dancers from the outset. But towards the end of the video, Residente starts to orchestrate his own time and life. What can’t be denied, though, is that time is fleeting as Cruz and Residente begin to disappear before our eyes.
Avila del Pino, AMC, is best known for his work in television and features. In fact, his alluded to first ASC Award nomination came in 2018 on the basis of the TV pilot for The Deuce, directed by Michelle MacLaren. Over the past seven years, Avila del Pino has lensed select music videos–all for his friend, Residente (a.k.a. Rene Perez Joglar). The Residente videos have thus become passion projects, done out of “pure love” with the same close-knit team. The “313” song and video were especially personal to Residente in that they were both inspired by a friend who had died about a year earlier.
To win an ASC Award for this particular project is most gratifying for Avila del Pino–not only because of the video’s significance to Residente, but also the deep feelings the DP has for the ASC. Shortly after receiving his first ASC Award nomination for The Deuce pilot some seven years ago, Avila del Pino recalled visiting the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood. Up to that point, he had been enamored with the ASC from afar, starting out as an avid reader of ASC Magazine, learning about the cinematographers whose work he studied, admired and even sometimes copied. To finally be seated in the Clubhouse and cross paths with DPs he idolized had him starry eyed and personally honored. Being recognized by many of those people–now with an ASC Award win–”means a lot,” Avila del Pino affirmed.
The acclaim for “313,” though, isn’t just from the ASC. The music video garnered a Camerimage Golden Frog nomination last year for both Residente and Avila del Pino.
Pivotal project
Avila del Pino recalled that his U.S. career was sparked in part by a small project which never saw the light of day. The project, despite not coming to fruition, loomed as significant because it brought Avila del Pino together with actor Logan Marshall-Green. At the time, Avila del Pino was primarily directing and shooting commercials in Mexico. But ultimately the professional bond with Marshall-Green put the DP in the running for a series a year and a half or so later–Quarry starring the actor in the title role. Decision-makers on that show, including director Greg Yaitanes, took a leap of faith on Avila del Pino even though he hadn’t previously shot a TV show or feature. Avila del Pino lensed all eight episodes of that HBO Cinemax series, giving him an invaluable jumpstart and momentum in the U.S. market.
After that came the ASC Award-nominated pilot for The Deuce, and then further down the road the first two episodes of Ozark directed by and starring Jason Bateman. Among the DP’s feature endeavors has been The Kindergarten Teacher–directed by Sara Colangelo–which made its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The Kindergarten Teacher also marked a return engagement with Maggie Gyllenhaal who was featured in the cast of The Deuce. Speaking of return engagements, Avila del Pino went on to also collaborate again with director Yaitanes on multiple episodes of House of the Dragon.
On the shorter form front, Avila del Pino has shot commercials for the likes of Pepsi, Ford, Dior Poisson and Spotify. The latter starred Cardi B and was directed by Mike Warzin via production company Arts & Sciences.
Asked how his music videos and commercialmaking have informed his TV and feature work–and conversely what his TV/feature experience enables him to bring back to short-form fare–Avila del Pino observed that he’s been able to land assignments generally because of his focus on the narrative, specifically on how he tries to use the camera in service of the story at all times. Directors are drawn to that emphasis on storytelling in TV and features–and that in turn opened up short-form content opportunities, translating into Avila del Pino’s work in videos and commercials.
On the flip side, Avila del Pino said that with shorter form work, he at times has discovered that in the end what matters most is not necessarily even the narrative but rather “the emotion you’re trying to convey.” Music videos, he continued, are very much about “conveying emotions through images and music.” And being able to tap into that emotional context in videos can serve him in good stead when it’s needed to advance stories and characters in TV and features.
As for his biggest takeaways or lessons learned from the ASC Award-winning “313,” Avila del Pino related that when you find the team of collaborators whom you develop a shorthand with–and deeply know and trust each other–then great things can happen artistically, creatively and in terms of realizing the director’s vision. There’s less need to spend time selling ideas and more willingness to try something different, knowing you have the safety net in the form of the rest of the team. You can more easily experiment on the edge when the core is so solid.
Avila del Pino’s ASC Award win comes in just the second year of the competition’s music video award category.
Regarding what’s next, the latest project for Avila del Pino is his first narrative feature film shot in Mexico. At press time, he wasn’t at liberty to publicly disclose any details about the film. Avila del Pino only shared that it’s been a great experience with a crew he’s grown to love.
And next week (3/7), the limited series Long Bright River debuts on Peacock. Avila del Pino shot the pilot for the show which was directed by Hagar Ben-Asher and stars Amanda Seyfried.
