Hugo Serra: “in Spain it is not realistic to produce anything solely through crowdfunding”

Hugo Serra is a different producer. Off-road. Bold. Passionate. Perhaps that is why he likes to define himself as a good football coach, but in the audiovisual field: someone who visualizes each project in all its phases and manages it with the maximum vision of the game, efficiency and quality in all aspects. 'Baratometrajes 2.0', his latest film, has been nominated for Best Documentary at the Goya, Forqué, Feroz and Platino Awards. A film that critics have defined as “the bible of auteur cinema made in Spanish today.”

An interview by Rodrigo Espinel
ProduccionAudiovisual.com

You define yourself on your CV as an “achiever of the impossible.” Is that the essence of an audiovisual producer?

Of course. You have to be ambitious, yet realistic at the same time. As a producer you don't have to consider anything impossible or give up at the first try. Producing is a combination of “knowing how” (knowing the processes and tricks well), knowing how to delegate (really), being on top and being very persistent (without the interlocutor not liking you), generating a good agenda and using arts such as the word (both oral and written). If you add to this choosing well (and adapting) your business model or your position in this strange industry, being sincere and direct, as is my case, then you will end up with a good producer.

As you know, 2014 has only been the best year in history for the Spanish cinema box office. Are we facing the beginning of the end of the crisis in the sector?

No. We all know that the sector, especially that of pure film production, is suffering an endemic crisis. And if in the general crisis it is well known that we are not only experiencing an economic crisis (it is a crisis of many values ​​and a tough sieve that has put us in our place), in the audiovisual sector there are always four problems: 1.The fit of the audiovisual sector in the Spanish business philosophy (not only producing it but also appreciating it in its advertising part); 2. the politicization and public image of the “Spanish cinema” label; 3. The lack of state vision and official consideration for it to be a strategic sector of the economy; and 4. Market restrictions (especially in theaters) and the need to know how to sell it even better (inside and outside).

As I read recently (it is the claim of a small bank): “Growing is not being bigger, it is being better.” That has always been my philosophy. work better. Then everything can improve if there is quality. And looked at from my perspective, which is that of true independence compatible with large productions, until we have better audiovisual health, there will not be a more real space for small productions, which are always a small miracle seeking to be the exception.

In your opinion, does this box office success correspond to the quality of the films we have seen in theaters?

The “stratospheric” success of this year is. It can also be said, especially this year, that the quality of the promotional campaigns for the 3 films that can be considered “flagship” has been impeccable. Although everything is “easier” with money, you do have to do many things well to light the “I have to see it” and “word of mouth” fuses as the unstoppable and win-back-viewers-who-never-were-going Eight Basque surnames, the predictable, expected but powerful of The Child and the “faithful to the intensity of the proposal” and “aroma of movie of the year” of Minima Island. I also highlight the bombshell that for me and many people it is Wild Tales. Of those mentioned, it is the one that I enjoyed the most as a viewer. I started applauding at the end of the commercial screening (which by the way was packed).

But success has also been in the middle class, in those 10.000 km, in Magical Girl (both masterfully distributed by Avalon), in The flowers, in The fools and the stupid and in many others that go unnoticed by the general public. And in those that I defend the most, beyond the numbers (success is measured with other scales, fortunately), there has been a very good harvest, with a great variety of cheap films (those that are in line with our documentary, which are not even officially released), films Margins (I classify them that way because of that platform that supports and defends them) and many interesting long documentaries and short films.

By the way, the nominees for the Goya Awards have just been announced. What production do you think is going to sweep the show?

I think it will be very distributed. For once, the one with the most nominations may be the one with the most awards (in many years it was almost the opposite, the favorites in nominations then went almost empty). If I were to vote, I am not an academic, my vote for best film would be for The Minimum Island.

What do you think academics value most when voting for the winners?

Well, I don't know, I think that mainly it is a vote that recognizes the movies that have worked and that "make an industry", but sometimes very conditioned by cronyism and colleagues or special cases: "Pepito never won the Goya, let's vote even if we haven't even seen the movie" (as happened with Sacristán in The Dead and Being Happy) and finally to let yourself be carried away by the flow and “whatever happens”. Nobody watches all the movies. And the first round is not the same as the second, already voting for the nominees and with all the pools and campaigns launched.

in your documentary CHEAPfilms 2.0. you analyze the low-budget films made in Spain. Is the future of cinema low-cost?

It is not the only model, but it is an option that, despite all its imperfections, is being unstoppable as a formula for “doing and trying things” also in the long run. As it is said in the documentary, what is healthy in a real industry is the coexistence, commercial gap and respect between large productions and very small ones.

Por una lado, muchos que ya llevábamos un tiempo, teníamos nuestro pequeño nombre y sabíamos producir y rodar barato, o ajustar nuestros guiones a una cifra “conseguible”, pues hemos seguido para delante y hemos ido inventando fórmulas de cómo distribuir y vender también. Por otro, siempre aparecen también los aprovechados, supernovatos o poco profesionales de turno, que se escudan en el no hay dinero para tratar de hacer su proyecto en la época actual. Algunos lo hacen, otros fracasan y se cansan, como siempre pasa.

Yo lo que defiendo del low-cost es buscar ideas realizables con esta filosofía, ya que talento hay. Y que luego se puedan ver y mover, creando un circuito de este tamaño y con esa sensibilidad (ahora si que puedo decir que está pasando sumando varias iniciativas de distribución-exhibición-plataformas online). Pero hacerlo con una “perspectiva de productor” detrás. Pagar, aunque sea poco (salir del no ni un duro para nada, eso es “no cost” y si que no vale para nada). Devolver favores de verdad. Aprender a autodistribuirte (porque aunque entrase un distribuidora, lo tienes que hacer y pagar tu igualmente). Pensar y salir del “cero absoluto”. Si no puedes con un largo, haz un corto o una webserie más sencilla. Para rodar nunca es tarde y mucha veces tiene sentido una trayectoria paso a paso.

Lo que si que es verdad es que cualquier productor pequeño no tiene la culpa de la situación actual y de los “platos rotos” del pasado del cine español (ese plato combinado histórico y tópico de película mala o que no interesaba a nadie, mal vendida, de presus inflados y con subvenciones corruptas, etc), que hay muchos y también parece que se están pagando todavía. Eso si que la gran crisis (y los mejores controles del ICAA) parece que están defenestrando esa peli media, pasando a lo que siempre debió ser: producir con un BUEN guion, si hay un riesgo y visión empresarial y por tanto creyendo mucho en el producto y su comercialización, del tamaño que sea.

A través de crowdfunding… ¿realmente podemos financiar una producción con potencial comercial para competir con películas financiadas de “forma tradicional” o solo vale para proyectos más modestos / arriesgados / de autor?

En España no es realista producir nada unicamente con crowdfunding. De optar por hacerlo, ha de ser un complemento a otras formas de financiación. Por resumir mucho: por muy bien que vaya un crowdfunding, no se consiguen cifras que permitan pagar a los actores y equipos. Por eso “solo vale” para los proyectos modestos. También estamos volviendo a otro punto de partido histórico, el del propio creador/director apostando sus ahorros. Me parece bien y te convierte en un verdadero productor-emprendedor. Te hace ser muy crítico y cauto con el proyecto y te obliga a llegar hasta el final (cosa que a veces no pasa con otras cosas en las que no has arriesgado ese dinero de tu bolsillo).

En tu documental se propone, entre otras medidas, que la entrada para ver una película debería acordarse en función de su presupuesto, ¿qué opinas?

Pues que yo lo haría más, que le daría una charla a cada exhibidor para que en vez de dar respuestas manidas, que pruebe con películas españolas, por ejemplo. Pero comunicándolo bien al cliente y sacando conclusiones. Pero estamos en lo de siempre, están los distribuidores por medio. ¿Lo haría Warner con una española ¿Lo haría Good Films con una joya de festival. En países como China ya ocurre, no cuesta lo mismo una película que otra.

Por último, a través de tu web www.necesitounproductor.com ofreces servicios de consultoría de proyectos audiovisuales. ¿Cuáles son los principales retos que deben afrontar tus clientes a la hora de levantar sus proyectos?

Ser muy autocríticos con nuestros propios proyectos en la fase de guión y dossier. Ponerse un objetivo realista ,ediante una hoja de ruta sólida. Lanzarse solo si los proyectos realmente están testados y tienen un interés claro “en el exterior”. Estudiar los puntos de venta y cual será su clientela u opciones. Hacer un gran ejercicio de financiación y apostar esos ahorros, para bien, es una inversión en uno mismo, juntándolo con otras vías de financiación (nuevas o “antiguas”). Saber o buscar ayuda (para eso estoy yo) en las fases que más se desconozcan. No rendirse nunca.