Breaking Conventions and Bringing the Unexpected to the Screen with Las Favoritas
Las Favoritas is a director duo composed of Camille Hattu and Juliette Zybura. With a shared vision and complementary skills, they live a collective adventure that allows each of them to provide the best of what they have to give.
Before shooting, they usually spend hours talking about what they have in mind. Once the idea is clear, they split roles: Camille focuses on visuals while Juliette works on staging. Their four eyes enable them to stick as much as possible to their intentions.
As they started out with homemade work, they are attached to an imperfect way of shooting, playing with movement and textures. They want to tell stories that feel real and people watching them to be in total immersion. Every film is a new world to create, from the set-up to the smallest item (they love details and subtlety).
In summary, they’ll always do whatever it takes to bring great ideas to life. Hopefully your favourites.
Name: LAS FAVORITAS
Location: PARIS (but based everywhere)
LBB> What are some upcoming projects that you're excited about? Tell us a bit about them.
Las Favoritas> Something we could talk about would be a new format – between documentary and music video/ad style sequences – we’re currently developing for a streaming platform. It’s built around the exclusive recording of a track in London studios, following the artist on a daily basis. We want to capture something raw and unfiltered in a light and intimate set up, allowing us to get really close to the subject.
Beyond the main documentary film, we’re thinking about the project globally, developing a whole AD through stills, reels /shorts and film photography. It’s the same story, told through different mediums, with layers that complement and enrich each other.
LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?
Las Favoritas> In the briefs we receive, we can clearly feel a demand for authentic and meaningful films, coming in contrast with AI-driven visuals.
To us, it’s like two paths and we’re into the realistic one, that doesn’t rely on transitions or special effects but on stories that resonate. We’ve always believed in the emotional strength of real moments.
Also, we see more and more brands embracing that through collaborations with inspiring figures, communities, media platforms. It opens the door to more subtle storytelling, where the product is not the star but part of the ecosystem and where we can focus on the narrative rather than the packshot.
LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?
Las Favoritas> We’re drawn to scripts rooted in realness and authenticity. It can start with a real person, a subculture, a specific story, something that already exists and that we can explore and transcribe through crafted visual language.
We also love working from clearly framed briefs. Paradoxically, the most precise ones often open up the most creative space: they give us a direction, a rhythm, a framework within which we can stretch the idea, push it further.
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Las Favoritas> Our process always starts offline, just the two of us, talking and challenging the idea. We love letting the first images and feelings emerge through conversations.
Then we split roles in a collaborative work: Juliette will develop the concept and shape the narrative (staging, rhythm), while Camille will develop visual intentions (compositions, textures, movements), finding the good references to add to the treatment.
We intuitively split roles guided by our different sensitivities. It allows us to be precise, pay attention to every detail.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
Las Favoritas> Making a film is always a collective work, but some roles become central at different stages of the process. At first, the producer is key: it’s the first person who helps us bring our ideas to life in a feasible and impactful way. A good producer holds the balance between creativity and objectives, and allows us to fully focus on our creative part.
Then, we each have our anchor partners. For Juliette, it’s often the subject(s) on screen, casting, the one carrying the emotional weight of the film. For Camille, it’s the DOP with whom she shares a visual dialogue, finding the best way to bring beauty and texture to that story.
Finally, the editor plays a decisive role, bringing a fresh eye and helping us to find the best rhythm to serve the message.
LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?
Las Favoritas> We’ve always felt inspired by music videos. They’re one of the most creative formats to play with because everything is possible: narrative, abstract, dynamic, contemplative… We love how they allow us to dive into the universe of an artist and imagine a visual translation putting forward the music.
Directing our first commercials then made us realise we could bring the same creative energy and freedom into branded work, and that’s something we want to keep pushing. More and more, we’re inspired by hybrid formats that mix genres, creating bridges and ruptures to surprise the viewer and bring something unexpected to the screen.
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?
Las Favoritas> We know that being a female director duo can be a strength, even sometimes an advantage on certain projects. But one common misconception would be that we're only interested in stories centered around women, or in so-called ‘feminine’ worlds.
While we’re proud to bring representation to issues like gender inequality, as we’ve previously done in our work for YouTube or the French Football League, that’s only one facet of what moves us creatively.
We’re just as inspired by projects rooted in streetwear, sports, or hip hop culture for example, that may not carry an explicit message or be tied to a specific identity, but which hold strong emotional, visual, and cultural resonance.
We’re always excited to dive into diverse topics, explore and push ourselves to new narratives.
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
Las Favoritas> Back when we were mainly directing music videos, we were approached by a label to create a series of two music videos for one of their artists. It was the first time we had a slightly more generous budget, which meant a bigger crew and more ambitious ideas. We were thrilled, and a little nervous, to deliver something we could all be proud of.
For one sequence, we had to create some organic rain on a Parisian café terrace. The production team assured us they had a tried-and-tested solution: the ‘canne à pluie’, basically a giant watering can used to simulate rain.
We had one take. One chance. The cast was ready, the camera was rolling, everyone was in place. We yelled ‘Action!’ and… three lonely drops fell from it. Crazy flop. General panic, all eyes on us.
We stayed calm, regrouped quickly with production, and came up with a backup plan: reframing the shot tighter to hide the dry ground, and enhancing the rain in post. It was an unlikely scene, but it taught us to think fast, adapt, not show panic to the team on set to stay united. There’s always a way forward, even if it’s not the one you initially imagined.
NB: It was the first sequence of a long night, obviously.
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
Las Favoritas> For us, everything is about good preparation. That’s why we’re always keen on a brief that’s as detailed as possible. We put a lot of our energy into the prep phase, because that’s when we all need to align, to make sure the vision is shared and that there are no misunderstandings.
The treatment is a key to open the conversation: the more we articulate our vision early on regarding different scenarios, the more we open questions and feedback at the right time – to avoid this happening during the shoot, which is, most of the time, a quite rushed setting.
At any time, we always try to stay open and flexible offering realistic solutions when needed. But being two really helps us protect the original vision. It’s easier not to lose what we initially had in mind, keeping the vision and the story as we promised it.
LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?
Las Favoritas> Of course. We are always open to work with new talents; it’s nourishing, stimulating.
We are in jobs where we always have something to learn and have to reinvent ourselves constantly, so we got to get inspired as much as possible. And what better way than exchanging with people? Also, we’re in an era where everything evolves so quickly and with so much content, we can’t always be aware of new trends and young talents can bring that.
We’d actually love to mentor. For this reason but also because we know how precious it is in our fields to be guided, as there are no rules and you can sometimes feel lonely or doubtful when you start. We were at some time in the same position, and it’s directly on set, with talented people, that you learn the most.
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, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?
Las Favoritas> As said previously, we love imagining things globally when we work on a project, adapting across formats and media.
We evolved, grew at the same time as did social media, so it’s always been part of our processes, reflexions. We always keep in mind that a film has to be thought to be adaptable, possibly living in different parts independently.
On set, we always let some sequences last a bit to have more material and create those little snippets/caps that can live on their own, as teasers, BTS, extracts… expanding the narrative.
LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work?
Las Favoritas> We’re curious and open about it, but it really depends on how it can serve a project. Things are evolving fast and we don’t rush to adopt every innovation, but if a tool like AI or virtual production can elevate the story or bring something meaningful visually, we’re open to explore it.
Globally, we’re not into using many non-organic effects, our style defends something else: we’ve always been drawn to the emotional power of authentic stories and the beauty that can be brought by raw and imperfect visuals.
That’s where we feel the strongest and where we believe we can make a space in the production world, alongside films that push innovative and futuristic aesthetics.
LBB> Which pieces of your work do you feel show what you do best – and why?
Las Favoritas> Here are the direct links of our favourites:
‘The Throw’ I Reebok x High Snobiety – an hybrid film between documentary and commercial codes, portraying a real community of pétanque players in Marseille, where the brand naturally finds its place within the narrative.
‘The Seat’ I LFP x Her Game Too – a film that carries a message we stand for, featuring only real people (real supporters) to highlight inclusivity in football tribunes.
‘Plus qu’un travail, une équipe’ I McDonald’s – series of four social media films, associating collective sports energy to work at McDonald’s.
‘From Farm to Table’ I Pantobaguette – a homemade film for a restaurant, immersing the viewer in the daily prep until the diner service.
‘Ce sera toi’ I Banques Alimentaires – our first TV campaign! Challenging film with an aim to depict, through one still shot per person, different identities and situations. Because many can be touched by financial difficulties, even some we don’t suspect.
