Rhythm, Image and Sound as Identity with Lucas Brañas

Lucas Brañas recently joined the roster at Mama Hungara Argentina and Mexico, bringing a unique and contemporary perspective that strengthens the company’s creative offering.

His distinctive approach fuses sound and image with precision, layering texture, movement, colour, even silence, to construct visual stories that linger. Editing is the heartbeat of his work: images unfold before the viewer, inviting them to connect, to weave their own narrative, all while preserving the brand’s essence.

His commercial versatility makes him a powerful ally for elevating any campaign, bringing a cinematic aura, daring visual storytelling and artistic edge to every frame.

He sits down to chat with Mama Hungara’s press and marketing strategist Cris Gee about his early inspirations and distinctive style.

Cris> Who or what has shaped your visual universe?

Lucas> I grew up watching music videos in the ‘90s, not by choice, but because I’d lose the remote in battles with my siblings. That sparked an obsession with visual language and editing. I started mixing images, recreating clips, inventing narratives using whatever tools I had at home. Many of those early experiments still inform my work today, not as nostalgia, but as living material that continues to spark ideas.

Cris> What kind of experience do you aim to create for your audience?

Lucas> Sometimes playful, sometimes raw, but always with the intention of provoking a reaction, even a subtle one. I don’t aim to explain; I prefer to suggest. I work with short formats, I like to focus on the sensory: a lasting image, a rhythm, a gesture that sticks. If something becomes memorable, then it is worth it.

Cris> Your work blends fashion and film in a very distinctive way. What draws you to the space between the two?

Lucas> It’s the opportunity to create a personal language from something already suggested. When I begin a fashion film, beyond showcasing a collection, I’m interested in discovering the character who inhabits it. That character may already be hinted at by the brand or design, though it’s through researching the visual universe, the references, the textiles, the sound that I start to find a unique narrative treatment for each piece.

Clothing becomes a powerful narrative device. It speaks to identity, to era, to emotion. Every project demands a new search and that unpredictability is what I enjoy most.

Cris> What’s the most challenging part of a brand’s creative process?

Lucas> Creating a film means taking on a broad role, not just directing, but interpreting. You need to understand the brand’s ecosystem: its visual language, attitude, context. Doing that groundwork (researching, distilling, imagining) is key to achieving a result that feels both authentic and surprising. As a director, I aim to resolve this vision on set, minimising intervention in post-production. The idea should already be alive during the shoot.

This approach isn’t limited to fashion. Any brand looking to tell a story through aesthetics, gesture or rhythm, from a music video to a car commercial, can benefit from this kind of lens. It’s about crafting visual identity with sensitivity and precision.

Cris> Rhythm, editing and sound play a central role in your pieces. How do you build that structure and what role does sound play in your storytelling?

Lucas> For me, editing and sound are completely intertwined. Rhythm isn’t just intuitive, it’s like a score. Each shot, each silence, each cut has a pulse. It’s not just about linking images, but letting them breathe. I work with layers, with tension, with pauses that allow something to be felt beyond the literal story.

Over time, I’ve developed my own logic. I see editing as a form of engineering how each part connects to create the whole: musical tempo, shot aesthetics, cadence. I want each image to carry its own inner sound. I want colour and movement to punctuate. My pieces rarely use dialogue. Characters breathe beneath the sound, as if part of a more sensory system.

Sometimes what’s heard is a gesture, an onomatopoeia or voices that verge on instinct. Sound isn’t just a complement, it carries the unsaid and organises what’s felt.

Cris> Your visuals feel sharp yet raw. How do you decide what to show and what to leave out?

Lucas> What I leave out is part of the design. Each frame has its own rhythm and structural function, even silence. The interplay of parts, their harmony, duration, cut and sequence, all of it generates tension and internal flow. Sometimes I edit without sound, guided only by movement, colour or energy. I want the image to have its own pulse. What’s omitted isn’t absence, it’s a choice that sparks associations and expands the narrative without oversaturation.

Cris> Do you direct more from instinct or structure?

Lucas> I direct from a flexible structure. There’s always a creative framework at the start, something to shape the vision and share with the team or client. Within that framework, I look for room for the unexpected to emerge. Often the structure becomes more fluid during treatment development or post-production, where I tend to offer alternative cuts and explore new directions.

In fashion-related projects, particularly fashion films, the structure is often minimal or non-existent. That allows me to design creative boundaries from intuition, by observing the brand or character’s DNA.

Cris> What formats or creative territories would you like to explore as a director?

Lucas> I’m always driven by collaboration, working with creatives across disciplines. I’m especially drawn to teaming up with art directors, stylists, DOPs or visual artists, both in physical and digital contexts, to build pieces that leave a mark and are memorable for their freshness and impact.

These collaborative practices can be applied to all sorts of formats and contexts, adding value both narratively and conceptually. I’m excited to explore how these methods could evolve in the automotive world, jewellery, cosmetics, gaming or music videos, to name a few. Each of these fields opens up new possibilities and creative curiosities I’m only beginning to search.