How Cordillera Films Is Scaling New Creative Peaks
Spanning Alaska to the southernmost point of Mexico, you’ll find a continuous network of mountains. Scraping the skylines across swathes of the Americas, this chain of mountain ranges is known as the Cordillera Americana. And it’s from this connecting network of peaks that the production company Cordillera Films takes its name.
It’s a fitting namesake. For one thing, both the filmmaking studio and the Cordillera link Mexico, Canada, and the US. That connection is summed up poetically by John McCain, one of the company’s co-founders.
“The Monarch Butterfly, which we chose as our logo, migrates along this mountain range system over 3,000 miles each year”, he tells LBB. “Our goal was always to be a North American production company and to set up shop in Canada, the US, and Mexico - just like the Monarch Butterfly”.
As John goes on to explain, there are multiple benefits to that multinational approach. “Diversity has always been baked into the business model. And in terms of storytelling, diversity has allowed us to be citizens of the world rather than any one region”, he says “I’m not sure the value of that can be articulated”.
Certainly, it makes for a production company with both a distinctive flavour and deeply collaborative instincts. “Collaboration is everything to us”, notes John’s fellow co-founder Andrés P Galicia. “We believe that if you are the most talented person in the room, then you are in the wrong room”.
Surrounding themselves with the best filmmaking talent is a priority for Cordillera Films. The co-founders are keen to underline that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to any project they work on, but a knack for successful creative collaborations is an intrinsic part of the company’s DNA. As well as the intangible qualities inherent in any creative endeavour, there’s a practical element at play, too. Fortunately for Cordillera, Mariana Durán was on hand to connect those dots.
“Communication and transparency is key. Being mindful of schedules and needs, so that everyone is kept in the loop and is able to take ownership of their craft, especially when people are joining forces on an experimental basis”, she explains.
By way of example, Cordillera Films recently put that theory into practice on a project for Bellwoods Brewery, one of Toronto’s most popular neighbourhood breweries. A lively and characterful ad, what began life as a spec commercial took on a life of its own thanks to great filmmaking from the Cordillera team, combined with virtual production expertise from their partners. “Bellwoods is one of our favourite breweries in the world, which is why we thought of reaching out to them when we first conceived this project”, says Mariana. “And, luckily for us, they jumped on board”.
“Mariana, John, and I wanted to create something that showcased the power of getting things done in camera, which is why Khasan Aripov at SP Studios was an amazing partner on this”, says Andrés. “We love to collaborate with VFX artists, but when you can physically see the end result and have real time it is a game-changer”.
And the filmmaking synergy continued away from the set. “Mariana and Andres were able to connect with Alter Ego for VFX and online, and School for editing”, says John. “Their willingness to collaborate and experiment in the editing booth really brought the project to the next level. In post-production, being able to try things and make mistakes - and then try different things - is a rare luxury that they were extremely generous to provide”.
It’s in moments like that where Cordillera’s ethos of embracing collaboration truly comes to the fore. The ad came together with the help of a cutting-edge LED volume, an aspect of virtual production technology with which not all filmmakers are totally familiar. “Our opening “hero shot” was done on the volume”, John goes on to explain. “Our key SFX rigger Vlad Litvak from Mars Media FX built the foreground of that shot so that we could convincingly blend it with the wheat field that the Unreal Engine artists created for our background”.
Above: A selection of behind-the-scenes images from the Bellwoods ad.
Curiosity is another characteristic of Cordillera’s approach, one which keeps the filmmakers open-minded to the benefits of tech such as LED volumes. “John and I have been very big advocates of this technology since we learned to use it”, says Andrés. “Not because we think it's better or worse than shooting stuff in location, but rather because it gives us options. In this case, it gave us a bright sunny day in a wheat field in the winter time in Toronto. It is as close to magic as you can get”.
“We embrace technological advances, from new gear to AI tools for pre-viz.”, adds Mariana. “We are curious, and always looking for tools that will make us better at telling stories”.
And the company has plenty of stories to tell. With Cordillera Films still very new to the scene, there’s a positive energy shared by the co-founders and a confidence that they’ve set out on the right track. Reflecting on how the studio’s approach to diversity sums up their work, Mariana makes this point well.
“In this modern world, full of digital nomads and social media we would be remiss if we didn't take advantage of all the different voices and views there are out there, and within our industry”, she says. “Not only do diverse life experiences benefit the narrative that we try to build as storytellers, but they also spill into the craft. I believe there is not one way of doing things, but rather many solutions that different professionals bring to the table”.
Cordillera Films is the result of those experiences spilling over and combining with one another. As Andrés puts it, “we all come from a different place, and sometimes one perspective is the missing piece of the puzzle for something truly remarkable”.
