How The Lift Is Elevating Mexico as a First-Class Production Destination
Since founding The Lift in 2005, Avelino Rodriguez has been on a journey to make the production services company - and the wider Mexican creative landscape as a whole - the ultimate destination for shooting ads, film and TV.
Now with headquarters in both Mexico City and London, The Lift has consistently raised its game, expanding its capabilities to now include a film division, photography and stills department, one for experiential projects, a logistics unit, and a talent agency - Yanga. Nurturing its deep love for the craft and everything Mexico has to offer, The Lift is levelling up its content to tell unusual, unseen and overlooked stories, and to solidify the country as a leading global production hub. The Lift is also The Immortal Awards’ LATAM Jury Partner for 2023.
Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, Avelino discusses the impact of ‘nearshoring’ on the local industry, The Lift’s recent luchador-inspired ‘Shot on iPhone’ film, and what it means to play host to the AICP Awards this year.
LBB> What does The Lift’s production offering look like today? How has it evolved since you founded the company?
Avelino> We continue to offer our central business, which is production services for international companies looking to film in Mexico, providing best-in-class crew, an experienced team, and shouldering production risks to ensure that each production leverages the best that Mexico has to offer. We continue to prioritise safety and security across all productions, and we are constantly seeking to become more efficient with our budgets.
Our production services are now being supported by a range of other departments and teams. There’s The Lift Films, which is producing original content for film and TV, and just co-produced the critically acclaimed ‘Rotting in the Sun’ with Hidden Content. We are growing our nonfiction team, giving a different, more nuanced perspective on Mexico and its culture. The Lift’s photography and stills department is starting to thrive, with bold shoots in Vogue Mexico and other publications, and we are bidding for more international jobs. We’re also partnering with some of Mexico’s renowned museums to create original exhibitions and content.
LBB> We hear a lot about ‘nearshoring’ - is this a significant part of your business today? What has been the effect of ‘nearshoring’ on The Lift and the wider Mexican production industry?
Avelino> Nearshoring is having a very real effect, and we are noticing a direct increase in foreign direct investment and the number of international production companies considering Mexico as a destination. We have all the set designers and production teams to transform Mexico City and further afield into any location you could possibly desire. And these productions are growing in size – we had to shut off almost four whole blocks of the city a couple of months ago!
By working more and more with crews from America and Europe, production professionals have received training and experience from the best in the industry. As international production companies realise they can get the same quality and experience here as they do elsewhere for cheaper, it is inevitable more investment will follow.
LBB> Is Mexico starting to be acknowledged as a global production leader? Why do you think it’s growing? What projects, people or companies have led the way?
Avelino> I think it’s definitely trending that way. In the last two years, we have seen 10 Super Bowl commercials produced here in Mexico, and that’s just the start. We are reaching the level where we can easily compete on bids with global production companies based in the United States, Canada and Europe. We used to be seen as a second-class destination, but the combination of bringing in work for both entertainment and commercials has created a much more professional ecosystem, and a healthy environment in which crews are well-treated.
And importantly, we are building relationships and a reputation that lasts. People trust us, see our attention to detail and have evidence of results, and realise Mexico is a safe and reliable place to film. Other companies that have led the way have been Kinema, Tonic, and Mastodonte.
On the film and TV side, big streaming services like Netflix and Amazon are investing a lot of money in content in Mexico, around $600 million USD in total, and the recent projects have received significant acclaim. It’s a new generation of producers and filmmakers coming through, supported by the experience of Cuaron, Del Torro, Iñarritú and Prieto. I really admire the work of directors like Fernando Frías, Sebastian Silva, and Alejandra Marquez Abella, and they are surrounded by numerous other production experts that are too countless to name. I am glad to see government funds supporting cinematography and continuing to back these projects and creativity.
LBB> You recently collaborated with Apple on its ‘Shot on iPhone’ film, 'Huracán Ramirez vs La Piñata' - what were some standout moments from this project?
Avelino> What an incredible project. Firstly, working with ‘Los Perez’ directors, Tania Verduzco and Adrián Pérez, is always a pleasure. They are real visionaries of using vibrant colour and expansive shots and were perfect to write and direct a modern twist on a classic Mexican genre and deliver it through the lens of an iPhone. Our DoP, Alexis Zabé, was well versed with shooting on an iPhone and his adaptable style opened up the possibilities of how to optimally frame for the scenes.
The ambition was to shoot the full script without creative compromise. Our line producer, Magali Sagarra solved this by organising two or three units per day shooting side by side, and on one day, we even had four units shooting.
Since the genre is very much in the heart of Mexican culture, there was a constant drive to ensure authenticity. You see that in the locations, like the cave - there’s always a cave in a luchador film. We wanted to highlight the depths of Mexico with locations that were rich in visual scenery and the unexpected. You’ll also see it in the costumes as well - they were either outfits from the luchadores themselves, or designed by stylist Paola Alfaro, who used tailors specialising in luchador costumes. The main characters of the film, Huracán and Dr. Wagner, are real life luchadores with legacies here in Mexico. That kind of authenticity allowed us to reach a wider audience and it also pushed us to ensure that every aspect of the film felt connected to a shared history.
LBB> What does it mean to work on a film with one of the world's biggest brands that celebrates Mexican culture like this?
Avelino> It can provide some nerves, but it’s what gets you out of bed in the morning. We always relish the idea of a challenge and no matter how big the brand or project is, we treat it the same and know we will achieve good results when we execute to the best of our ability.
From filming in a classic tienda, in vecindades [residential neighbourhoods], and the Otomi Ceremonial Centre, we managed to adapt to a range of landscapes and filming environments. The spotlight on Mexico was vital – it highlighted the wonder Lucha Libre inspires, its awe-inspiring costumes, and the real heart Mexico has for mythical and fantastical stories.
LBB> We talk about ‘the craft’ a lot in this industry - but how can production or a production service company elevate a campaign’s idea/creative?
Avelino> Often, a production company will come to us with a clear idea, a great story, and an impressive cinematographic vision. However, all of that remains theoretical until you are on set - what you may envision is not always easy to execute. Our motto is to ‘empower creativity’, and present the best of the idea using Mexico as a canvas. There is a whole range of details in production design, in costumes, in providing the right equipment and location. There’s even craft in organising a crew of 100 people and making sure all are in the right place at the right time. From what I have seen at The Lift, it always stems from a blend of experience and passion, along with an attention to detail that only comes from an industry full of perfectionists!
LBB> The AICP Awards is coming to Mexico City for the first time in November - and you’re involved. What does it mean to you and the local industry to host such an event?
Avelino> I’m hugely excited for this event. It will not only be a reunion of old friends and familiar faces, but is the clearest recognition of Mexico’s growing place as a global production hub. It is also a fantastic moment to celebrate the world-class work that has been produced and developed in Mexico in the past year.
We hope to use this event to begin to establish a production corridor between the State of Mexico and Mexico City, reduce friction from permits and increase collaboration. It’s also an opportunity to show the potential of foreign investment in the country, and keep on exploring the positive impact that production incentives could have in Mexico. There will be events, talks, and screenings in various venues including the Anthropology Museum and Kaluz Museum, and I hope this can inspire the next generation of filmmakers and producers in Mexico. We are ensuring not just professionals but a range of students will attend across the two days.
LBB> What’s a moment on a production that will stick with you forever, or which taught you the most valuable lesson?
Avelino> One shoot for Nike in 2019, ‘Juntas Imparables’, with PRETTYBIRD, was an incredible moment of being able to synchronise the city with a large-scale project. Of course, it’s always about harmonising all the production elements around the director’s vision. This time, we shut down the freeway in Mexico City, managed a huge number of moving parts including gymnastic stunts, and even brought in a horse! It was a complex vision and a really difficult project to pull off but a lesson for me that we could achieve pretty much anything, no matter how ambitious. It was also great to see this project win an award for ‘Best Production’ at the AICP that year.
