New Talent: 1985

Argentinian directors Tommy Quartino and Fran Colombatti work together to form up-and-coming directing duo 1985. Hailing from Buenos Aires, 1985’s quirky name originates from the year that separates their respective birthdates in 1984 and 1986.

Tommy and Fran forged a bond as a creative directing team, working together at various top Argentinian agencies. But after they worked on a music video together and enjoyed themselves more than ever before they threw caution to the wind and decided to become a directing team instead.

1985 are now represented by production company Landia. Last year 1985 has quickly gained international recognition and they’ve also scooped up a series of award wins, including a lauded Cannes Lions statuette.

LBB’s Jason Caines sat down with the up-and-coming directing team to discuss their Cannes Lions award winning work ‘#EverybodyLovesBoobs’, their favourite career moments so far and their upcoming series “Famous Parts of Famous People”.

LBB> What were you like as kids and where did you grow up in Argentina?

1985> We were born in Buenos Aires. We were quite similar to how we are now, just a little bit shorter. We were good kids. We played football all day and made our moms angry.

LBB> Have you ever studied an advertising-related degree or other creative education programs?

1985> We both started studying advertising, and then studied music, visual arts and film. We try to keep on learning stuff, so every year we get into different writing workshops, film seminars and all of those kind of things.

LBB> For ten years you worked at Argentinian agencies like Agulla & Baccetti, La Comunidad, Santo London & Ba, and Madre. What did you do there?

1985> We were creatives. We started as the classic copywriter and art director team, but as the time went by the roles started mixing up and we ended up doing a little bit of everything. And every time there was a shoot, we bothered every director and DOP with our questions about the craft.

LBB> How did you get your start in directing?

1985> The first thing project that we did together was a music video, which we co-directed with Tomi Basile, an editor and FX artist that now works with us a lot. Then we did another one. Then at some point we said: “Fuck it! let’s quit our jobs and start doing this all the time.”

LBB> How did you decide to come together and start directing as a team?

1985> We met in London eight years ago. One of us was studying visual arts and the other studied music. We started a tropical music band called Joguinets, then worked as a creative team at Santo London, then when we got back to Argentina we just kept working together.

LBB> What's a day-to-day like as a director at Landia?

1985> Landia is a great place to work. There’s a lot of talented people, always a lot of good stuff going on and big projects to work on from different offices around the world. And the most important thing, great air conditioning and good wi-fi.

LBB> What have been your favourite projects to work on so far in your career?

1985> Last year we shot a twenty-spot campaign for Renault and Publicis, traveling all along Latin America for more than a month, and it was great experience.  Working with Chiat Day New York and EOS was really fun as well.

We also like smaller projects that involve an artist or a creative person we admire. For example, a video we did with Mr. Kenzo Takada, which will premiere soon. And of course, David’s #EverybodyLovesBoobs.

LBB> #EverybodyLovesBoobs was a very aesthetically striking piece for MACMA. It won a Bronze Lion in the Cannes Film category as well as a load of other awards. Tell us more about making the spot?

1985> It was a big challenge and really fun to do. The people at David gave us a lot of creative freedom to think of the structure and the rhythm of the video. Technically it was hard. The preproduction was very important, making camera tests and planning the shooting, which had to be very precise. Then the shooting was intense, having almost 15 singers and actresses from 20 to 70 years old. Then it involved a long, long post-production process. Every single frame of the video has post. And above all, it was great to give a little help for MACMA.

The only bad thing about it was that after doing it, seeing a pair of boobs was as exciting as seeing a pair of slippers.

LBB> Do you have any favourite Latin American ads or campaigns that you would like to mention?

1985> We really like the ‘Edible Six Pack Ring’ by SaltWater Brewery, The ‘Pass the Heinz’ campaign and ‘The Beer of Summer’ ads by Corona. 

LBB> What are you into outside of advertising?

1985> Mainly, football. We play a lot and we talk a lot about it. We are very excited about this year’s World Cup, dreaming of Messi holding the trophy.

Apart from that, we are always writing and thinking of film projects outside advertising. We have a script for an animated short film which we hope to produce this year, and we are finishing a short film script which we are planning to shoot at the end of 2018.

LBB> What’s your advice for budding directors?

1985> Do it.

LBB> Do you have any upcoming projects that you'd like the people out there to know about?

1985> We are working on a series of short films called ‘Famous Parts of Famous People’, which are basically interviews to certain parts of the body of famous personalities. The idea is to keep on developing it and getting to know more people we admire.