The Biscuit Filmworks director on her coming of age-themed short films, the importance of pushing yourself, and being optimistic about music video creativity.Bianca Poletti is a director and photographer who has made a big impression in the last few years for her enchanting short films and is now making a serious impact in music videos and commercials.Born in California to Argentinian parents, Bianca graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Film Studies before embarking on her directing career. Her short film Radical Honesty premiered at SXSW 2022 and earned a Gold at Ciclope, and Silver at the Young Director Awards. It was followed by I Am Whole, which won Gold at the 1.4 Awards. In her latest short Ultra Low, two friends attempt to make an independent film on Los Angeles with disastrous consequences.She has also directed music videos for acts such as Röyksopp and Nikki Lorenzo, and commercial work for Facebook, Ford, and most recently, a Coca-Cola spot for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. So what better time to catch up with Bianca to get a find out more via our outstandingly popular Snapshot Q&A series? Name: Bianca PolettiWhere did you grow up? Argentina and San Diego, CA.Where do you live now? Los Angeles, CA.What were the important first projects for you, in terms of a learning experience and getting noticed?I learn something new from every project and really try to push myself thematically and visually, avoiding getting too comfortable with one genre or type of storytelling. I think that’s really important: to have your identity and voice, but to always try new things, even if it’s not a smooth ride or shoot. When things fall apart on set, there’s always a way to fix them, and though it’s stressful in the moment, some of my favourite projects have been the most stressful ones.One of my favourite projects was a short I did called I Am Whole. It’s about a young girl losing her virginity and the pressures that society and social media place on girls to grow up too quickly. A highlight was working with one of my favourite composers, Emile Mosseri (with the best music supervisor Abbey Hendrix). Between his music and the work of my editor, Dusten Zimmerman, they really brought that story to life in such a visceral way.That film and my short film Radical Honesty have gotten a lot of love and have helped me land commercial work and a variety of different projects to bring to life.Commercially, I did a spot for Coca-Cola and the Women’s World Cup recently that I really loved bringing to life. We shot it in Argentina, which was special for me, since my parents are from there. We cast a plethora of diverse and interesting faces, we street casted almost fully for that spot and I got to create the scenes with a lot of creative freedom from the agency. The client was a DREAM—absolutely supportive and letting me do my thing. Of course, the challenge was, as always, time. We could have used a few more days to shoot, but we were able to condense things quickly, focusing on the most impactful scenes and crafting a strong story from there. Best film(s) you’ve seen this year? Anora and Didi.Keep supporting artists who want to push the visuals and make weird, interesting, thought-provoking stories.Favourite song/album/music artist this year? Things We Have in Common by Efterklang, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan, Moonflower by Graveyard Club, and Cutouts by The Smile.Favourite music video(s) you’ve seen this year? LOST! by RM and Spinning Plates by Nemahsis. Both are so creative and absolutely beautifully shot and crafted.Name a film, video, or other creative work that had a huge influence on your career choice.Oof… SO many. Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, specifically Boogie Nights and Magnolia, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, and Tim Burton’s Big Fish and Edward Scissorhands.I’m really drawn to stories with messy and multidimensional characters - films with an essence of grounded imagination, playing with surreal and whimsical moments, but always tied to real human emotion. Watching all of those films growing up really ignited my imagination and made me want to play, create, and build a world bigger than myself and my own personal experiences.In terms of music video-related jobs of the past year or so - what was the most rewarding creatively, and why?I directed a music video for my close friend Nikki Lorenzo, who’s an amazing artist and musician. She brought on John Hawkes and we approached it like a mini-film. Those are my favourite types of music videos, where you can play with interesting and beautiful visuals, and still have emotion attached to every shot.It was really fun to create with them—Nikki and John were so open to all of my creative ideas, fully delving into everything without question. An editor I work with a lot, the amazingly talented Dusten Zimmerman, edited the music video and brought in a lot of sound design elements and breaks throughout the song, which gave the video a solid pulse. It was just a really fun creative process, with a strong, collaborative team.What are your favourite other (non-MV) projects from the past year or so?I just finished a new short film that I’m working on turning into a feature, Video Barn, and I’m REALLY excited about it. The actors, Grace Van Dien and Reina Hardesty, are so talented and lovely. The crew and producing team absolutely killed it, and everyone who helped on this project has been a dream. A HUGE thank you to Biscuit for their support, always. It’s within the world of Twin Peaks and The Twilight Zone, and I can’t wait to share this one!I also shot a META campaign this year that was a lot of fun. The team at Mojo SuperMarket was GREAT—super trusting. I really loved the scripts, and I’m proud of how those turned out.Your top suggestion to change and improve how the music video industry works? I feel like creativity in music videos is back, and I’m really excited about that. My suggestion would be to keep creating and pushing the creative boundaries with music videos, not to rely on simple performance videos. Keep supporting artists who want to push the visuals and make weird, interesting, thought-provoking stories.• Bianca Poletti is with Biscuit Filmworks for music videos and commerdials in the UK and US. Watch more of her work here.
Promonews - 11 days ago