U.S. HISPANIC
Argentine director Juan José Campanella: I rather make fiction for platforms than for open TV
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 4 de mayo de 2022
Juan Jose Campanella
Argentine director Juan José Campanella, who is working on the second season of Los Enviados for Paramount+, addressed the benefits of producing fiction for streaming services.
“Without a doubt, I prefer platforms to open TV in all aspects. You win in creative freedom, in-depth, in not having to be permanently concerned about ratings. I connect with my craft, with the pleasure of developing the show and not with what happens with the audience. The director’s work is enhanced, while the communicator side is relegated, at least in my case,” he said.
The lack of advertising breaks on the platforms is one of the aspects that favor the narrative. “Having to reach a moment of suspense five times per episode (on open TV, in order to include a commercial cut), creates tension and a parameter that affects the fluidity of the script,” he pointed out.
The length of the chapters, very specific to open TV and flexible on platforms, is another point in favor of producing for streaming. “You don’t have to add unnecessary elements or remove those that are needed in order to comply to an exact length.”
Likewise, on open TV, fictions often have to face high rating events, meaning that the fate of long months of hard work depends on a moment. “On open TV a product is a massive success or a failure, not on platforms. It is true that with so much content it is more difficult to stand out, but even so, there is time for word of mouth to work, something that broadcast TV does not have either,” he emphasized.
Campanella is one of the talents that has signed first-look deals with Paramount. He is currently working on the second season of Los Enviados, which will add Agatha Christie-style suspense.
The award-winning Argentine director feels very comfortable with Paramount. “Since the beginning, I have been working with Federico Cuervo and JC Acosta. In an industry that unfortunately has increasingly become impersonal, having the opportunity to keep working with friends, with people you know, where doubts or fears can be expressed, and where you don’t always have to be in your best shape, is worth a lot,” he concluded.
