For most commercial directors, it’s all about the casting. Or the effects. Or the story. But for Pucho Mentasti, a South American director, it’s all about the audience. For him, it’s all about creating a commercial that will pull his viewers’ heartstrings, like "Pregnant" for Telecom; or will send a streak of exhilaration through them, as in "Deal" for Renault’s Clio. Both spots were done via Agulla & Baccetti/Lowe Argentina, Buenos Aires. "The commercial should stay really close to the needs of th e people, of the audience," explains Mentasti. "With every detail in the commercial, I try to be as real as I can. I stay close to the needs of the people who want to buy the products."
The director is regarded as a majo r force in Argentina, and his raw commitment to the story and his deep connection to the audience have won him numerous Latin and international awards. These include the El Ojo De Iberoamerica 2000 gold for best director, and a 1999 mention in The Gunn Re port compilation of awards show results, for being the third-most-honored director of that year.
If the awards don’t say enough about Mentasti’s pure talent, then his reel does. The diverse collection of ads is loaded wi th an enormous amount of passion and heart. The people at Palomar Pictures, Los Angeles, saw this passion and invited Mentasti to bring his style to the America market.
"I always used to work with people in Argentina, lo oking for jobs that will help me reach the places I want to go," Mentasti says. "The people at Palomar know best how to enhance my reputation in the States. They can push me to the right places."
The U.S. push has gained momentum. Palomar showed his reel to the creatives at agency Big Mouth, San Francisco. As a result, Mentasti started shooting a global campaign for Big Mouth this month, for an undisclosed American client.
STEPPING UP
"America," Mentasti says, "is where the big budgets are." Budgets, he adds, that will allow him to take his commercial sensibility to new and greater heights.
Mentasti has received offers from other stateside agencies, but has had to decline because of timing. After he wraps the spots for Big Mouth, he will head back to Buenos Aires to direct his first feature film, a thriller/love story called Die for You.
"When I’ve finished the film, I want to solely concentrate on the American [advertising] market," states Mentasti. So much so that he is planning to relocate to Los Angeles in late summer. The director’s move to th e U.S. isn’t the first time he’s pushed his professional threshold. Before he stepped behind the camera to breathe life into other people’s ideas, he was creating the ideas that other directors were bringing to life.
Men tasti started his career as an art director at J. Walter Thompson (JWT), Buenos Aires. He was promoted to creative director there, and eventually moved to JWT’s Lisbon, Portugal, office as a an art director; he also worked out of the Barcelona office on s pecial projects. He eventually returned to JWT Buenos Aires as a creative director.
It was in Lisbon that Mentasti started directing. In the early ’90s, he took his creative ideas and vision behind the camera as a direct or. In 1993, Mentasti opened his own production company, the now defunct 2001, where he directed music videos, including "Matador" for Los Fabulosos Cadillacs; "Looking for a Song," by Big Audio Dynamite; and "La Carretera," by Julio Iglesias. But commerc ials were Mentasti’s first love. And in ’95, he focused his company and his efforts on spot work. The switch in subject matter paid off. Over the next two years, Mentasti’s raw and passionate style would earn him and his production company the respect and jobs of Argentina’s advertising community, as well as more awards than any other Argentine production company.
"My specialty is to tell real stories, whether it’s something from action, humor, or drama. I always try to pick the scripts that are telling the story rather than just showing something," he says. " I don’t like to do spots for beauty or photography or effects; I like to do something wi th feeling. I like to tell stories about real people."
Mentasti’s stories are strong enough to keep the images and emotions he creates embedded in the minds of his viewers long after the ad is over. "My spots tend to be a little more hot," he notes. "I go for the small details."
"Deal," for the Renault Clio, leaves the viewer exhilarated by an encounter with the devil. In the spot, a man driving on a winding mountain road finds himself about to crash into two tractor-tr ailers. The moment freezes, and the devil appears in the back seat, offering the man life in exchange for his soul. The man refuses, the devil ups the ante?x2014;life plus beautiful women. Again, the man refuses. The devil offers money, then power, and st ill the man refuses. The devil laughs, and says the man knows nothing about life; the man responds, "You know nothing about cars," as his Clio easily outmaneuvers the trucks and glides to safety.
Will the stories he tells be different in America? "Different countries have a different way of living, but a story is a story everywhere," he says. "The agencies are working for the same ending, to touch the people."
