Director Rodney Passé has come aboard the U.S. roster of production company Eleanor for representation spanning commercials, branded content and music videos.
His films include the heartwarming Li of Photos and Perserverancia, Son My Gente. Of the former, he shared, “I wanted to show these intimate, human moments. Photography is sentimental. You’re capturing a memory to keep it forever. I wanted to focus on the human connections between families, between friends, between lovers. I wanted to focus on the sentimental moments we want to capture forever.”
Unfolding a story told in precious coming of age moments, Passé invites audiences to flip through a cinematic memory book. The elevated visual language of enables audiences to delve into the glowing excitement of new parents.
The aforementioned Perserverancia, Son Mi Gente–an immersive photographic exploration of women’s boxing in Cuba–pulls audiences into Passé’s unique weaving of striking imagery and textured, layered soundscapes. Passé creates a lyrical visual symphony, flashing between photographs of the boxers to the rhythm of his resounding sonic world. Havana itself is a main character in this film–the cityscape, the bustling streets, the passersby, the churches that surround them.
“I draw inspiration from my mentor, [filmmaker] Khalil Joseph,” said Passé. “I always ask artists for stems. It’s transformed how I build a visual and sonic language. Working with stems, you have your vocals, you have your instruments, you have all the soundscapes and you can build your own soundscape. And it’ll still be in the same sonic tune, even if you’re incorporating different soundscapes.”
Passé’s distinct directorial voice has also told the brand stories of clients such as Apple, Google, Gucci, Indeed, ESPN, and Lincoln. Prior to joining Eleanor, he was repped by production house Somesuch.
“Craft is a keeper of time, a translation of a moment,” said Passé. “I think directors and photographers have this ability to encapsulate what a moment is. Craft is about finding ways of visually translating it. We put things in the capsule.”
Of his new roost, Passé related, “I’ve been watching Eleanor for a bit. It feels very focused on what the directors’ voices are. I’m excited for what the future holds.”
“Rodney Passé has the kind of resonate, storytelling voice destined to connect with audiences,” assessed Eleanor president Sophie Gold. “You don’t simply watch his work, you experience it. His work is the perfect marriage of authenticity and artistry. I am excited to see what mesmerizing story worlds he crafts next.”
