Los York Films, the film discipline of the creative studio Los York, has signed director Thibault Debaveye for exclusive spot representation in the U.S. The multidisciplinary artist comes from a background in art, photography and digital production.
Formerly based in Paris, Debaveye earned a BA in art direction, photography and cinema at the Institut Saint Luc Tournai in Belgium and later studied digital direction and film compositing at the computer graphics university Supinfocom Group in Valenciennes. He was then recruited by Pierre Buffin’s pioneering VFX house BUF where he worked as a flame artist for seven years. In 2008 BUF sent Debaveye to Los Angeles to help open a Hollywood office and after a year he jumped to the new Venice, Calif. office of Psyop, where he was, among many other accomplishments, the VFX supervisor and Flame/2D lead on the Super Bowl 2009 Coke spot "Heist," which earned Psyop (directors Todd Mueller and Kylie Matulick) and Wieden+Kennedy the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Commercial that year.
“Thibault is the quintessential example of a Los York artist,” said Seth Epstein, founder and chief creative officer at Los York. “His work is cinematic and innovative, he is not only a master of transitions but exceptional at capturing performances. He brings to the table a toolbox of experience that serves to tell beautiful stories. He is going to be a major creative nomad at Los York.”
“What attracted me to Los York is that they nurture an involvement and a way of thinking that is very proactive,” said Debaveye. “They do weekly group inspiration meetings with everyone at the studio, which encourage creativity, build team spirit and make for a motivating work environment, something I have always considered essential. They also understand that opportunities are out there to be seized. Instead of passively waiting for boards to come in, they brainstorm together, make contact with brands, go out and pitch great ideas to clients.”
While VFX inspires Debaveye’s approach to filmmaking, he most often creates effects in camera, through what he calls “in-camera tricks,” allowing his work to move seamlessly. He prefers to film on location often with available light, creating more depth and structure to his images. Debaveye has developed a sophisticated “in-camera language” through years of working with other directors and learning from them and then directing film himself, providing him with a fully-stocked toolbox of techniques. His body of work is fluid, close to the action, immersive and totally authentic.
Before joining Los York, Debaveye worked globally for agencies and brands as an independent director. “I feel my own journey as a creative nomad led me to Los York,” he said. At one point in his career Debaveye took a detour to become a music producer and even took a stab at becoming a restaurateur, renovating and redesigning a classic diner in the Yucca Valley, transforming it into the trendy eatery Diner62.
