Federico Duran de Rhayuela
In recent years, Rhayuela Films has worked closely with different international OTT platforms. The Colombian company has been in charge of films such as the series Mil Colmillos (for HBO Max) and Rebelión (which premiered on Netflix in 2022). They are finishing a new series for Prime Video to be launched in 2024. Federico Durán, VP of International Productions, spoke about some misconceptions about working with platforms.
“Something I think needs to be clarified is that it is a myth that you lose control as a producer. Rather, what happens is that a complementary vision spawns, and interesting work with the creative team of the platforms where the product acquires new nuances and guidelines from which very positive experiences can emerge,” commented the executive.
In any case, he acknowledged that there are differences when it comes to cooperating with this type of service: “One thing that happens is that one becomes more involved with the world of production and is usually apart from the marketing part, the premiere and the entire strategy of launching the products. That is not necessarily bad, but one is left with the feeling of liking to know more and be more aware of these strategies, especially when one comes from independent cinema.”
Another element that stood out was the need to monitor the processes during production. “Normally, production work is done very efficiently, but it ends up being much more documented with reports and with people who need to know all that is being done. So this also somehow requires more staff and more steps. That is obviously because the platforms are rigorous. But concerning how independent productions work, there is a big difference.”
Even so, he asserted that people in Colombia are usually very receptive to these types of projects, especially when a local company is involved. “When there is an independent Colombian face, normally the crew is very committed; it welcomes a foreign client and that at the same time, there is a national interlocutor who is a direct contact,” he stated.
Finally, he stressed that working with large companies from other countries does not necessarily harm authenticity. “Sometimes there is a bit of a myth regarding the dehumanization of the production, and a bit of that mystique is lost, like that feeling of making a story. But I think that is avoided by the fact there is a local company giving a face to that production, which generates greater closeness and involvement with what the work is about,” he concluded.
