We were lucky to catch up with Daniel Oramas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Daniel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

Covid was interesting because as part of its disruption it forced us to scale down our shooting teams. For the sake of safety and limiting of exposure, we had to bring leaner crews of more multi-hyphenates and slow down. You can do a lot of the same work, you just need to take a little bit more time to do it simply because you have less bodies to execute.

And that’s a good thing! We found that not only did things become more focused on set, but there was also more of a spontaneity to things. There wasn’t so much machinery to move around. With 30+ people on set, it’s a whole thing to change course and improvise a bit. We got a little nimbler, which has been fun.

We became really great at making do with less. So now we take the best from both worlds and can operate in both spaces when appropriate! It was a big adjustment but ultimately one that I think made the team better filmmakers when we step back into those larger spaces.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve been a freelance commercial director for about 5 years now, and I started Debonair Films in 2019 as an outlet to self-produce projects with my friends. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to leverage that into work spanning the US, Latin America, and Europe shooting a pretty great variety of content.

Branded content, web series, documentaries, music videos; the versatility of the team is Debonair’s key asset, along with our proven ability to do anything anywhere. We’ve done 5-hr long variety show livestreams, certified online courses on botox injections, booked venetian palazzos on the grand canal for locations, figured out how to make drying concrete look sexy, shot drink ads in uber slow-motion that make you desperately thirsty, and created hearing-aid documentaries in Guatemala.

The network of wonderful talent in Atlanta and throughout the greater filmmaking world is what allows us to make this happen. Every team is carefully put together to suit the project, and every project has different needs. But they all benefit from strong collaborators, solid teamwork, and careful execution.

Our clients always appreciate our ability to help them figure out how our content piece fits into their greater puzzle. We’re a part of the strategy, and we make sure to get you the best fit possible for what you’re doing. Ad agencies, music labels, and brands all trust our ability to make them look not just good, but great.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was producing a web series in Columbus, GA, and there was a scene that needed a biker. We had pre-cast the biker, who would be pulling up with his motorcycle for a scene where he taken the lead talent on a short ride across a college campus. It was a pretty key scene for the story because otherwise the whole gag was that this guy was racing across campus and this seemingly gruff biker dude was actually a sweetheart who helped him out. Learning to trust strangers and all that.

So the biker guy was booked weeks in advance. And this was a low-budget project, but we got him a solid rate because he was bringing the bike too! He was a union sound guy, so he’s in the industry, he understood the deal, and it was all gravy.

Until day 4 of shooting, the afternoon before his scene the following morning.

Our biker apparently got a gig offer in Atlanta and had to leave. He left us high and dry, no replacement, no anything or even an apology. Just – this is what it is. Bye. Ok, then. Executive producer was freaking out. I was calling everyone I knew in Atlanta with a motorcycle, but nobody could make the drive down in time.

So my art director mentioned that he had seen a Harley-Davidson store on the way back to the hotel, and wouldn’t it be crazy if they could lend us a bike? I thought to do one better, and see if they knew anyone who might be interested in being in our little web series.

So I went out, talked to bunch of folks at the store, they suggested I try a bike mechanic around the corner, and after a couple hours of meeting new folks and negotiating, we got one of the guys to come out with his Harley the next morning. And the guy, Mike, was fantastic! Great to work with, very chill. Definitely saved the day for us.

Those last minute hard-fast cash negotiations are always fun. Intense, but fun. Definitely one of the most interesting parts of being a producer. But that’s why I never give up. There’s always a way forward if you come up with a solution.

There were improvised backup plans already in place in case we couldn’t get the guy, but you know. Biker is better.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Every. Single. Week. Is different. All of them.

Some weeks I’m producing, some weeks I’m shooting, some weeks I’m directing, some weeks I’m editing. And within those different jobs, it’s branded, commercial, industrial, narrative, music. Social media, broadcast, streaming.

The jobs aren’t the same. Because I’m a lead creative in all the projects I do, the tasks are different. It’s really a very uncertain, go-with-the-flow kind of life. Not very stable at all, but there’s certainty in uncertainty. I refer to it as the rollercoaster. You go up, and you come down. That’s the life.

It’s not for everyone, and it’s very, very hard work. Incredibly hard.

“Oh, it’s just a movie!” Yeah, just hundreds (or dozens) of people moving thousands of pounds of machinery on a brutally tight schedule to manipulate the laws of physics to create an illusion that (should) work so well that you literally become absorbed into another reality. This work’s not a walk in the park by any means.

At the end of the day, though, it’s worth it. It’s the seventh art, the one that incorporates all the others. It’s exciting and fun and inspiring exactly because it’s so difficult to do well. We’re transmitting space-time meaning directly into people’s brains. That’s real impact, real connection that can move people and change the world.

So, it’s a bit up, a bit down; endlessly exhausting, oftentimes painful, sometimes boring, sometimes breakneck, but always, always interesting. It’s a way of life. And I love every minute of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: debonairfilms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debonairfilms/
• Other: www.danieloramas.work

Image Credits
Daniel Oramas / Alex Baxter / Cara Tripodis / Nick Tabidze / Elliott Liss