We turn it upside down, flip it on its head, shake it up, sweep out the dust under the rugs, and make it fly—making sure your project lands on its feet, alive and kicking.
PROJECT MENTORSHIP ( WE DON’T CALL IT A “CLINIC” BECAUSE YOU AREN’T SICK)
We accompany your project on a personal level. We talk about your process, where you find yourself, where you get lost, what your vision is, and what you’ve got in your hands. We look beyond the obvious, guiding you directly or indirectly. One hand holds, points, softens, applauds, and strips back the raw material you work with; the other pushes, shakes, caresses, empties, and stirs the waters you navigate. We review portfolios, read scripts, analyze cuts, and evaluate raw footage. We can engage in a creative dialogue, an intellectual exchange, or a philosophical and political critique of form and content—but above all, we can spot the shadows you cannot see, the very ones keeping you right where you are.
PRICING
- First Meeting: Free of charge. We get to know each other, assess the needs of your project, and agree on the best way to support you.
- Single Session: €60 (approx. 1 hour per session).
- Four-Session Pass: €200 (we adjust duration and pricing based on project needs).
- DOCMA Discount: 10% off for members of DOCMA (Documentary Film Association).
- Custom quotes available for long-term guidance and extended project mentorship. If you have any questions, just ask.
- *Note on review material: If the review material provided requires more than 40 minutes of our time outside the session, we will agree on an adjusted fee together.
*The images shown here are stills taken from various projects we have advised on; we have taken care to select those that do not compromise the project, as some of them are still in the production phase.
FACILITIES & MENTORS
Your project can be mentored by any of the artists and practitioners in our resident pool. Tell us who you’d like to meet with. If you’re not sure, we’ll happily guide you toward the profile best suited to your project’s needs.
HOW TO JOIN
To sign up, drop us an email to La Fragua Bruta, stating in the subject that you are interested in a HEADLIGHT, telling us a bit about your needs and availability. We’ll get right back to you.
*The images shown here are stills taken from various projects we have advised on; we have taken care to select those that do not compromise the project, as some of them are still in the production phase.
SOME WORDS FROM THOSE WE’VE ACCOMPANIED:
«Developing my film with Elena was the best thing that could have happened to it: it marked a turning point in the creative process and, above all, made the difference between a ‘dream film’ and a ‘film that’s actually happening.’Elena’s artistic perspective comes from elsewhere—outside the film industry and formal art institutions. She looks at and holds space for processes and projects—the “things,” as she calls them—from a deeply human place, which is where everything begins before it ever gets a category or a name. She rescues that initial spark and hands it back to you. Together, we gutted the seed of the film down to its absolute essence. From there, everything else became so much easier…»
Patricia Delso Lucas.
«I had spent a couple of years trying to give shape to a project. I had loose ideas that had turned into a few shots, but I seemed less and less clear about what I actually wanted. Most of all, I was overcome by that sense of isolation you feel when it seems you’re the only person on earth who cares about bringing this creative process to life. Then Elena arrives—she listens, holds space for you, shelters you, prompts you to reflect, and everything shifts. From that moment on, I started believing it was possible»
Carles Candela
«When I met Elena, I had been stuck on a project for years, trying to tackle it purely through my head. Elena is helping me discover a way of working that comes more from the body, from sensation, from the radical honesty of realizing that what we shoot and create is simply the result of how we inhabit the world. It’s a process, and Elena’s sensitivity has been vital. Learning to see in order to learn to film. The movie is nearly finished. The process, on the other hand, goes on! Thank you, Elena!»
Silvia Ulloa.